Head beyond the Dalmatian coast to Lošinj, where pine forests and sunshine have been offering respite for more than a century
“Lošinj is the island of vitality; it’s not just wellness, you have to exercise too,” my guide Dunja Sladic says, chuckling and shaking her head at the state of me. I’m panting after a 45-minute coastal walk between Veli Lošinj and Mali Lošinj, the island’s two towns.
Kvarner Bay, northern Croatia, is home to a swath of islands. Krk is the most accessible, linked to the mainland by a bridge, but Lošinj, 50km south and a ferry or catamaran ride from the mainland, is Croatia’s sanctuary. It receives 2,600 hours of sunshine a year and has its own temperate microclimate, thanks to the Učka mountains, which protect the bay from cold northerly winds. A dense blanket of pine forest and more than 200 types of medicinal plant, including laurel, myrtle and rosemary, add to the healing properties of the mineral-rich Adriatic air.
The island lacks Dubrovnik’s crowds (Photo: Getty)
Health tourists have been coming here since 1885, when Ambroz Haračić, a local botanist, brought the island’s restorative environment to the attention of Austrian doctors. Soon, royals and aristocrats from across the Austro-Hungarian Empire were visiting and setting up health resorts and spas.
When I arrive, 140 years later, I’m a veritable ball of stress after a hectic work project, but the smell of pine immediately calms me. With 250km of walking paths weaving through the woods and along the island’s shoreline, the scent is prevalent everywhere you go.
I’m visiting Lošinj Hotels and Villas, a Croatian-owned company that has lovingly restored heritage architecture across the island, from Austrian royals’ mansions to Yugoslav mega hotels, and added campsites to boot. I’m staying at the jewel in the crown, the Boutique Hotel Alhambra & Villa Augusta, where two mansions make up one heavenly hotel, with its own indoor saltwater swimming pool and views of Cikat Bay.
I’m here on a health kick. That means healthy food, no alcohol, sea swimming and as much forest bathing – the Japanese practice of surrounding yourself in the woods and slowly walking between the trees to aid relaxation – as possible. The 19th-century wellness resorts knew about the power of these trees and the Croatian government still knows it today – their doctors send asthmatic children here to get well.
Lošinj is strikingly different to Dubrovnik, Croatia’s tourist hotspot. For one, it received only 310,230 visitors in 2024, compared to the city’s 1,397,052 (even Kvarner Bay’s most popular island, Krk, welcomed 955,434). Secondly, Lošinj still has gloriously peaceful shoulder seasons. While its hotels and campsites can become busy during July and August, the months either side are comparatively serene. Dubrovnik, on the other hand, hits peak season as early as mid-March, and that carries through to late October. If you prefer to avoid crowds, making the pilgrimage to Lošinj’s secluded shores is well worth the extra effort.
In addition to becoming known as the country’s “healing island”, Lošinj has a bit of a rep as the San Tropez of Croatia, which is not totally unfounded; super yachts and mega yachts do park up in Mali Lošinj in the height of the summer (think Succession rather than the Kardashians). But you don’t have to be one of the one per cent to enjoy this idyllic island. The catamaran from Pula costs around £24 and you can find boutique hotel rooms from around £150 a night in summer.
Cikat Bay is sheltered, and has historic stays (Photo: Getty)
The island’s pebble beaches and turquoise waters are public and easily accessible, as I find out on Dunja’s walking tour – a tough day-long itinerary of strolls, swims, and some meal breaks, too. I dip in and out of the forest and the sea, in the west of this long, thin island. I slip off my shoes in the ancient woodland and find a fallen tree to sit on, so I can take a pause to breathe in the pine-infused air. I count my blessings for being here on Lošinj.
Emerging from the forest feeling refreshed and powerful, I head down to the water’s edge in Cikat Bay, where the water is sheltered from the waves of the Adriatic. It’s calm and is cold, with an aquamarine colour that beggars belief. I float around before doing a few laps of the cove, gazing back at the illustrious Hapsburg villas on the shore.
Every meal I eat over the course of the long weekend showcases local produce. At Lanterna Grill & Gourmet, looking out over the Adriatic, huge platters of freshly caught fish, coated with local salt and herbs, are brought out by the chef. Michelin-starred Alfred Keller Restaurant, in Boutique Hotel Alhambra, blows me away with a tasting menu featuring Istrian black truffle, while at Diana, a shoreside konoba (traditional tavern), a local speciality of lamb luma steak is delivered from the grill and is a total steal at £21.
Lošinj’s tradition of wellness resorts continues to draw people in 140 years on, and I can’t help but envy the those who live here; self-care must come naturally when you’re surrounded by healing forests, healthy food, sea and regular sunshine – I’ve only been here a few days and already some of my stress has lifted. When I ask Dunja if she needs a flatmate I’m only half joking.
Getting there
Fly from the UK to Pula and take the catamaran to Mali Lošinj or catch a bus that travels on the Krk-Cres car ferry and then by road to Mali Lošinj. Alternatively, there’s a bus from Zagreb or a ferry from Zadar.
Staying there
The writer was a guest of Lošinj Hotels and Villas, Čikat Bay. Boutique Hotel Alhambra & Villa Augusta has doubles from £278 in September. Sister accommodation Hotel Bellevue is a modernist building with a sprawling outdoor pool area and private beach, with doubles from £155 in September.
More information