Veli Losinj
“Croatia’s best-kept secret: The tiny island of Losinj is big on wellness, secluded beaches and tranquil fishing villages.” This headline from the British online newspaper, The Mail, describes one of the islands I’ll be visiting while on my upcoming Star Clipper cruise. I’m excited about exploring Losinj!
Later this month I’ll be sailing into Losinj on a clipper ship and I’ll enjoy a day of exploring several of the small villages on the island. Venetian in character (in keeping with the history of Croatia) these little known places draw more vacationers each year. Fishing villages for centuries (and today), the principle towns called Mali Losinj and Veli Losinj also showcase the homes of wealthy 19th century ship captains and the villas of Austrian aristocrats who discovered the charms of these islands long ago.
Some of today’s visitors arrive in their yachts. Others rent apartments and villas for their summer vacations and enjoy the long white sand and pebble beaches that outline the island. Veli Zal is a blue flag beach near Mail Losinj that may be the site of the last beach day of summer 2014 for some in our group. As the Mail article states, the island is “littered” with spas. In Veli Losinj the old church tower dating from 1445 now houses a museum and art gallery. Another gallery can be found in the former church of Our Lady of the Angels which was built in 1510. I’ve learned about one or two restaurants worth searching out. Discovering these small communities is indeed something I look forward to.
Resources:
The article quoted above in the Mail Online provides interesting information about Losinj.
Find a gallery of gorgeous pictures here. And for dozens more go to images.google.com and search for “Losinj.”
The website of the official tourist office for Losinj is helpful.
There are several online agencies on the island managing vacation rental cottages and apartments and offering other services to visitor. These include Puntarka Travel Agency (this site contains much information about Losinj) and www.losinj-croatia.com/.
In My Suitcase: Little Known Places to Discover 