An Epicurean's Delight
An Epicurean's Delight
Review Submitted: 02 October 2012
Date of Stay: September 2012
I have just come back from a week’s stay at Villa Elena with 5 friends, and have to say it met every expectation and more. The villa itself is beautiful, set in stunning countryside, and very comfortable - it certainly felt like our home while we were there.
The kitchen has everything you need – plenty of kitchen knives, bowls, plates, glasses etc, as well as a few essentials to get you started (oil, salt, sugar, that sort of thing). There’s also a dishwasher so minimal arguments over clearing up in the evenings!
The outside area has everything covered too; there’s a hammock to lie in while enjoying the view, comfortable loungers for the pool, lots of seating, and the outdoor kitchen/ barbecue – well, let’s just say all of the men started planning how to build something similar at home.
Bedrooms are homely and comfortable, and the bathrooms are modern and fresh. We even got clean towels half-way through the week – certainly a new experience for us.
This probably sounds like an advert, but it really isn’t. I’ve stayed in a few villas with the same group of friends and we all agreed this is the best so far. And as for Istria itself – it’s an excellent place to spend a week if, like us, you are motivated by good food and drink in fine surroundings.
A few mentions that we feel might be useful:
1) There is large-ish supermarket roughly 5 minutes’ drive from the villa and it has pretty much everything you'll need. I would personally recommend a hire car, but the town of Buzet can be reached by foot in approximately 25 minutes. And the old town is worth the climb to the top.
2) The drive from Pula airport is very straight forward and quicker than we (or Google) thought. It took us little over an hour with only a slightly flexible approach to the speed limit. You will have to pay a toll when leaving the motorway, so make sure you’ve got 30 Kuna or so in cash with you.
3) The villa has a wine cellar that contains a whole spectrum of strong and scary local liquors. Only one of us was brave enough to attempt those (and his evening ended fairly early), but we did make a dent in the vat of complimentary red wine. Yes, you read ‘complimentary’ right. It’s homemade, delicious, and deceptively potent.
The review wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the villa owner (and sometime host), Roberto – he’s incredibly friendly, helpful, and did his utmost to ensure we had everything we needed. Thanks again, Roberto!
Helpful votes: 1/1
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