A bigger selection of breaks and adds new cruise and four resorts in Montenegro for 2013.
Essentially Prestige has revealed a bumper 100-page Love Croatia brochure for 2013 following a 256% increase in bookings to the destination this year.
New for 2013 are breaks on the island of Veliki Brijun (big Brijuni) in the Istria region, stays on the islands of Cres and Krk in the Kvarner region as well as holidays in the authentic Dalmatian town of Omis. The operator is also featuring a stunning new five star all suite hotel in Dubrovnik, a seven-night deluxe cruise from Split, holidays in the Plitvice Lakes national park, plus a new fly-drive. Croatia’s neighbour, Montenegro is also on offer for the first time, as are two-centre trips to Dubrovnink and Sarajevo in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
John Dixon, chairman and managing director, Essentially Prestige, comments: “Croatia is our star destination for 2012 and we are delighted with its success. It seems that our clients want more and we are giving them an increased range of holiday choices for 2013 with over one hundred places to stay in 34 resorts including nine islands. We are also offering four cruises, four fly-drives, a coach tour and have featured all our self-catering options in a separate section at the start of the brochure.”
“We are aiming for a 30% increase in business next year. To help facilitate this we are planning a series of fam trips, road shows, competitions and individual agent events.”
The island of Veliki Brijun, is the largest of the Brijuni Islands, and is located within the Brijuni national park. Essentially Prestige is featuring the four star Hotel Istra on the waterfront. The island is just 15 minutes by ferry from the fishing resort of Fazana and is where Tito was in residence for six months each year. Tito used the island from June 1947 to August 1979 for entertaining a great number of foreign ministers, dignitaries and heads of state.
Essentially Prestige is offering walking holidays on the island of Cres for the first time, the largest island in the Croatian Adriatic yet, curiously, the least developed for tourism. Much of it is just natural vegetation with 1000-year-old olive trees, roaming sheep, wild herbs and vegetation; there are old Pagan burial temples (thought to be) and the huge Tramontana forest. The island is also home to rare white-headed Griffon vulture. Stays are based at the Pension Tramontana in the beautiful little village of Beli on Cres.
There are seven trails that start and finish right next to the Pansion. They range from 1½-2 hours to 4-4½ hours and all follow different terrain, some over marshland then through forest, others across valleys and past abandoned villages.
Next to Cres is the island of Krk where Essentially Prestige is featuring the four star Hotel Zvonimir in Baska on the South of the island. Just steps from the beach and surrounded by the Velebit Mountains, this resort will appeal to families as it’s both lively and safe. In the island’s capital Krk town the operator is offering the boutique style four star Hotel Marina, located on the waterfront at the edge of this beautiful walled city, which is like a mini Dubrovnik.
Also new for 2013 is a seven-night deluxe cruise from Split taking in the beautiful islands of Brac, Hvar, Mljet and Korcula and the stunning cities of split and Dubrovnik. The cruise is on board the state of the art motor cruiser M/S president. The cruiser accommodates a maximum of 40 guests who are looked after in style by seven crew members.
For an action packed break, the operator has introduced Omis, a gorgeous spot at the mouth of the Cetina river in the Dalmatia region. It’s one of the best places in Croatia to go white water rafting and canoeing, kayaking, free climbing and cycling can also be done nearby. Omis is famous for its pirate heritage, the building of traditional wooden ships and klapa singing – a cappella by a group of men.
A new addition in Dubrovnik is the glamorous Royal Princess all suite hotel. Royal Princess opened in June last year and is situated in the grounds of the Importanne Resort on the Babin Kuk peninsula. It’s a 54-roomed low-rise property set in lovely gardens that slope down to the sea. The old city is easily reached by bus or by taxi in under 15 minutes. Facilities include: four swimming pools and a choice of restaurant plus, two beaches.
Stays in the Plitvice Lakes National Park have been introduced for 2013. Around 90 minutes drive from Zagreb, the Plitivice Lakes offer 16 lakes inter-connected by a series of waterfalls and set in deep woodlands populated by wildlife and surrounded by the mountains of Mala Kapela and Pljesivica.
Essentially Prestige has also added a fourth fly-drive break to its programme that takes in the Kvarner region starting with the Plitvices Lakes and moving onto the island of Rab or Krk or the resorts of Opatija or Lovran.
Montenegro is being featured for the first time. This little country to the south of Croatia makes a perfect twin-centre with Croatia and is a great for a stay-put holiday on the Adriatic with some lovely sand and shingle beaches.
Flights to Montenegro’s Tivat and Podgorica airports from London Gatwick mean that the resorts of Becici, Budva and Petrovac are now more accessible. Essentially Prestige is featuring three four star and one five star property in these resorts and also two boutique hotels in the old walled city of Kotor.
The operator is also offering a two-centre holiday option combining Montenegro with Dubrovnik, the islands of Lopud or Sipan (close to Dubrovnik) or on the larger island of Korcula, all around a three-hour transfer from Montenegro. The operator is featuring Sarajevo for 2013, the capital of Bosnia-Hercegovina, famous for its east-meets-west culture with mosques and Turkish style buildings and cafe culture. This makes a great two-centre with Dubrovnik.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
