Taking a pet to a Croatian vacation and finding out that your hosts also love pets, and that their apartments at Novigrad are eco-friendly is quite possibly impossible. But it’s as real as it could be.

We won't call this a miracle, but miracles do tend to happen from time to time.

Vacationing in Novigrad - super safe small Istrian coastal town is by itself a miracle for some parents and other stressless holiday seekers. At Novigrad, there is just enough of everything. So, if you are looking for an apartment in Novigrad, and can relate with previous sentences - bookmark this page. Villa Bionda could become your favorite Istrian vacation host.

Enjoy now

Although holidays do make people happy, a study showed that it is the anticipation of the upcoming trip that increases happiness, and once the holidays are done, there is hardly any effect on our happiness or wellbeing.

Once we are back into our daily routine, the stressless week in Croatia seems to blur into the background. As the mentioned study suggests, increasing anticipation will subsequently increase the happiness level.

Anyway, you are looking for an apartment for your Istria vacation. You want to enjoy it and at least try to bring some Novigrad happiness back to your daily routine (once the week or so in Novigrad has ended). But how would you know where to find that long-lasting happiness?

Added value apartments should offer you something extra, maybe, even some happiness TO GO.

#1 The added value apartment know their guests

First and foremost, it is essential to understand who will be vacationing. Is it a family, are they bringing pets, or is it a couple of bike enthusiasts looking to explore Parenzana?

There isn’t a one size fits all formula but at Villa Bionda, there are apartment elements that will adapt to suit your holiday needs and desires.

Guests are unique individuals but they are humans after all, and thus love to be welcomed. At every Villa Bionda apartment guests can anticipate feel-good welcome packages.

#2 The added value apartment has its character

Apartments at villa Bionda have their names, they aren't just numbers, they are not any place - they are the place you’ll spend some of your vacation time, they are your home for the time being. They should feel better than just a place to crash.

Villa Bionda apartments are decorated with earthy colors, also green and blue. Apartments interiors have Istrian and Mediterranean bits and parts, just so you don't forget where you are.

Thanks to a number of waves of settlement that have taken place in Istria throughout history, the culture, customs, and languages have changed along with the occupying rulers. Harmony of diversities is something you can expect here.

#3 Membership card is a must-have

Villa Bionda membership card is completely free and allows you to save 10 to 20% in the most famous Istrian restaurants and taverns, wineries, shops and SPA centers.

You will find detailed information and a list of all the places where you can get discounts in your apartment. We will point out just a few: Gatto Nero tavern, Gatto Blu pizzeria & grill, Hedonsit coffee & cocktail bar, Ivančić winery, Prelac winery, XXX wine cellar.

#4 Guests are properly welcomed at the added value apartment

Welcome package awaits every apartment guest, whether staying for one, two or ten days.

We wanted to create a diverse welcome package, one that has a little something for everyone. So, Bionda welcome package includes:

• still and sparkling water
• Malvasia
• Merlot
• sparkling wine
• extra virgin olive oil.

Do we even need to mention that all products are Istrian?

#5 The added value apartment will take you for a ride

Visiting cult winemakers, olive growers or taverns, visiting the world-famous Brijuni or Pula Arena, discovering small Istrian pearls like Momjan, Motovun, Hum, Fažana... Exploring unknown Istria in a convertible. Sounds like fun?

We’ll listen to your wishes, make a program and the enjoyment may begin.

If you are up to for an added value Istrian vacation - contact us for more info. We’ll gladly find what suits your needs the best.

Check out our guest reviews or just book now.

Novigrad, Cittanova or Novigrad Istarski are different names for a town set on a small peninsula on the western coast of Istria, two kilometers north of the mouth of the river Mirna and some 25 km south of the border with Slovenia. Novigrad isn't crowded with hotels like other coastal towns, but still, it has an excellent vibe and is never overcrowded.

If a charming location for a relaxing time by the sea is exactly what you have in mind - plan no more.

