The
sunny skies and soaring temperatures herald the arrival of summer. Looking for
ideas for a holiday or just a daytrip? We have selected for you some of our
fresh new experiences throughout Slovenian Istria.
Do you find it hard to pick the
right accommodation?
Guests to Bernardin can this year enjoy
the renovated hotel Histrion with its sea park and wellness areas.
Histrion is the largest hotel in Slovenian Istria and is surrounded by the sea.
The hotel provides direct access to the Termaris Marine Water Park where
adults can relax peacefully in the swimming pool and children can play in the
playground, or in a pool with torrents and whirlpools. Wellness Benedicta offers a world of saunas, a salt room and various Istrian themed massage and
beauty treatments for you to enjoy. Act-ION hotel Neptun - LifeClass Portorož is the first hotel with a “5 bikes” categorisation on the Slovenian
Coast. It boasts the most comprehensive services for amateur, recreational and
professional cyclists. It has a modern bicycle shed with video surveillance watching
over 40 bikes, a cage for storing more valuable bikes as well as sockets for
charging electric bikes. It also provides a place for washing and drying bikes
with the possibility of filling the tires with air. You may rent classic or
electric bicycles at several locations throughout Portorož and Piran. Corporate
guests will enjoy staying in the recently renovated four-star Grand Koper hotel in Koper. The hotel is also suitable for couples, recreational travellers
and families. It offers 60 designer rooms of various types. Guests will soon be
able to access a small wellness and fitness centre which is set to open in the
second half of the year. Among newly reopened accommodations you will also find
the luxury holiday hotel Vila Molet House, right by the sea. It is
located between Žusterna and Koper and offers direct access to the sea. The
accommodation has four luxury units that can be combined into one.
New experiences
More than a hundred
different experiences await you in Slovenian Istria. Allow us to emphasise
three new exciting additions. If you are a foodie, make sure to visit Izola and
experience Roman Flavours under the Stars. This evening experience is
especially designed to provide guests with an experience of the ancient Roman
cuisine intertwined with history. Visit the idyllic Izola Archaeological
Park, where you will “travel back in time” and experience a real ancient Roman
dining room (an open triclinium). You will be received by the caretaker of the
Roman residence (vilicus) and will hear various stories throughout the evening.
Another addition to our experiences is The Forgotten Secret of Izola.
Guests can explore the heritage of the Izola town centre in an interactive and
fun way. It is modelled after the popular game "Escape house", but it
instead takes place outdoors and is digitized. The participants are addressed
via the app by a secret character with an interesting connection to the town of
Izola. If you are not into games then you may find more enjoyment in our third
new experience located between Portorož and Strunjan. This extremely varied
tour with a touch of Istrian tradition takes place on foot, on the sea
and on a bicycle. It starts with a walking tour of Piran. Afterwards the guests
board a wooden boat taking them to Strunjan. Guests return to Portorož on an
electric bicycle following the Parenzana trail. On their way back the guests
stop at various homesteads, olive groves and beautiful vantage points. They can
taste Istrian culinary delicacies. The tour ends in Mediterranean style, with a
tasting of local wines and relaxing by the beautiful views of Portorož. Our
advice - take your time!
There are also novelties on the
beach
A new urban seaside
park is set to open in Koper this summer. It will provide a great location for
socializing, spending free time and relaxing. It will offer visitors a chance
to go for a swim on a small pebble beach. There will also be a place providing
food and drinks in the immediate vicinity with beautiful views of the sea. The Central Portorož Beach boasts renovated piers this year. Not to be outdone, the Lucija
Beach has also undertaken a remodelling and will provide more beautiful scenery
and the opportunity for pleasant socializing and refreshment by the sea.
There is always good food in Istria
The Mama Marička Inn in
Parecag is set to receive its first guests in June. The likeable Darko Klemen,
MasterChef Slovenia 2016, is spearheading the project. Darko told us that they
will offer Istrian dishes, including lesser known ones, which are rarely found
on the menus of other restaurants. They will also serve traditional Slovenian
dishes from various gastronomic regions of our country. The beginning of June
also saw the reopening of the Michelin Plate awarded Rizibizi restaurant
in Portorož. It is now located in an even more attractive location, right next
to Portorož Beach. This summer, Izola is organizing a Dock of Tastes food festival. Visit the various food stalls by the sea and taste the authentic
food this town has to offer. The first event takes place on June 12, and the
other three will follow on the first Saturday of September, October and
November. Koper is richer by the
addition of the excellent Kogo restaurant. It is located next to the
Vinakoper wine cellar and offers Istrian dishes with a modern touch. At the end
of June, Koper will also receive a new seafood restaurant Stella Maris. This
restaurant will be a 17-meter catamaran moored in the Koper harbour. It will
surely make for a special experience. Marezige, located in the countryside of
Koper, is known for its wine fountain. Now even visitors with a “sweet tooth” will
want to visit Marezige thanks to the recently opened Refoškoladnica confectionery shop. The shop provides refreshing ice cream and desserts with flavours
inspired by various top local wines. On June 24, fans of Istrian gastronomy
will get their money's worth at the Altroke Istra Gourmet festival. The
festival will spice up the last Thursdays of the month at various locations throughout
Koper with Istrian dishes and excellent wines, lasting until the end of
September. Ankaran’s hotel Residence Ortus also provides excellent gastronomic
offers. Lovers of sushi will certainly get their money's worth.