The picturesque resorts of Portoroz and Piran offer a sublime retreat away from the tourist hordes, says Mark Caswell
History has not been kind to Slovenia’s claim to the Istrian coastline. The Free Territory of Trieste was a city-state created after the Second World War as the first step in settling territorial claims between Italy and the then Yugoslavia, and included a sliver of land dividing part of western Yugoslavia from the Adriatic Sea. This zone was later assigned to Italy, and the subsequent break-up of Yugoslavia in the early nineties left Slovenia with a paltry 47km of coastline, compared with the 2,000km afforded to its Croatian neighbour.
This has understandably hindered Slovenia’s ability to promote its coast to foreign visitors, particularly with Croatia’s growth in the package holiday market in recent years. But the country’s small stretch of Istrian beaches offers a number of pleasant getaways, particularly when combined with a trip to the country’s picturesque capital, Ljubljana, located about 130km from the coast and served by daily flights from London with both Adria Airways and Easyjet.
The region’s attractions include the port town of Koper, just south of the Italian border and home to 12th-, 14th- and 15th-century architecture including the Venetian gothic Praetorian Palace; and Izola, a Mediterranean-style fishing village famed for its excellent seafood. But the two biggest tourist draws are the medieval hillside town of Piran and the resort centre of Portoroz, which are within walking distance of each other via a coastal path.
Piran is packed full of narrow streets, winding up past no less than nine churches (for only 4,500 inhabitants) and more than 260 metres of preserved 15th-century city walls to the cliff top, where you’re rewarded with views of the Gulf of Piran and across to the Italian coast.
The town was the birthplace of violinist and composer Giuseppe Tartini, and a square bearing his name welcomes visitors to the town, complete with a monument celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth erected in 1892.
The preserved Benecanka House can also be found in the square, built in Venetian gothic style. The coastal location means Piran’s restaurants are awash with seafood specialities, and the town also houses diving and maritime museums as well as an aquarium and “coastal gallery” exhibiting works by local and international artists.
Nearby Portoroz (Port of Roses) started out as a health resort in the 13th century, offering wealthy visitors saltwater cures for everything from rheumatism to obesity. Today the town is one of Slovenia’s most important tourist centres, with several large hotels, dozens of restaurants and a marina. Portoroz has maintained its reputation for healthy living, with spa and beauty centres offering treatments using locally sourced fango (sea mud), as well as being a hotspot for casinos, which have been operating in the town since 1913. This combination has made Portoroz a playground for wealthy Slovenian, Italian and Croatian tourists, with Ferraris and Lamborghinis a familiar sight along the town’s main stretch.
What the resort has lacked until recently was an upscale international hotel brand to attract foreign visitors, but this gap was filled late last year when the iconic Hotel Palace reopened under the management of Kempinski Hotels and Resorts. Dating back to 1910, the original hotel was renowned as one of the finest on the Adriatic coast, and in its previous incarnation the president of former Yugoslavia, Josip Tito, is said to have regularly occupied suite 110, with other famous guests including Orson Welles and Yul Brynner.
The hotel closed in 1990 and the building fell into disrepair for several years, before a multimillion-pound project transformed the property, restoring the original façade while completely gutting the building’s interiors and adding a new wing. The hotel had been earmarked for management by Starwood’s St Regis brand, but this agreement fell through only months before the completion of the project, leaving Kempinski to jump in and open its first Slovenian property.
The development has retained the grand feel of the original hotel, with its stunning baroque-style ballroom and architectural influences from the secession, art nouveau, Bauhaus, cubism and art deco periods. To this has been added a new entrance to the back of the property, allowing the beautiful gardens at the front to be kept for public use, as well as new facilities including the extensive Rose spa, and indoor and outdoor pools.
The proximity of Portoroz to the Croatian border has also facilitated a quirk that few, if any, hotel chains can claim. Guests looking out across the Adriatic from the Kempinski Palace Portoroz are able to see one of the group’s properties in another country – the Kempinski Hotel Adriatic, on the opposite side of the bay. The Croatian hotel officially opened its doors on August 1, with features including a 3,000 sqm spa and two outdoor heated pools. Unfortunately, plans to provide a shuttle boat service between the two properties have been scuppered by immigration controls, as Croatia is not yet part of the European Union, although the hotels are only 25 minutes apart by car.
There is a wealth of sights within an hour of Portoroz, so should visitors tire of casinos and spa treatments, then day trips are easily possible to the country’s Karst region, with attractions including the world-famous Lipica Stud Farm, home to about 400 Lipizzaner horses, and the Unesco World Heritage-protected Skocjan Caves, which boast about 6km of limestone passages. The climate has also allowed several wineries to flourish in the area, including the Rojac family vineyard, with its picture-postcard hillside setting.
The Slovenian coast may not have the same abundance of resorts or the international recognition of its neighbours, but for that reason visitors will find a picturesque destination unspoilt by the package holiday invasion.
