Rovinj - a little gem in Iisteria
When I first heard about this area it was years ago from a dear friend Lidia Varesco who had visited this area with her family. When we told her about our trip and we would be stopping in Croatia she reminded us of Rovinj, the seaside town where her family still lives and lucky for us, they have a guest house. No brainer and originally was going to book one night but after seeing photos of the town we added another night. Booked. This town would be our last stop before heading to Slovenia.
We broke up the trip with an overnight in a small town called Senj also by the sea and midway from Zadar to Rovinj.
We arrived late in the afternoon and once in Senj it took a while to find the hotel so much so that it took 5 different locals to assist in finding this Airbnb. Took about 30 minutes a few calls from the locals but we finally managed to get to location.
We knew the room would be small, but we were taken aback once we settled in. The room was something one would expect from a young college grad, the room had pictures of a young women’s travels including Chicago. It was only one night so it wasn’t a big deal.
The next morning we were up and out on our way to Rovinj, the drive itself from Senj was spectacular going through the mountains and coming along the coast to Rovinj. We took our time to drive the coast and stopped to snap photos.
Upon arrival in Rovinj we found the guest house and Silvia was there to greet us with welcome arms and a big smile. When we entered the room, we were pleasantly surprised. We expected a nice place just a room, but it turned out it was a 2-bedroom apartment. This apartment came with 2 balconies, a washing machine, and full-size kitchen. On top of that, A bowl of fruit and a bottle of local red wine were given to us. After Senj, we were very happy with our home for two nights. Should have added a few more. Next time.
The guest house is a quick 15-minute walk to old town and This time of year was nice due to the fact it’s considered low season. There are still tourists but can well imagine the volume during the high. In fact, some bars/restaurants were already closed for the season and signs indicating they would reopen next year. Don’t worry, there were plenty of restaurants still open so one is not hard-pressed for food nor drink.
Once in town we scouted out places to eat. We found a cute little restaurant away from the main ones which happened to be on the sea and the fresh seafood is something we enjoy given that our future travels will be more inland. Grilled octopus and mussels were ordered with a nice white wine to pair with our meal.
After lunch there was more of the town to explore so with bellies full, we explored this beautiful old town. Every narrow alley was another opportunity for photos and after a few hours we decided a break was in order. Found a cute bar which is a smaller version of the Buza Bar in Dubrovnik.
The following day, like the past few weeks, was another sunny day, perfect to climb the bell tower to get some stunning views if this town and surrounding area. We must be getting better as the 200 steps didn’t bother us.
After our morning workout we decided to relax by the sea, which by the way, this town does a great job with landings for people to sit and enjoy the views. The locals definitely take advantage of this area. Meanwhile Mark entertained himself watching a small crab for the afternoon.
As this was our last night in Croatia, we treated ourselves to another nice fish dinner and then back to the landings where we sat and watched a spectacular sunset.
Alas all good things come to an end and as we were ready to leave so the next day we packed up our car and said our goodbyes to Silvia, who gave us parting gifts, her version of “Chanel’s potpourri”, herbs from her garden wrapped with a purple ribbon along with 2 fresh pomegranates.
This was such a nice stay and we would definitely recommend not only visiting Rovinj but also staying at Silvia’s guest house. We wished we could have stayed longer but alas Slovenia was calling us.
We spent over three weeks in Croatia, and we think we covered a good portion of this country. Hopefully one day we will come back to it this country as there are still plenty of spots we need to be explored.