We’ll dive into perks of spending a vacation in Novigrad Istria, but first, we want to point out that Novigrad is the best city to live in Croatia. If living is that easy there, just try to imagine how trouble-free vacationing at Novigrad could be.

Super Safe for vacationing - The best to live in

Novigrad was named the best place to live in Croatia for 2018. and 2019., that is, the winner in the category of overall quality of life, in the competition of small towns! Let's not forget to mention that back in 2015., Forbes, a reputable magazine, ranked Novigrad among TOP 20 Croatian cities to live and do business in.

This sure is a guarantee that while exploring Novigrad you'll find super friendly hosts that want you to enjoy Novigrad as much as them.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do

You've probably heard of this “when in Rome” phrase. It means that it is advisable to follow the conventions of the area in which you are residing or visiting.

In this particular case, Romans are Novigrad locals, and you should follow their diet regime. You should eat local.

Novigrad is home to some of the best seafood taverns in Istria.

You can find taverns tucked away in a hidden alley near the sea, that prepare tasty specialties exclusively with carefully selected local groceries (Istria and Kvarner), mostly from eco-farming!

Some local taverns combine tradition, original flavors and quality with creativity and thus create a new dimension of Istrian and coastal cuisine. At Novigrad restaurants and taverns you can find simple, traditional and delicious food with a creative twist.

Parenzana left a profound mark

Parenzana is a hiking and biking trail that connects. It’s a symbol of friendship and travelers. Its 13 km are in Italy, 32 in Slovenia and 78 km are in Croatia.

Opting to rent a bike or to bring your own to your Novigrad vacation will very much depend on the length of your trip and your overall travel plans. One way or another, riding a bike is an eco-friendly way of exploring Novigrad, and we support that way of exploring the beauties of Croatia, Istria, and Novigrad.

Kids will love Novigrad

One survey found almost half of favorite childhood memories are family vacations, and more than half (55%) of respondents said: “holidays have given them happy memories that will stay for the rest of their lives."

Novigrad beaches are within walking distance, and there are playgrounds for the little ones to enjoy. Whether your kids prefer sea playground or they are more of a water park type, Novigrad has them covered.

Get to know Novigrad maritime and other historical stories

Gallerion and Lapidarium are the names to remember.

Gallerion is a Maritime Museum with a permanent Austro-Hungarian Navy collection. Most interesting ship models you can see there have cruised the world and can tell some great stories. Gallerion also hosts temporary exhibitions, all in relation with a maritime theme.

Lapidarium can tell you how it all began. Its collection of stone monuments dates from the first to the eighteenth century. City’s crenelated walls dating back to the 13th-century witnessed a rich historical legacy, and a large part of it is now located in the Lapidarium museum.

If you are up to for a safe, great and delicious time - contact us for more info. We’ll gladly find what suits your needs the best.

Check out our guest reviews or just book now.

Do you want to bring your pet to Croatia? Here is some info you may need to kick start your dog-friendly vacation.

Pets have probably never been a bigger part of the family.

So you want to include yours on the family vacation in Croatia, right? Maybe you would like to rent-a-bike while in Novigrad or consider booking eco-friendly vacation.

Anyhow ....

Croatia has become a very pet-friendly destination. It often happens you see dog lounging at the beach, relaxing under a café table or enjoying the sea breeze. And most of those pets are tourists, not locals!

Before you go, read this blog to help keep both you and your pet safe and comfortable.

First of all - consult your veterinarian

Your pet's health should be your number one priority.

Pet should be healthy enough for travel and current on his or her vaccinations. Tell your veterinarian about your Croatia vacation so they can determine how to protect your pet from potential risks in this region. If you’re escaping the snowdrifts for beautiful Istria beaches, it’s easy to forget about flea, tick and heartworm preventives, so make sure you bring the right parasite protection.

