2 Weeks, 3 Countries, alot of sun (and Pizza)!
The children were most excited about going on the 'orange plane' that they see frequently flying over our house, the littlest one not quite understanding that it wasn't the exact same plane that we would be going on! So off we trundled to the airport for a tea time flight to Venice. Little did we know, we would be sat on the aircraft for two hours while numerous official people counted, and re-counted (and counted again) how many passengers were on board. This meant that we were late to pick up our hire car. Thank goodness the kind lady at the hire place waited for us, it was after midnight when we eventually found the rental desk. Venice airport car rental area is not easy to navigate around at all!
A short drive from the airport brought us to our first hotel, the Novotel in Mestre. Mestre is a suburb of Venice on the mainland and much easier to reach by car, yet only 20 minutes from Venice too, so a bit more convenient! The staff were fantastic here, very helpful and friendly. The room was functional but spacious for four of us and plenty good enough for the two nights we were to stay here. One extra bonus was the small pool outside, which was a godsend as it was 42 degrees!
We decided to drive into Venice for our one day there, mostly because of the heat. We didn't want to be stuck on potentially hot public transport with hot children so we found a multi-story and it was all pretty easy actually. We purchased two tickets for the water taxis and off we went. I had no real plan for Venice, we only had one day there, I just wanted to get a feel for the place and see if it is somewhere I'd like to re-visit. I can definitely say yes, I will visit again, just us grown-ups! It really is beautiful; the buildings, the narrow alleys, the plentiful squares. Restaurants serving tantalizing food and the best ice-cream parlour I have ever been to (see picture)! It would be fantastic for a weekend of culture, eating and drinking, watching the world go by!
Our next stop was about a 45-minute drive from Venice, along the coast near a town called Caorle. I had booked usthree3 nights at Portofelice holiday park. I've never been to one of these kinds of places before and again, wanted to experience it for myself. It does exactly what it says on the tin! Sun and fun! It was still unbearably hot, so we were very glad of the air conditioning in our van, even if it was struggling itself to keep the heat down! The van was one of their basic ones, quite small but had everything we needed for three nights. If I was going for longer I would have chosen one of the more luxurious cabins. The grounds were lovely, it is a really well-kept park, very clean and well organized with staff always buzzing around doing things! The beach was a five-minute walk through the trees, again it was very clean and lovely. Excellent facilities in the form of three large swimming pools, a supermarket and a couple of restaurants. All in all, a big tick from me!
My excitement started to rise as we headed into Slovenia! The total driving time to our next hotel would have been three hours but it took us best part of a day, because we kept stopping to gasp in awe at this beautiful little country. It is definitely my new favourite place and I couldn't recommend it highly enough. We drove up towards our hotel (Hotel Resje, near Bohinj) along the Soca River, famous for its blue water and stunning scenery. We found ourselves driving over a bridge, I glanced down and saw people swimming in one of the best river swim spots I've ever seen (see picture). We grabbed our swimming stuff and climbed down to join them. The kids and us jumping off into this lovely refreshing river, floating downstream - pure bliss!
Hotel Resje was lovely, a big clean room for us and a balcony to admire the mountains. About a 10-minute drive to the nearest town, then a further 10-minute drive to Lake Bohinj, largest lake in Slovenia. I actually can't describe the beauty of this place, everyone should go there. It's an outdoor lover’s paradise, so much to do and the scenery to do it in! Swimming in this lake is the highlight of the holiday, it is crystal clear and warm! We had three nights here, but I should have booked more. A visit to the Triglav National Park would not be complete without a visit to world famous Lake Bled (although Bohinj was better), where we got a luge down the mountain! Bled is lovely too but a lot busier, as it's very accessible from the capital, Ljubljana.
Sad to leave Slovenia, but excited for the last six nights of our adventure, to be spent on the Istrian Peninsula of Croatia, in Porec. I'd booked us a two-bedroom apartment at a Valamar hotel. Valamar has a chain of properties to suit all budgets, dotted along the Croatian coast and again I can highly recommend. We were at the Diamant Residence and it was a little gem. Self-catering, but with access to all the hotel facilities including their kid's club and amazing pool complex. A short five-minute walk through the shade to the 'beach' and the crystal-clear sea, ready for jumping into!
Actual beaches are hard to come by in this part of Croatia, but it was lovely still, jumping off the concrete platforms into the deep, clear water. There’s lots to do here and I'd recommend it for families. It’s a 20-minute walk into Porec, with its lovely marina and lots of boat trips to choose from. Again, much to do in Istria, lots of tasty food (the fish platters looked amazing) and plenty of Aperol Spritz to wash it down!
After six nights in Croatia, it was time to head back to Venice (about three hours) for our flight home and time to reflect on an amazing adventure for us and the little ones! Let's hope they remember some of it and can one day pronounce Slovenia correctly!