Adam Hay-Nicholls finds this island in Croatia is rather more ‘Succession’ than ‘Kardashian. This piece is published in City AM The Magazine, Winter edition, distributed at major Tube stations and available to pick up from The Royal Exchange
Towards the northern end of Croatia’s coast, where the Kvarner Gulf melts into ribbons of silver and turquoise, lies an island that seems to breathe so much more deeply than the overrun hotspots of Dalmatia to the south. The 28-square-mile paradise of Lošinj – pronounced Low-sheen – has quietly positioned itself as the Adriatic’s answer to Capri and St Tropez, but with a fraction of the crowds. As one of my pals succinctly put it on our trip, it’s more Succession than Kardashian.
Famed since the 19th century for its curative microclimate, when Viennese physicians would prescribe their patients a couple of lungs-full of Lošinj to combat respiratory ailments, the spas here still use local herbs and medicinal plants, of which there are more than 200, while the hiking and cycling trails wind through pine forests and wildflower meadows scented with sage and myrtle.
It’s not the easiest place to get to, which weeds out the hoi polloi. The island can be reached via a three-hour drive from Pula Airport to the north and a short car ferry ride. Should you wish to be more cinematic about it, why not charter a yacht?
Once the preserve of the Austro-Hungarian elite who came here to convalesce in the island’s clean air, Lošinj has re-emerged as a modern wellness and luxury destination that combines spa culture, sailing and sublime cuisine, with none of the hustle, bustle or incessant Instagramming that afflicts some of Croatia’s other high-end destinations (I’m looking at you, Hvar and Rovinj). In Lošinj, you’ll likely find the pebble beach and the pool completely to yourself, and guests have the good grace to put their phones away.
Lošinj in Croatia, away from the British tourists
The focal point of this revival is the terracotta-coloured Boutique Hotel Alhambra, a five-star super-villa on Čikat Bay, which blends Belle Époque charm with bang up to date facilities. Built in 1912 and meticulously restored by Lošinj Hotels & Villas, the clublhambra feels like a small-scale grande dame, peering across the bay and nestled among some stunning villas also owned by the group and let to deep-pocketed families and those who desire the utmost privacy.
The Cube Spa Alhambra is what draws many guests here. Therapists use local olive oil, sea salt and essential oils distilled from the island’s sage, lavender and laurel. There are Finnish and bio saunas, a steam room and a vitality pool all within the spa’s calming cocoon, and there’s a heated seawater pool that opens directly onto the bay.
A rustic konoba (a traditional tavern) called Diana Steakhouse cooks ribeyes and t-bones seared to perfection, paired with wild asparagus
With 36 regular rooms and 15 suites, the Alhambra is all about understated grandeur. The polished parquet floors gleam beneath high ceilings; Murano chandeliers shimmer like constellations. The colour palette of soft ivory, olive and coral is borrowed from the landscape. Guest rooms open onto balconies that hover above the bay; an opportune spot for a stiff sundowner and a drag on something Cuban (although that probably defeats the purpose of coming for the restorative air). Sailboats drift lazily out to sea and the bells toll at the nearby church of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Keen to get out on the high seas myself, albeit on gentle waves and under a cerulean sky, I hiked down to the old town of Mali Lošinj with the rest of my gang to charter a traditional vessel for a few hours. Centuries ago, this was a boat-building hub. The town’s baroque church, sun-faded pastel shopfronts, harbour-front cafes and red-tiled rooftops receded into the background as the crystalline water rippled by. Rounding the cape, the Aleppo pine forests thickened and the Addio statue greeted us upon our return.
The sea air tends to inspire an appetite and there are several options in Čikat Bay where one can hop from teak deck to table without even having to put your shoes back on. For meat, a rustic konoba (traditional tavern) called Diana Steakhouse cooks ribeyes and t-bones seared to perfection on a traditional Asado grille, paired with wild asparagus and served with a spanking Baranyan red from the Croatian uplands, all at an extremely reasonable price. For seafood, Laterna is an oyster shell’s throw from the Annunziata church on a craggy headland.
My thirst barely sated, I later joined the Alhambra’s wine director Flip Veselovac and my fellow guest Matthew Jukes, a noted wine writer and bon vivant, for a Croatian wine tasting. It took place in one of the villas next to the main hotel, the ones reserved for those with the deepest pockets. Known as the Captain’s Villa Rouge, it is painted in a deep red and filled with Murano crystal and works by notable Croatian artists.
Shuttered neoclassical Hapsburg villas serve as a buffer between the Alhambra and the Hotel Bellevue, which shares the same owner but has a more minimalist vibe to complement its modern architecture. It’s managed by Gianluca Cugnetto, who couldn’t be a more charming and entertaining host. He knows London and the TV comedy Ted Lasso like the back of his hand having been married to our very own treasure of stage and screen Hannah Waddingham.
The Bellevue’s Matsunoki restaurant is highly rated, combining Japanese cooking with local ingredients from Croatia. I’d been dying to try it, but on my visit a summit of dignitaries from Budapest meant it had become a Hungarian restaurant for the night. The Bellevue’s other fine dining restaurant, Bava Innovation, changes its culinary theme each year. In 2025 it’s been Greek and helmed by Thanos Feskos, formerly executive chef of the two-star Athens restaurant Delta and head chef of Copenhagen’s three-star Geranium.
Our most decadent meal, though, came courtesy of the Alhambra’s own Michelin-starred restaurant, which is named after the building’s architect Alfred Keller. Decadent, yes, yet mindful of one’s health and wellbeing; our menu of rich bouillabaisse, foie gras, duck leg, scallops and turbot Rossini was twinned with some of Jukes’ very own cordialities, which he and his team mix in a railway arch in Battersea and which has built a cult following. These extremely quaffable non-alcoholic drinks, available carbonated in a can or as concentrate you can dilute to taste, use apple cider vinegar to give them complex tasting notes and all the bite you get from wine minus the buzz. Jukes’ sparkling and still whites, roses and reds were a refreshing accompaniment to chef Michael Gollenz’s elevated French gastronomy and infinitely more sophisticated than any of the de-alcoholised plonks I’ve tried and quickly spitooned in the past.
Given Lošinj has been serving up ‘the cure’ for 140-odd years, it’s apt that – for perhaps for the first time – I didn’t check out of my luxury hotel with a hangover. Instead, I left with the smug glow of self-righteous hydration and a brace of lungs cleaner than those I arrived with.
Visit Croatia yourself
2026 room rates at the Boutique Hotel Alhambra and the Hotel Bellevue start at £380 and £220 per night, respectively. For more information visit losinj-hotels.com. To order Jukes cordialities, visit jukescordialities.com