Check your pet’s identification

No matter how careful you are, they can escape and get lost in unfamiliar locations. That’s why your pet should have an updated ID tag that includes the address of your destination and your smartphone number.

If your pet wanders out without his or her collar, a microchip is a backup solution.

Using microchip, veterinary clinics, shelters and animal control centers can scan your pet and find out how to reach you. Before departure, make sure your pet's microchip has your current contact information, including where you can be reached during vacation.

There are even GPS devices with apps that enable you to track your pet’s location from your smartphone.

Your pet should be at peace inside a carrier

Whether you’ll travel by plane, bus or car, it’s best to have your pet in a well-ventilated carrier. The carrier should be spacious enough to allow them to stand, turn around and lay down. They should always have their fresh water or a litter pan for cats, but you already know that, right.

If your pet isn’t used to being in a carrier, you could:

• introduce it to them at home
• pad the bottom with their favorite blanket
• place cookies or toys inside so they associate positive things with it

While at home, leave the door open so they can explore inside at their own will, then try closing the door for short periods, gradually extend the time the door is closed. Hopefully, you'll end up with a carrier-positive pet.

Traveling to Croatia with a pet

When traveling to Novigrad, Istria or Croatia with a pet you need to meet some conditions.

• Your dog must have a clearly and legibly marked tattoo with the corresponding serial number entered onto the passport
• The pet needs to be microchipped with a 15 digit ISO 11784 or 11785 standard pet microchip.
• The passport should detail the location of the microchip, and the date  the microchip took place
• All vaccination information. Inc. serial number, expiration date & the date of vaccination
• Your pet must be vaccinated for rabies at least 21 days prior to entry

While these are most simply put necessary conditions required to bring your beloved pet to Croatia, we suggest going through Croatia Department of agriculture official pages.

• If you come from other EU countries find all the info here
• If you come from other non-EU European countries find all the info here
• If you come from other countries find all the info here

Finally, find pet-friendly accommodation

Here at Villa Bionda we are super enthusiastic about accommodating your pets. Pet-friendly vacation is in our DNA.

Najem koles v Novigradu vs. prinašanje lastnega

Veliko vprašanje, kajne?

Če sem iskren, ni nobenega dokončnega odgovora. Odločitev mora biti odvisna od vrste dejavnikov in osebnih preferenc.

Če se nameravate odpraviti na kolesarske počitnice v Novigradu, je bolje, da s seboj vzamete svoje kolo. Če kolesarjenje ne bo vaša glavna počitniška dejavnost, vam priporočamo najem kolesa, ko pridete v to istrsko majhno ribiško mesto.

Druga pomembna stvar, ki jo morate upoštevati, je:

• koliko imate radi svoje kolo
• ali je po meri primerna za vas
• ali imate v preteklosti nelagodje na slabo opremljenih kolesih

Vsi vemo, kakšna je lahko bolečina, če bi v kolo ali vrečko spravili ljubljeno kolo. Ure se previdno zavarujejo in zaostajajo za celotno ogrodje, tako da se v nosilec polni toliko vreč z oblačili, da ne bo prišlo do nadaljnje omejitve morebitne škode.

V tem trenutku vaša prtljaga tehta približno 23 kg. Nosite ga navzgor in navzdol po stopnicah, v prevoz in na koncu na letališče, kjer bo naslednjih nekaj ur uživala v ljubeči oskrbi, za katero so znani vodniki prtljage.

V redu, ne naredimo bolj zapletenega. V tem delu želimo izpostaviti nekatere najpogostejše prednosti in slabosti obeh možnosti.

Najem kolesa v Novigradu vam daje mir

Ne bo vam treba skrbeti, da boste ločili kolo, ga lepo zapakirali v torbo za kolo ali torbico, potegnili jo do polovice po svetu in jo ponovno zgradili. Predvsem pa je dobro vedeti, da ne boste tvegali, da boste med prevozom poškodovali svoje kolo. Zapomnite si samo vodnike prtljage.

