Tripmasters and Other Travel Professionals Invited to Croatia and Italy (Part 4 of 6: Opatija)

In May 2023, the European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA), a cultural route affiliated with the Council of Europe, hosted a FAM (familiarization) trip for travel professionals to experience areas that were not currently offered in the form of vacation packages by our companies. This trip was hosted in direct collaboration with the European Travel Commission (ETC), Croatian National Tourism Board (CNTB) and the Italian National Tourist Board (ENIT); the ETC helped the participants with booking every segment necessary for our airline tickets, and each of the tourism boards helped to organize the itineraries and sights we saw on this trip. Eight different companies and organizations from across North America participated, including Tripmasters. This is the fourth of six Inspiration blogs where you can see my journey as it happened and read about my first-hand experiences traveling in these beautiful countries.

As you’ll read below, we’re on our way to the beautiful seaside resort city of Opatija, so if you’ve missed out on any of my past FAM trip tales from Zagreb, Lipik, Daruvar, Varaždinske Toplice, or Varaždin, be sure to click on those links and experience some of the many gems of beautiful continental Croatia before continuing on with the series.

After five days and four nights in Croatia, we are headed out of the country on the way to Italy. It makes me sad to have to leave, because I feel like I’ve learned so much and I’ve met so many wonderful people. Tip for any travelers, you are assured to make friends if you know the lyrics to “Hajde da ludujemo” (“Let’s Go Crazy”) sung by the popular Croatian singer Tajči Cameron, as I did and as I performed for quite a few Croatian tourist professionals. Yes, with all of her dance moves. (I joked in Daruvar that the only things missing from my performance were a blonde wig and magenta mini-dress!) Even though Tajči has lived in the United States for three decades now, the levels of adoration and popularity she still receives in her home nation are astounding and also a testament to Tajči’s enduring messages of love and happiness.

We do have one stop in Croatia before we’re gone, and this one I’m particularly excited about because, like Zagreb, this upcoming stop is a destination that already has vacation packages available for clients to book with us online on the Tripmasters website.

Opatija is a spa town I already knew a decent amount about, as I researched the city when opening it for clients on Tripmasters back in 2018 and it had already gained some promising traction with them before COVID impacted the world in 2020. Now travel is picking up again, and that includes vacation bookings to beautiful Opatija.

In my mind, I had imagined it as this tiny place, which even if the population might be small (which…maybe 13,000+ isn’t that “tiny”), it sure doesn’t feel tiny by any means once you get there.

Upon arrival in Opatija, we were greeted by our tour guide, Erika Špehar, who led us first to the Lungomare, the seaside promenade area, where we saw fishing boats bobbing in the water next to the grand buildings of this noteworthy resort city.

After a few minutes, Erika took us to the Thalassotherapy Resort and Spa located right in the city center. From there we were given a tour and told about the benefits of thalassotherapy, which refers to using seawater, which of course Opatija is near, for health and wellness treatments. Opatija has been a health resort since the 1880s, during the time of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so there has been a lot of time not just to grow the tourism industry here in Opatija but also to expand the types of treatments offered here and in resorts like these.

There is more of a sense of “tourism” in Opatija‘s wellness tourism, which is something that was not as immediately evident in many portions of interior Croatia. For example, Opatija is also one of the few well-known places in Croatia where you can access a range of plastic surgeries on-demand, removing the need to travel abroad to undergo a procedure that you might really desire or need. What better place to recuperate than a spa in scenic Opatija?

After the tour of the thalassotherapy-related properties, we had a chance to meander through Angiolina Park, a famed Croatian botanical wonder showcasing an extensive collection of global flora, which led us to the grand summer residence Villa Angiolina.

A pioneer in Opatija‘s tourism scene, the Villa Angiolina now serves as the Croatian Museum of Tourism, which is one of the few museums in Europe that focuses on the concept of tourism as its main topic. The villa itself dates to 1844 and is one of the oldest villas in town. It was built by Ignio Scarpa, a merchant from nearby Rijeka, and the construction of this lavish villa is considered to be the unofficial “starting point” of Opatija’s journey into wellness tourism.

Our walk then led us to St. Jacob’s Park, which includes a number of noteworthy attractions itself, such as St. Jacob’s Church and the nearby “Madonna del Mare” statue that serves as a shrine for townspeople to utilize, with the devoted coming to the statue to pray, give offerings, and wish extra protection on sailors.

Nearby you will find Opatija‘s “little harbor”, where you can view iconic statues such as “Mornar” (“Sailor” in Croatian), a sailor sitting on a bench with an arm outstretched, ‘welcoming’ the visitor; and the “Maiden with a Seagull” that you saw at the very beginning of this blog. The Maiden has stood watch over the harbor since 1956 and has become an enduring symbol of the city itself.

Then we headed to lunch, once again dining al fresco and enjoying a second full day of sunshine. This time Restaurant Argonauti at the Amadria Park Hotel Milenij hosted us for a lunch of local seafood dishes called “marenda”. Opatija definitely knows how to roll out the red carpet, and these are the types of opportunities you get by only stopping in town a few hours!

If you have multiple days, of which we would easily recommend three or more, stay in Opatija because it’s fascinating how the city mirrors elements of numerous global destinations while still maintaining a distinctive identity that’s all its own. The allure of Opatija lies in this unique blend of the familiar and the novel, firmly rooted in a rich history and an undeniable charm that leaves you longing for more.

Sadly, we had to bid farewell to this enchanting town as we embarked on the three-hour journey to our next stop: Montegrotto Terme in Italy. Croatia had enveloped us in a warm embrace, leaving us with countless precious memories and a yearning to return. For now, we waved “doviđenja” to the beautiful Republika Hrvatska, already eager to say “Buona sera” to the charms of Italia. But Croatia would always hold a special place in our hearts – an enchanting memory etched in time, awaiting our return – or at the very least, mine.

Now follow me as we go on to beautiful Montegrotto-Abano in Italy! Read more by clicking here!

This is the fourth of six blog posts recounting the FAM trip on which I, as an envoy for Tripmasters, was an invited guest. The European Historic Thermal Towns Association (EHTTA) organized this trip for North American travel professionals in conjunction with the ETC, CNTB and ENIT, respectively the non-profit organization responsible for the promotion of Europe as a tourist destination and the two national tourism boards involved in the planning of the itinerary. For more information about these terrific organizations, visit www.historicthermaltowns.eu, www.visiteurope.com/en, www.croatia.hr/en-gb, and www.italia.it/en, respectively.

Tripmasters sells a variety of vacation packages from the affordable to the opulent in Croatia, Italy, and over 130 countries and territories worldwide. To learn more about how Tripmasters can revolutionize the way you vacation, check us out at www.tripmasters.com.