Grosvenor Travel, 8c Penhryn Avenue, Rhos-On-Sea, Conwy, LL28 4RD
Tel: (01492) 547744 - Fax: (01492) 547008 - Email:
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HOTEL LUCIJA, PORTOROŽ, SLOVENIA
One week in the ‘Port of Roses’, Portorož, the Queen of the Slovenian Adriatic resorts, on a half-board basis in the excellent and well-equipped Hotel Lucija situated adjacent to the beach. With beautiful scenery and historic towns within easy access, there is a fascinating range of excursions available.
Slovenia, one of Europe’s smallest countries (about the size of Wales), possesses incredible diversity. The far North West boasts the lake resorts of Bled and Bohinj and the last mountains of the alpine chain. The capital, Ljubljana, has been referred to as the ‘new Prague’, with its castle, fine central square and beautiful churches and mansions. But it has a very different and unique character and remains relatively undiscovered. The limestone Karst is often wild country, with its spectacular caves, castles, unspoilt villages and regions where the main inhabitants are bears.
The Adriatic coastline is quite short, only forty-seven kilometres between Italy to the north and Croatia to the south, but offers three highly attractive old Venetian towns Izola, Koper and Piran and the resort of Portorož, where our hotel is situated. Portorož, or the Port of Roses, has been known as a health resort since the 13th century, when monks discovered the healing properties of seawater and sea mud. Its real development began around 1900, when it became a popular resort of the upper classes of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The lavish Palace Hotel still bears testimony to this fin de siècle elegance and is well worth visiting. A further boost came in the 1920s when the Slovenian coastline came under Italian control. Besides resettling thousands of Italians along the coast, Mussolini promoted Portorož as an upmarket holiday resort. Thanks to this Portorož has retained its carefully planned, distinguished and cosmopolitan ambiance, with flower lined promenades, parkland, marina, the Viva sculpture park, an excellent range of restaurants, coffee parlours and bars, and a range of nationalities visiting and living in the town. It hosts a film festival, an international boat show and numerous congresses and is perhaps best described as the Cannes of the Adriatic coast.
Temperatures are pleasant, usually avoiding the extremes of heat found further south. June temperatures could be expected to peak in the mid-twenties Celsius, just right both for sunbathing and exploring. 
Located immediately next to Portorož beach and promenade, Hotel Lucija is a modern styled hotel set in very attractive grounds. Rooms at Hotel Lucija are comfortable and spacious, decorated in light pastel shades; they have air conditioning, hairdryer, satellite TV, safe, direct dial telephone, and bathrooms with shower. Rooms with balcony are seaward facing, with a variable degree of sea view through the pines trees at the front of the hotel.
Wellness Lucija is an extensive on site indoor pool complex with heated sea water, that features a sauna centre offering Turkish and Finnish saunas, and several other spa facilities including infrared cabins.
The large outdoor pool is situated across the road as part of the beach complex and is shared with the adjoining hotels of the Metropole group. The beach area is paved, there is a beach bar and swimming is either in the pool or the Adriatic. A few minutes walk from the hotel is a public sandy beach. Both beaches have free access, sun loungers and shades have to be paid for.
The Pineta Bar features a covered outdoor terrace giving onto parkland with evergreen trees. Meals are buffet style, usually with a weekly Istrian speciality meal and evening entertainment at least once a week. The casino at the adjoining Metropole hotel is also available to guests.
Five minutes by local bus is the ancient town of Piran, described as ‘somewhere you cannot pull yourself away from and where you will end up wanting to buy a house.’ Piran is possibly the most attractive and photogenic of all the Venetian satellite towns. Bird lovers will wish to head to the south of Portorož to the Sečovlje Salina Nature Park, home at various times of the year for up to 270 species of bird.
A range of attractive guided excursions will be offered later on an exclusive basis to our clients booked on this holiday. There will be a trip to the capital Ljubljana. Across the Italian border, Trieste has a fine collection of buildings dating as far back as the Roman and Byzantine periods, including a beautiful 12C mosaic in the Basilica of St Justus. The Postojna and Škocjan caves in the Karst region are said to be of such spectacular beauty that other caves in the world pale in comparison. Nearby Predjama Castle, once home to Slovenia’s Robin Hood, has one of the most striking settings in Europe, stretching impossibly up a 123m sheer cliff face. Around Lakes Bled and Bohinj voluminous peaks rise from the valleys and the skyline dances with serrated ridges. The Lipica stud farm has been for four hundred years the main breeding ground for the famous white Lipizzaner horses especially associated with Vienna. Ferries travel to Venice from several of the Slovenian resorts, providing day trips.
Offer Details
Holiday includes convenient afternoon outbound and evening return flights from Manchester to Pula with Jet2, coach transfers, seven nights half-board at the Hotel Lucija in Portorož and the services of a Grosvenor Travel representative. Price sharing a twin only £569pp. Single supplement £120 for single occupancy of a twin room. Balcony seaward facing rooms £28pp extra in a twin. Low deposit at time of booking £70pp (limited time offer). Door-to-door home transfers available at extra cost, from £40pp return. Insurance from £20pp. Flight upgrades on request. Please call 01492 547744 to book.