Pridobitev kolesa v Novigrad je varnejša možnost

Pripeljava vašega zanesljivega dvokolesnika skupaj z vami pomeni, da boste sedli na kolo, ki ga poznate. Kolo, ki je idealno za vaš stil vožnje in vam prilega kot rokavica.

Odločite se za najem in morda se boste znašli na kolesu, ki ga pravzaprav niste tako priljubljeni ali pa vam ne ustreza. Že veste, da se boste vozili po tujih stezah (čeprav je več kot 500 km novigradskih poti idealni način za odkrivanje naravnih lepot), ali resnično želite voziti neznano kolo?

Najem kolesa je možnost, da preizkusite novo vožnjo

Najem kolesa, brez izjeme, pomeni, da preizkusite nekaj novih koles. V Vili Bionda lahko ponudimo lahka aluminijasta kolesa in električna.

Ne glede na to, ali ste se želeli preizkusiti v 29er dirki, električnem ali križarjenju, vam najem kolesa omogoča odlično priložnost, da poskusite nekaj novega. In če že razmišljate o nakupu nove vožnje, kakšen boljši način za presojo združljivosti kot na počitnicah v Istri?

Pridobitev lastnega dvokolesnika v Novigrad bi lahko bila cenejša

Odvisno od trajanja vašega potovanja in kolesa, ki ga končate z letalskimi prevozniki, boste na splošno postavili nazaj približno 50 € - 100 € za vsako športno opremo.

Nesreče se lahko zgodijo, ne glede na to, ali vozite svoje kolo ali najem - kajne? Edina razlika je, da bi vas lahko udarila z veliko ceno, če vam najemnina pokaže znake poškodb, še toliko bolj, kot če bi se popravilo vaše kolo.

Najem kolesa v Istri vam ponuja svobodo in prilagodljivost

Ta gre za tiste med vami, ki ne načrtujejo samo kolesarske počitnice.

Če nameravate potovati pred ali po kolesarskem delu počitnic, vam najem kolesa omogoča, da vstanete in greste, kot vam je všeč, ne da bi vam bilo treba skrbeti, da boste s seboj nosili zapleten kovček ali našli varen prostor za shranjevanje kolesa.

Torej ... kaj storiti zdaj

Odločite se za najem kolesa ali pa si privoščite svoje sanjske počitnice v Istri, odvisno od lokacije vašega doma, dolžine vašega potovanja in načrtov potovanja.

Na tak ali drugačen način je vožnja s kolesom okolju prijazen način preživljanja počitnic v Istri in podpiramo ta način, raziskovanja lepot Novigrada, Istre in Hrvaške.

Enostaven vodnik za najboljšo eco-friendly dopust na Hrvaškem

Ali je to vaš prvi čas, ko obiščete Hrvaško ali ste novi na to eco friendly način potovanja, bi morali imeti korist od branja tega dela. Ta preprost vodnik vam bo pomagal imeli veliko počitnic ob varovanju okolja ob istem času.

Do zdaj se zdi, kot vsi obiskal Hrvaško. Neverjetne plaže, turkizno morje, domače vino, bogata kulturna dediščina, prijazni ljudje … Ti pridevniki se pogosto uporabljajo za opis Hrvata in Hrvaške. Torej, zakaj še niste obiskali "biser Sredozemlja"?

Hrvaška ali Hrvaška, kot bi rekli domačini, je osupljiva vizija morja, dreves in otokov, ki jih na fotografiji težko zajame.

Hrvaška je zagotovo čudovit kraj, pa da tako tudi ostane.

Želite najti vse o najboljših eco friendly počitnicah na Hrvaškem, kajne? Sledite tem petim korakom, uživajte in se vrnite nazaj.

Poiščite ustrezno destinacijo

Od kod potujete? Prepričani ste, da večina oblik prevoza prispeva k podnebnim spremembam. Če želite zmanjšati izpuste na počitnicah, izberite destinacijo bližje svojemu domu ali tisto, do katere lahko pridete s prevozom, ki ni letalo.

