Jutting out into the northern Adriatic Sea, the Istrian peninsula offers some of the best of Croatia– still one of the hottest tourist destinations on the planet.  In this region of Croatia, you will find many pictoresque seaside villages, charming hill towns, Roman ruins, and many vineyards producing world-class wines,  

But on this particular adventure, not only will you experience the best of Istria but you will also enjoy a program of daily wellness activities such as yoga and mindfulness.  Our home base for the week is a luxury villa in the Croatian countryside, the perfect venue for our wellness program (Usually in the mornings and evenings).  Our own private chef will prepare our meals at the villa using local and fresh ingredients.

The largest portion of each day will be spent exploring Istria and experiencing the local Croatian culture.  We will wonder at the well preserved Roman amphitheater at Pula, enjoy an outrigger canoe adventure on Lim Bay, be charmed by Istria’s “little Venice” Rovinj, hike in Kamenjak National Park, visit the Medieval hill town of Groznjan, and, of course, save time to sample from the many great wineries of the region.  

The quoted price for this trip is based upon doublr occupancy (There is a moidest single supplement foir those who wish to have a hotel room and room at the villa to themselves).  

If you love to travel and you want to stay active, this is the perfect trip for you. Light and laughter, curiosity and compassion are at the heart of everything we do. The wellness practices compliment the excursions for the day, and planned activities include:

Yoga and mindfulness

All classes are multilevel and appropriate for beginner to intermediate yogis.

A morning yoga practice will energize you and prepare you for the day. An evening practice lets you try restorative yoga poses, yoga nidra, and mindfulness practices designed for rest and reflection.

Pickleball

Bring your rackets, and let’s play! If there’s enough interest, we will hold a tournament at the end of the week with prizes for the winners! New to the game? No problem—we’ll teach you!

Swimming

Take advantage of the pool to stretch out and relax. Danielle will offer opportunities for anyone who wants to improve their strokes or learn to do a flip turn!

Walking/Hiking

Feeling restless and want to explore the area more? Additional walks and hikes will be available as time allows.

Sample Daily schedule 

(Will vary each day depending upon our daily excursions)

7:00-8:00 am

Coffee, tea, water, juice and light snacks (fruit, yogurt, cereal)

8:00 – 9:15 am

75-minute wellness practice (yoga, pickleball, walk or hike, swimming). Exact daily schedule TBD

10:00 am

Breakfast/Brunch

11:00 am

Begin the day’s activities 

6:00 – 7:00 pm 

Evening activity back at the villa. 

7:30 pm

Dinner

 Day One is a travel day as we depart from Dulles airport on an evening flight to Europe. We kick off our adventure with a champagne toast at the airport prior to our overnight flight.  

 Italy’s and Croatia’s close proximity to one another provides an opportunity for us to fly into Venice and enjoy two days and nights  in one of the most magical and unique cities in the world. 

Built upon 116 different islands, Venice is the city of canals. We will take a boat trip down the Main Canal and depart at the grand Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). Our overnight stay will afford some time to explore on your own and we will all sample authentic Italian cuisine and wine at dinner together.  

 Our second day in Venice begins with a visit to St. Mark’s Cathedral with its blend of many architectural styles. Also included is a two hour walking food tour by a local guide and a ride on one of Venice’s famous gondolas. You will also have some time on your own to explore this must-see city.  

From Venice we will take the 2-3 hour ferry ride across the Adriatic Sea to Croatia's Istria peninsula. Our private mini-bus and driver will meet us as we arrive and take us to our villa, our home away from home for the week!

 For this day and the rest of this week, we will have time in the afternoon each day to explore the Istrian Peninsula. This first day, we will have a few hours to visit the small city that has been called the most beautiful in all Croatia, Rovinj. Afterward, a short distance away, is the equally beautiful Lim Bay where we will experience riding in an outrigger canoe.  

 Cape Kamenjak is a wonderful park located on the Premantura peninsula on the southern tip of Istria. With an unusual landscape, miles of rugged coastline and beaches to enjoy, and coves and caves to explore, this National Park is an ideal spot for a nature hike. Afterwards, we will have time to visit the well preserved Roman ruins of the nearby city of Pula.  

 Perched on a hill high above the Mirna river valley, Groznjan is a 14th-century Venetian fortress reborn as the most important arts colony in Istria. Once it was slipping into oblivion, but now Groznjan is ground zero for Istrian artists and musicians. We will have time to explore this authentic Croatian hilltown and visit many of the galleries for which it is known. We finish off this afternoon with the truly unique experience of truffle hunting! 

 It has been relatively recently that the world has discovered the delicious wines that have been made in Croatia for centuries and we will spend this afternoon tasting them for ourselves at a couple of different wineries. We will also have time to sample olive oils, another product that Croatia is famous for.  

 Brijuni Islands National Park is a group of fourteen small islands located off the west coast of the Istrian peninsula known for their stunning beauty. We will have an opportunity to explore these islands by a combination of boat and tourist train, taking in the wildlife and their beauty along the way.  

 Before beginning our journey home, we will have this final day just to relax and enjoy our wonderful villa … swimming in the pool, relaxing in the sauna, and enjoying the grounds. We will also have a number of optional activities that you may sign up for– a massage, one last wine tasting, etc. In the evening, we will gather for our farewell dinner.