Opatija, Croatia

Just 13km west of Rijeka, Opatija (Abbazia in Italian) has the most stunning coastal views in Croatia. The forested hills sloping down to the sparkling sea can be appreciated from the Lungomare, a waterfront promenade that stretches for 12km along the Gulf of Kvarner. The vista is enhanced by Vojak (1401m), west of Opatija and the highest point on the Istrian Peninsula. Small surprise that Opatija was the fashionable seaside resort of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until WWI.

The grand residences of the wealthy are now hotels that offer a healthy dose of the elegance and sophistication of a bygone age. This is a good place to splurge on a hotel as you have virtually no chance of landing in one of the concrete boxes that litter so many coastal resorts. The façades are painted in fresh pastels and the interiors offer spacious halls and chandeliers.