Private wellness and gourmet experience in Hrvatsko Zagorje

Day-by-day itinerary

DAY 1

Arrival to Hrvatsko Zagorje

If you flew into Zagreb airport, we can arrange a transfer (on request) to the hotel. Arrive on your own. Check-in at the hotel. Time at leisure. On the highest panoramic hotel floor, there is a wellness oasis with more than 350 m2 of space filled with different contents. You can use stainless steel heated indoor pool (32 degrees Celsius) and whirlpool (35 degrees Celsius), Finnish and infrared sauna, steam room and a gym. You can rent (payment on the spot) quality MTB bikes in the hotel and if you prefer Nordic walking, you can rent Nordic poles.

In the evening enjoy an exclusive 5-course dinner in the hotel restaurant prepared from local seasonal groceries, the most award-winning restaurant in the region. Its cuisine is a fusion of traditional Zagorje cuisine with elements of modern French and Italian cuisine. Drinks are not included.

Overnight.

DAY 2

Exclusive gold treatment, visit to castle and dinner at the rural estate

Buffet breakfast. In the morning pamper yourself with a 60 minute ritual with 24K gold. This exclusive treatment with leaves of 24K gold will return vitality to your skin. Gold is an antioxidant and has anti-inflammatory properties and anti-ageing benefits. It helps keep the collagen level steady and makes your skin firm. Gold helps to activate the basal cells of your skin thereby increasing elasticity.

In the afternoon start a tour to the biggest sanctuary in Croatia, Marija Bistrica, in which thousands of pilgrims come from spring to late fall each year, and have been doing so for more than three centuries. The miraculous statue of Our Lady, with baby Jesus in her arms is black because it got burned in the fire that engulfed the Basilica in 1880.

Marija Bistrica is also known for its gingerbread, honey products, wood, and clay products.

The recipe is the same for all makers of gingerbread, utilizing flour, sugar, water and baking soda – plus the obligatory spices. The gingerbread is shaped into moulds, baked, dried and painted with edible colours. Each craftsperson decorates gingerbread in a specific way, often with pictures, small mirrors and verses or messages - a heart is the most common motif, and is frequently prepared for marriages. Gingerbread as well as traditional manufacturing of children’s wooden toys in Croatian Zagorje is inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Croatian Zagorje is famous for its vineyards and quality wines. You will visit a family farm engaged in the production of grapes and wine - a tradition over a hundred years old passed down from generation to generation. A word of welcome will be followed by a tour of the wine cellar, an introduction to wine production technology and wine tasting. You will taste 5 varieties of wine produced according to ecological principles, such as Pinot Gris, Sauvignon blanc, Selectio and other, hazelnuts from their organic production, dried and fresh fruit.

The tasting is followed by a tour of the Oršić Castle in Gornja Stubica. The castle was the feudal residence of the Oršić family until the last members relocated in 1924. At the end of the sixties and the beginning of the seventies, the castle was thoroughly renewed and transformed into a Museum of the Peasants' uprise which deals with a tragic event that occurred in 1573 in this very area. Around the castle, there is a park with a huge monument dedicated to the Peasants' uprise and its leader Matija Gubec, made by a prominent Croatian sculptor Antun Augustinčić.

A traditional dinner is waiting for you at the rural estate Vuglec Breg, where you will try out specialities of Zagorje traditional cuisine. The estate stretches over an area of 12 hectares and from the peak of the hill, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the surrounding hills dotted with houses, and churches. On the northern side of ''Vuglec Breg,'' there is a horse barn, a little pond, lawns and walking paths.

Return to the hotel and overnight.

DAY 3

Private tour to the open-air museum, castle and rural household

Start your day with Bio Vital breakfast served in your room – a perfect fusion of health and enjoyment in one meal. You will be offered various homemade smoothies, protein pancakes, and lots of fresh fruit.

Later on, take a private field trip to explore the region. Surrounded by the ruins of Cesargrad in significant landscape Zelenjak, at the entrance to the Municipality of Kumrovec, you will visit the monument to the Croatian anthem "Our Beautiful Homeland". Try newly opened canopy path walks at a height of half to five meters above the ground which offer a view of the monument. The purpose of the trial is to show visitors nature, plants, and birds in a different way.

Continue to the small city of Kumrovec, or as their locals call it - the Old Village ( “Staro Selo”). Today it serves as a unique open-air museum.

It is famous for its thirty traditional buildings, preserved or restored, where the museum exhibitions are staged. They show the traditional way of life in the region as it was at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. Josip Broz (former president of Yugoslavia) family household is situated on the outskirts of the village and contains historical and ethnological displays. Besides its architecture, the museum shows objects thematically exhibited according to various crafts and customs typical for the Hrvatsko Zagorje region.

Continue to Veliki Tabor, a 15th-century castle, one of the most important cultural and historical monuments in Croatia. It dominates in its location, on top of the Hum Kosnicki, 333 meters above sea level. It is an impressive sight and makes the unique picture that will leave no one indifferent.

The castle tells a tragic story of forbidden love between the count and a peasant girl.

After visiting the fortress, you will continue to Grešna Gorica, just 5 minutes away from the fortress. It is a family-run rural farm that offers the experience of a unique Zagorje rural ambience. Tasting traditional dishes, whilst being surrounded by vineyards and meadows, you will surely have the feeling of being beamed back to medieval times.

Return to the hotel.

In the afternoon you can visit (on your own) the largest and most modern complex of indoor swimming pools in Croatia –a Water Park Aquae Vivae with over 160 attractions. Guests of the hotel have a 10% discount to a full-day ticket.

Overnight.

DAY 4

Champagne breakfast, helicopter flight simulation, chocolate massage

Champagne breakfast is served in the room. Relax in the morning with a glass of sparkling wine, enjoy the specialities such as eggs Benedict, American pancakes, homemade cheeses, caviar, fresh fruit, coffee and more.

This morning you will become a helicopter pilot for one day!

Experience a once in a lifetime adventure in the World's best helicopter simulator at the Aviation Training Center – Heli Center Toplice (walking distance from the hotel).

The Aviation Training Center has been specially designed, built and equipped in detail for helicopter aircrew and technical personnel training and is the exclusive centre in Europe where a Mi-17 Full Flight Simulator is installed.

The tour introduces you to the history of helicopter development and ends with a flight simulation. You will take part in the „Caucasus rescue“ mission including a pre-flight briefing and a 30-minutes flight in the Full Flight Simulator with a flight instructor. Fly above different worldwide destinations and enjoy fascinating views as if in a real helicopter.

While in the museum, you can also see different models of helicopters and take extraordinary pictures with a helicopter.

Back at the hotel, you will enjoy a 60-minute chocolate treatment (peeling, massage and mask).

The rich scent and the smooth feel create a relaxing atmosphere during the massage, having a calming effect. Unique sensual aromas at the body will effectively eliminate stress and provide you with total relaxation and peace. Chocolate is ideal for skin protection and stimulation of circulation. It reduces muscle tension, increases joint mobility and flexibility, and reduces the level of stress hormones.

Overnight.

DAY 5

Farewell Zagorje

Buffet breakfast and time at leisure until check-out. If needed, we can arrange a transfer (on request) from the hotel to Zagreb airport or another departure point.