Bellevue Hotel Losinj

Bellevue Hotel Lošinj peeks out from a lush forested grove, with only spindly pines interrupting the views of Čikat Bay. Although the Bellevue originally opened in 1967, it underwent a complete makeover in 2014. All clean lines and cubist shapes, this shiny abode is a contemporary addition to the Lošinj hotel scene. The design effectively blurs interior and exterior: communal spaces are flooded in natural light, floor-to-ceiling windows frame forest views, and a central glass-walled atrium is filled with orange and lemon trees.

Rooms and suites have glass balcony doors, many with sea or forest views; even the Superior Atrium rooms have balconies overlooking the leafy scenes below. But for a slice of luxury, go for one of the suites with a terrace and outdoor hot tub – the three-bedroom Presidential Suite has two for a soak with a view.

And what a glorious outdoors it is: Lošinj is a long, slender splinter of forested land, cast adrift in the central northern Adriatic. Measuring 20 miles by two, it’s larger than most of its southern counterparts in the Croatian archipelago – but lesser trodden and blissfully quiet. A reputation as ‘the island of vitality’ is a hangover from the days when it was the summer playground of Franz-Josef I. The Austro-Hungarian Emperor was lured to Lošinj after 19th-Century botanist Ambroz Haračić declared it to have the healthiest climate in the empire.

  Today, the Bellevue Hotel Lošinj channels the island’s healthy reputation with a focus on wellness. Indoor and outdoor pools are filled with seawater, while spa treatments are targeted at every ailment. Finnish and 'Bio Soft' saunas, a steamroom and cold plunge pool help with the rejuvenation process. A stone staircase leads to the coastal promenade and private beach, where smooth rock slabs are topped by loungers and lapped by those famed waters.