tito

Balkan Dictator's Villa Turned Vacation Spot

Former Yugoslavian dictator Marshal Tito's lavish villa on Slovenia's beautiful Lake Bled has been refurbished and turned into a top-drawer hotel under the auspices of the famed Relais & Chateaux group. The white Dalmatian marble mansion, called Vila Bled, on 12 landscaped acres surrounded by the dramatic Julian Alps, was visited by the likes of Liz Taylor, King Hussein of Jordan and Prince Charles when it was the former president's retreat in the '50s and '60s. Now it's divided into 20 luxe suites with a vintage feel, with a newly-added spa featuring both Turkish and Finnish saunas and food prepared by the first Slovenian chef to earn a Michelin star. See the gallery for more.

[via UrbanDaddy]

Gallery: Vila Bled

Tags: Alps, Balkans, Julian Alps, JulianAlps, Lake Bled, LakeBled, Mashal Tito, MashalTito, Prince Charles, PrinceCharles, Relais Chateaux, RelaisChateaux, Slovenia, Tito, Yugoslavia

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