recent blogs

upstairs bathroom reno : update 4

upstairs bathroom reno : update 4

This rather lovely rustic, wooden A-frame ladder, hinged at the top and held together at the bottom with thick rope, hasn't really been utilised in our house as well as it could have been. It's usually covered in throws, which as the weather warms up, are discarded...

hotel adriatic : rovinj : istria

hotel adriatic : rovinj : istria

The Adriatic Hotel is located right on the picturesque harbour of Rovinj, a Venetian town on the south western coast of the Istrian peninsula. It is in the pedestrianised old town, full of pastel coloured Venetian buildings fringing the sea. Cobbled streets, full of...

oprtalj : step into the past…

oprtalj : step into the past…

Our nearest town, Oprtalj, isn't really a town. At least not in the sense of what we'd regard as a town back in the UK. Oprtalj is not much bigger than Burton Road in West Didsbury, but with a couple of restaurants, a cafe bar, a school, a food shop, an interiors...

roxanich wine & heritage hotel : motovun : istria

roxanich wine & heritage hotel : motovun : istria

We're suckers for stylish interiors. The kind of interiors that we maybe wouldn't be quite bold enough to go for at home, but love experiencing. And if anywhere does stylish interiors, it's the new kid on the block in Istria - Roxanich Wine and Heritage Hotel. When we...

frescoes : draguć : istria : croatia

frescoes : draguć : istria : croatia

In northern Istria, is the small village of Draguć, somewhere I’d never heard of, let alone been to, until this summer. That’s the beauty of Istria. It’s a small peninsula and so I guess that once people who visit have been to the big-hitters – Rovinj, Porec, Pula,...

stari podrum restaurant : momjan : istria

stari podrum restaurant : momjan : istria

Restaurant choices in Istria are huge. Even the tiniest hamlet will usually boast a konoba, serving food of an excellent quality. If you love pasta, gnocchi, stews and truffles, then Istria is definitely for you, as these do form the staples of many restaurant menus....

hotel navis : opatija riviera : croatia

hotel navis : opatija riviera : croatia

What a treat, a day and night away at Hotel Navis, in Opatija, is. Built into a cliff-face, and with all rooms overlooking the sea, it is situated between Rijeka and Volosko, on Preluk Bay – and for us, not too far away from our home in Istria. We spotted the hotel on...

rovinj : istria : croatia

rovinj : istria : croatia

We thought we knew Rovinj, in Istria pretty well as it’s now one of our go-to places when we need some sea air and a bit of comfort away from an on-going house renovation. We decided to stay somewhere different this time, and chanced upon the very stylish and...