Croatia 2010 holidays, Hotels, Apartments, Accommodation

The Czech Oscar-winner directs two documentaries

“Our sea, your sea” and “My Croatia” are the working titles of the two documentary films to be shot by Jiri Menzel, the famous Czech director and Oscar-winner. The films will tell the story of Croatia and its sites, and the history of Czech tourism on the Adriatic coast. The films will be produced by the Documentary department of the Croatian national television, and will be shot in locations such as Dubrovnik, Makarska, Baška, Kašteli and other destinations that are commonly visited by Czech tourists. Seeing as the film will be shot throughout the year, it is expected that shooting will be finished by the end of the year. In “My Croatia”, the famous director will present his vision of the people he encountered and collaborated with in Dubrovnik and the city itself, where he directed two plays at the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. “Our sea, your sea” is a form of recapitulation of the historical connection and love between the Czech on the one hand and Dalmatia and the entire Adriatic on the other. It will focus particularly on the history of the tourist arrivals of the Czech, whose historical affection towards and friendship with the Adriatic go back 100 years. Interestingly, these are Menzel’s very first documentary features. Considering his distinguished style and the fact that he has been given liberty to both praise and criticise where he sees fit, one can expect the films will attract attention not only in Croatia and the Czech Republic, but all those interested in the country and its people. The public will surely show great interest in the films, but Menzel says he does not expect them to improve relations of the people from the two countries, for the simple reason that there does not seem to be much room for improvement. It should also be mentioned that a third documentary film is in the pipeline, its subject matter the making of the first two. Last year, 650,000 Czech tourists visited Croatia, and judging by the interest shown, most Czechs will also choose Croatia as their vacation destination this year.

The Observer

The eminent British weekly Observer has written a feature about European destinations where visitors can have a great time and, at the same time, save money during this time of global recession. Some Croatian destinations have made the selection, presented as alternatives to more well-known, but in reality less attractive, destinations. The journalist Annabelle Thorpe highly recommends spending a family summer vacation on the Island of Korčula, the great food and wine in Istria and the superb nightlife of Zadar. The Observer claims that Zadar has one of the most contemporary club scenes in Europe, and argues that its summer atmosphere is even better than that of Ibiza.

Conde Nast Traveler

Readers of the Spanish edition of the Conde Nast Traveler magazine have now confirmed what many tourists already know from experience. In the extremely competitive category of the most beautiful island in the world, they have given the award to the Croatian islands of the Adriatic. The recognition is all the more impressive when one considers that the Greek archipelago, Corsica, Puerto Rico and Mauritius were in the running.
Altogether, Croatia boasts 1,185 islands, around 50 of which are inhabited. Out of the eight Croatian national parks, three are made up of islands: Brijuni (Brioni), Kornati and Mljet, all of which are on account of their extraordinary beauty and natural heritage under the highest level of protection. Alongside the valuable natural and cultural heritage, the island tradition and rich tourist offer is extremely interesting, making a stay on the islands particularly attractive for tourists from all around the world, which has, obviously, also been recognised by the readers of the Spanish Conde Nast Traveler.

Mali Lošinj

Mali Lošinj, the famous tourist destination on the Island of Lošinj, known as the “island of vitality”, is the Croatian candidate for the “Golden Flower of Europe” award. At the general assembly of the European Flower and Landscape Association in Dusseldorf, 24 of the most beautiful European cities and towns were chosen for the competition, and Mali Lošinj is one of them. Entering the race with 23 other European tourist destinations – which is in itself testimony to Lošinj being an extraordinarily attractive destination – means that Lošinj will be paid a visit by an international jury on June 23rd and 24th.
Croatian destinations have received the award before. In 2007, Biograd received silver among 11 cities, and Primošten received gold among 12 European destinations. Last year, Novi Vinodolski was awarded with the “Silver Flower of Europe” in the town category, and Split, the host of the final award ceremony, received silver among the cities. Croatia became a member of the European Flower and Landscape Association, which has its headquarters in Brussels, in 2003. The association aims at developing landscaping and sustainable development in towns and cities. This year’s winners will be officially pronounced at the final ceremony in Cardiff, UK, from September 23rd to September 25th.

Transport - By Road

All visitors travelling along the motorway A1 need no longer fear deadlocks at the tunnels of Mala Kapela and Sveti Rok. At the beginning of April, a new lane was opened for traffic in each of these two longest Croatian tunnels, enabling two-lane traffic in both directions and greatly contributing to a better traffic flow.
The existing lanes have been temporarily closed so they can be adapted for one-way traffic and the ventilation system can be brought up to date. Two-lane traffic in both directions will be set up by the time the season begins.
After the adaptation, the speed limit will be 100 kilometres per hour (now it is 80 km/h). Both tunnels at the Sveti Rok tunnel are connected by four safety passages for cars and 15 safety passages for pedestrians. The Mala Kapela tunnel will feature six car passages and 14 pedestrian ones.