In the late 19th century, the Croatian island of Lošinj was a favourite health retreat of Austro-Hungarian royalty. They built “palatial” villas on its shores, and planted half a million pine trees. The island has changed remarkably little since then, said Anna Selby in The Telegraph, making it a wonderfully “serene” (and surprisingly “uncrowded”) place to escape from worldly worries.
Twenty miles long (but very narrow), Lošinj is in the northern end of the Adriatic, and has “pretty” old towns, hills rising to 588 metres, pristine pebbled beaches and “dense, aromatic” vegetation that scents the evening air. There are lovely trails for hiking and cycling, and it is also well worth visiting the museum of the Croatian Apoxyomenos, a very fine ancient Greek bronze which was found in 1996 on the seabed to the island’s south. Among the best hotels are the Bellevue (which has a Michelin-starred restaurant) and the Alhambra, both on the handsome Cikat Bay.
Italy’s valley of apples
In a country known for its vineyards, the Val di Non is a “delicious aberration”, said Chris Allnutt in the Financial Times – a valley in the shadow of the Brenta Dolomites that produces roughly 20% of Italy’s apples and much of its cider.
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The fruit was introduced here in the late 19th century, when the region’s mulberry trees were blighted by disease. Today, the orchards stretch to 7,000 hectares, climbing in terraces above the Lago di Santa Giustina, and there’s strudel on every menu. The apples are sold by Melinda, a consortium of independent growers that offers tours of its premises, where you can buy everything from vinegars to crumbles. Visits to the cider producers Appleblood and Melchiori are also fun. There are a range of varieties to try, including some that have had berries added to make them darker, in a bid to win over wine-loving sceptics.
A luxury train of your own
Unveiled at Euston in May, the Chairman’s Train is the first train in the UK available (in its entirety) for private hire, said Chris Moss in The Telegraph. Decked out in “classic” 1950s British Rail “blood and custard” livery, it has all-new luxury interiors by designer Sara Oliver, and it can accommodate 16 people in its sleeper suites. It has two bars (both with pianos) and a drawing-room car (with a “cabinet of curiosities”). The price includes an in-house chef and a detachable “bubble car” called Flora, for exploring “locations unreachable by standard services”.
Full train charters cost from £45,000 for the first day, and subsequent days from £25,000; there are also curated trips such as the five-day Western Highland experience.
