Croatia

Akvinta, Luxury Croatian Vodka Makes US Debut

Filed under: Spirits

Akvinta, the world's first Mediterranean luxury vodka mentioned by my colleague Deidre Woollard when it was introduced to Europe last year, has just launched in the U.S. and is now available in New York, New Jersey and California.

The Croatian spirit was first introduced in New York as the official vodka of the recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. The brand is also available exclusively on Virgin Atlantic Airlines as well as in the airline's Upper Class Clubhouse at JFK airport, and at Nobu in New York and California.

Akvinta Vodka is a super-premium, USDA-certified organic spirit, carefully crafted using only premium ingredients including 100% organic wheat alcohol from Italy, pure Dalmatian spring water, and no additives of any kind.

Akvinta's revolutionary quintuple filtration system uses five natural filters - charcoal, marble, silver, gold and platinum - to purify the product, resulting in a smooth spirit with a light citrus nose with a touch of sweetness, a light peppery mouth feel, and a finish with no afterburn.

Tags: Akvinta, Croatia, mediterranean, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Mercedes-benzFashionWeek, Nobu, vodka

New Croatian Radison Blu Offers 100,000 Sq. Ft. Spa

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

The Radisson Blu Resort and Spa Dubrovnik just became the largest resort on Croatia's Dalmatian coast. The new property, which is only 11 miles from Dubrovnik International Airport, boasts more than 100,000 square feet of spa, sports and wellness facilities with treatments such as hydrotherapy and salt saunas. This is the first Anne Semonin spa to open in Croatia, and to celebrate the milestone, several exclusive treatments have bee developed.

The spa itself occupies 37,000 square feet along the Croatian coastline, with seven individual treatment rooms and two more for couples. An outdoor hot tub sits at the center of this layout. The Thalassotherapy Therma Stone Experience, 100% Active Ice Therapy Facial and Black Sand Scrub & Ocean Massage Ritual were developed specifically for the Radisson Blu – I guess giving three more damned good reasons to get on a plane for Dubrovnik.

Another 75,000 square feet is dedicated to a sports and wellness center. The 60-foot lagoon pool, waterfall and underwater vitality jet lounges sound simply seductive, and there are additional treatments built around these decadent aquatic amenities.

Pass on the cliche European destinations this year, and head out to the Dalmatian coast. The spa experience will be a far cry from the usual.

Tags: croatia, croatian, dalmatian, dalmatiancoast, dubrovnik, facial, hydrotherapy, jacuzzi, lagoon, massage, massages, radisson, sauna, saunas, spa, spa therapy, spa time, spa treatment, spa treatments, SpaTherapy, SpaTime, SpaTreatment, SpaTreatments

Akvinta, Luxury Croatian Vodka

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Akvinta Vodka bills itself as the first Mediterranean luxury vodka. The vodka was developed by Adriatic Distillers, . which owns a distillery and production plant in the Imotski region in Croatia near the Adriatic coast. The Moodie Report recently mentioned that the brand has secured a listing on board Virgin Atlantic Airways and was introduced to the Virgin Atlantic Airways Clubhouse at New York JFK Airport in April. A new cocktail called the 'Stoic Virgin' will be served in the Virgin Clubhouse and at London department store Harrods. Currently Akvinta is available in England, Ireland, Italy and Croatia.

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Tags: akvinta, croatia, vodka

Le Meridien Opens First Hotel In Croatia

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

I've written before about the burgeoning travel opportunities in Croatia, now a big hotel name, Le Méridien, is making it's home in Split, a scenic town along the Croatian coast. The Le Méridien Lav is taking over the resort previously known as the Hotel Lav, giving it a $150 million renovation. The resort has 364 guestrooms with 17 suites and a comparatively small (394 square feet) Presidential Suite. The beach-front resort has seven bars and dining areas including a fine-dining restaurant, The Spalatum, a brasserie and a casual pub. The hotel also has a tennis academy, private yacht marina, a casino and indoor and outdoor pools. The hotel has a a special opening rate of 122 euros per double room per night which includes daily buffet breakfast and one dinner for 2 which is available from now until February 28.

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Tags: croatia, hotel, le meridien, LeMeridien, split, tourism, vacation

Yugoslav President Tito's Yacht Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing

The yacht belonging to former Yugoslav President Tito may end up becoming a museum at a Croatian port. Galeb, a 400-foot yacht once known as the ship of peace has had a rough road since its owner John Paul Papanicolau (who also owns the Christina O) bought the boat from the government of Montenegro. He had intended to turn it into a luxury yacht but the work never started. Eventually debts for maintenance piled up and the boat is set for auction on May 9. The estimated value is $275,000 but it could cost over $40 million to repair the rusting hull and damage caused by humidity. The yacht was once a luxury palace that hosted world leaders and movie stars like Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren. Croatian authorities have made a preservation order on the ship and Vojko Obersnel, the mayor of Rijeka is behind the plan to buy the yacht and turn it into a museum.

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Tags: croatia, galeb, tito, yacht, yacht auction

My Croatia Tours

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

We've written about holidays in Croatia before but if you are uncertain about where to start in this unique but not well-travelled area, UK tour operator My Croatia can help. They have launched a variety of gourmet tours and holidays that explore this special region. Their 2006 program includes winery tours in the Peljesac peninsula, Croatia’s winemaking region. Their ‘Vineyards and Villas’ tours takes you through vineyards, wine cellars and mountain villages including stops at local tavernas for home-cured hams and sausages, oven-baked olives and farmer's cheeses and homemade wine and brandies. Their website has a beautiful downloadable 40 page brochure with pictures and descriptions of the many unique regions to be discovered.

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Tags: croatia, holidays, tours, vacation, wine