Novi Vinodolski and Povile

IN THE HEART OF EUROPE AND THE MEDITERRANEAN

The Vinodol region spreads along the imaginary boundary between the Kvarner Gulf and Croatian Primorje, in a hinterland protected by the hills of the forested Kapela, which are joined on the south
to the heights of the fairytale Velebit Mountain. At its center – completely turned to the sea and with a view of the island of Krk, the largest of Croatia's one thousand islands – is Novi Vinodolski. This tourist jewel can be easily reached by land, sea and air, from any part of Europe and the Mediterranean. Linked by the Adriatic tourist road with the port of Rijeka and its railway station, it is only 12 kilometers from the Dalmatina, the modern highway that connects northern and southern Croatia. Novi Vinodolski is 122 kilometers from Trieste, 170 from Ljubljana, 260 from Venice, 520 from Milan, about 550 from Budapest and Vienna, and only 590 from Munich. Those who do not drive can land at the nearby airport on Krk or at airport in Zagreb, which is 180 kilometers away. But if you are not in a hurry, it may be the best to sail to the stone city that rises above the sea – by the Kvarner Gulf from the north or the Velebit Channel from the south.

A CARVED AND WRITTEN HISTORY

Novi Vinodolski develped and expanded along the coast from the old castle of the Frankopans. The town has been known throughout history as a political and cultural center of the Vinodol princes, who issued the first important Vinodol Law of 1288 and then through the centuries also spawned and entire constellation of famous Croats – authors, travelogue writers, dukes and visionaries – from the Mažuranić family. The rich heritage has been maintained in the spirit and physiognomy of today's town: in the walls of the Roman fortress of Lopsica, in the remains of the Paulist monastery, in the Frankopan castle and tower, in the cathedrals of the Holy Trinity and St.Marina, and in the traditional seaside homes with thier white facades and red tile roofs that rise from the old city center from the sea to the church and town on the hill. This unique and magically beautiful panorama certainly contributed to Novi Vinodolski being included by 1878 among the pioneers of elite tourism on the Adriatic, just after gorgeous Opatija. In addition to he streets of the old town, you will find many points of interest about the cultural heritage and secular development of the Vinodol Riviera, including the Municipal Library and Reading Room dating from 1845, the county Mueseum and Gallery, the house of the Mažuranić brothers, in addition to the well-preserved native folklore and customs of this eternal town.

A HEALTH RESORT FOR THE BODY AND SOUL

The Mediterranean climate with its mild winters and warm, sunny summers, whose daytime temperatures are eased by the sea breezes, makes a visit to the Vinodol Riviera pleasant at any time of the year.

Whether you add to this also all of the unique features of this area – the clear blue sea, a city and a surrounding area without industrial pollution, the luxurious greenery that saturates the air with noble ethereal oils, the fresh mountain breezes from the high forest of the hinterland and the hospitable and hard-working local population that knows how to raise and produce foods withouth additives and preservatives – you can be certain that you are in a natural health resort for the body and soul. The area has an average of 2,400 to 2,500 hours of sunshine per year, with an average air temperature of 15ºC (in the winter about 10º, in the summer a comfortable 27-29ºC) and a sea that is extremely clean and so warm that you can swim in it from May to late September. Although the swimming season can be extremely hot, in the Vinodol area it is cooled by the gentle winds from the Vinodol Channel, transforming the heat into a balmy airy spa. If the strong wind known as the bura is blowing, which is more frequent in winter, it will bring you health, purification and good spirits. When the wind shifts to the south, from the sea, you will have warm, moist air that will pleasure to your urban skin.

We will leave the other winds of Vinodol – known as the masetral, the burin, the levant or the tramontana – to those who really love sailing!

RESERVED FOR HEDONISTS

The residential apartment complex of Mediteranean villas has been built on one of the two bays in Povile, a small coastal town with about 200 permanent residents approximately two kilometers from Novi Vinodolski – close enough that all of the advantages of a develped tourist and urban center are at your fingertips and distant enough that you feel all of the virgin blessings of the tranquil Mediterranean atmosphere. You can relax on one of the many, but never crowded, beaches of the Povile bays. You can go diving and explore the undersea flora and fauna, and you can try to catch sea bream or sea bass from a boat or from the shore. Or, simply, from the spacious terrace of your apartment or one of the well-maintained walking pahts you can look at, or immortalize in water colors, the contours of Krk and its celebrated Vrbnik, whose famous winegrowers carefully cultivate in their cellars the white wine known as žlahtina for you. And when just the idea fo those noble droplets makes you hungry, you can go down to one of the nearby restaurants, where you will be treated to selected homemade specialties or seafood delicacies (keep in mind that the scampi from the nerby Velebit Channel are the biggest and tastiest in the entire Adriatic!). If you have an adrenaline depenedency, and want something stronger than a game of tennis or some water sports, become daring and get acquinated with the expansive forests of the Vinodol hinterland, with all kinds of bear, rabbits and boars. In addition, Croatia's national parks will not be far away – the closest are Risnjak, Paklenica, and Northern Velebit, while Plitvice Lakes, Krka and Kornati are also within reach.

If you exhaust yourself with these many indulgences, remember that just a few minutes drive on the magistrala brings you to the Novi Spa Hotels & Resorts. You can relax in their wellness center, you can relax with a whole range of sophisticated massages and treatments. And then – relaxed, fulfilled and satisfied – you can go back to the best of all, your little piece of heaven – your apartment in Povile!