Če mora vaše potovanje na Hrvaško vključevati letalske lete, poiščite vsaj možnosti za ekoturizem. Veliko hotelov, letovišč in vil na Hrvaškem razumejo negativne vplive na okolje in delujejo po njem.

Izberite najboljši način, da pridete sem

Želimo povedati, da bi morali izbrati najbolj okolju prijazno obliko prevoza. Če se lahko peljete z avtobusom ali vlakom do Hrvaške, to zagotovo storite.

Če morate leteti, se izogibajte kratkim poletom in izberite letalske prevoznike z višjo stopnjo zasedenosti in bolj učinkovito letalo.

Poiščite pravo mesto za bivanje

Za vaše eco friendly počitnice izberite okolju prijazno namestitev na Hrvaškem.

Poiščite vile in apartmaje z učinkovitimi sistemi za obdelavo odpadkov, ki reciklirajo, so energetsko učinkoviti in po možnosti tisti, ki uporabljajo ekološke materiale v vseh segmentih.

Bodite ekološko odgovorni gost

Med obiskom Novigrada, Hrvaške ali katere koli druge destinacije, morate spoštovati lokalno okolje.

To pomeni:

• bivanje na poteh in javnih pešpoti
• ne odstranjujete rastlin
• ne hranite divjih živali
• nikoli ne smeti

Ko se vrnete v svoje stanovanje, izperete iz vseh dnevnih dogodivščinah - razmislite o varčevanju z vodo in tuširanju namesto s kopeljo. Minimaliziramo uporabo izdelkov za osebno nego in detergentov, brisač za ponovno uporabo in posteljnine.

Omejite porabo energije. Učinkovita raba energije v tem primeru vključuje uporabo klimatske naprave in tople vode. Prosimo, izklopite vse luči in pipe, ko zapustite stanovanje.

Bombažnih brisov in brstov, kondomov, tamponov in plastike ne smete splakniti v stranišče. Odpadne sanitarne odpadke odstranite pravilno.

Skoraj vse pločevinke za pijačo lahko vrnete za povračilo (0,5 HRK / kos) zato jih vrnite v recikliranje. Zmanjšajte število vrečk, plenic in pladnjev za enkratno uporabo, ki jih uporabljate, ko jeste in kupujete.

Če berete to linijo, ste verjetno zelo zainteresirani za okolju prijazne počitnice v Istri na Hrvaškem. To je nekaj posebnega za vas - brezplačno dobite člansko izkaznico za Villa Bionda in prihranite do 20% pri jedenju in nakupovanju v najbolj znanih istrskih restavracijah, konobah, vinarijah in trgovinah s spominki. Bodite varčni in ekološko ozaveščeni!

Naredite svoje počitnice na Hrvaškem še bolj okolju prijazne in se izogibajte škodljivim rekreativnim aktivnostim. Izogibajte se športom, ki so škodljivi za okolje, namesto tega najamite kolo.

Coming home from holidays in Croatia

Želite si zapomniti počitnice na Hrvaškem v prihodnjih letih, vendar je 500 let preveč. Plastične vrečke lahko trajajo do 500 let, da se razgradijo, zato vzemite s seboj vrečko za večkratno uporabo, ko greste na nakupovanje spominkov.

Dvakrat premislite in štejte do sto, preden kupite izdelke, izdelane iz ogroženih vrst, vključno z živalskimi kožami in deli telesa, lupino želv, slonovino ali korale - lahko so nezakoniti.

In končno… uživajte v naravi in okolju Hrvaške.

Toliko je tam zunaj, da se na tem planetu izstopa neverjetno, osupljivo in presenetljivo. Naj da tako tudi ostane.

Želite rezervirati eco friendly počitnice v Novigradu, Hrvaška? To storite zdaj!