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It is a real gem filled with healthy / delicious, authentic Dalmatian food that I have tasted and tested myself. You will then be able to download the cookbook onto your electronic device or laptop and print out for immediate access!
All you need to do is return to the home page and wait for the pop-up. The URL you want is embedded here==> cookbook
**************************And now with no further ado … my post:**********************************
As part of our Croatian winter itinerary, we finally went to the hotsprings! And I came to the conclusion:
THERMAL BATHS ROCK!
Why? Because Croatia in winter weather is still beautiful, and for the most part, mild. Yes, I ate a few too many Christmas cookies, and I wanted to swim in warm water again. Winter baths are a tradition in Europe, and they don’t have to be expensive. As a joint birthday celebration, we escaped foggy Dalmatia to investigate the Roman Baths at LEŠĆE – on the River Dobri (translation: The Good River). Here is a peek:
We got our ticket through Ponuda Dana, an online booking service with great discounts. They offer special packages, and we signed up for the toplice (“terme”) which is a type of spa vacation. What did we pay? The price was 440 per couple for two nights, with two meals per day, free biking and unlimited bathing included. Massages cost extra, but at a 20% discount during the time we were there (70 kunas or roughly 10 euros per massage).
All together, our two night stay cost us 880 Croatian kunas, which is about 120 Euros plus the cost of fuel and road tolls (another 60 euros). In those two days, we relaxed, regrouped, and got away from the winter tedium. I would rate our excursion as a 4 out of 5. We checked the weather and made sure to go when the weather was good, in order to avoid the snow. It was supposed to be clear, and I have to say, it was well worth it!
Where: So we found ourselves in KARLOVAC, in the heart of the Croatian hinterland, in a totally different environment than usual (i.e. we are usually near the sea). As you can see by the photos, there are wooden barns, octagonal shaped roofs (as if the building was wearing a hat from the early 20th century) and neatly manicured yards where animals roamed. Add a haystack and horse-drawn tractor and you’ve got the ambiance!
How:
The road to Karlovac was a piece of cake. We took a 2-1/2 hour drive on the toll highway E65 then E71, which cost a little under 100 kn each way (about 12 euros). It was a scenic drive with snowcapped mountains and rolling farmland, interesting trees and other foliage. We took the Bosiljevo exit and an additional 30 minute drive along a country road till we reached our destination: Terme Lešće (tehr-mah lessh-chah). Dobra Došla (Welcome)!
We were heartily welcomed by the Receptionist, Miranda. Middle aged, full of information and jolly, she gave us a complete run-down of the joint, so to speak. Lunch is from 7-9 so don’t be late. It’s not a smorgasbord, you get two to three entrees to choose from and that’s it (it wasn’t a problem). Lunch can be ordered separately but since we were thinking along “eating less” we skipped lunch and waited for Dinner.
OUTDOORS
In case you are missing junk food i.e. cookies and chips, there is a tiny store at the front of the property, they also sold white wine and other staples, but we never did get around to buying anything. Next to the store is a small bar, which we also didn’t visit, we were busy doing other things.
On our second day, we cycled around the property and uphill across the street. Nordic or any other kind of walking would have been an option but the river was rising and the walkway was too slippery with mud and slime. So nix. The bikes were in fair condition, and we got some good use out of them.
The houses in Karlovac have an interesting feel. Many of the houses here are over 100 years old, with stone / brick construction, deep basements and chimneys. As far as population goes, many have left farming, and moved to the capital (Zagreb). This emigration began after WWII and surged again after the Homeland War. But you can see that the people who have stayed behind are not doing badly – many have vehicles with company names printed and the homes look quite comfortable.
In the summertime, it’s aa whole different world at Terme Lešće. A huge pool (now empty) shows tents and seating area for literally hundreds of people to enjoy. There are changing rooms and other places to sit poolside and enjoy a cool drink or just people-watch.
INDOORS
We took a classic double room on the upper level. In the hallways, we found a step machine, stationary bike and foot massager.
Our room was equipped with a TV, double bed and double paned windows. Eating in the room is strictly forbidden. Just sayin’. It had a massaging shower which kind of worked and kind of didn’t. All the same, the central heating worked fine, and we were never, ever cold nor was it too hot, either. The whole place is heated by a wood burning furnace.
On the same level is the restaurant. The service was fine, and the dining room was quite interesting! Semi private seating areas, and artwork was found on every wall. Here are some of the pictures:
Upper left hand corner: Caesar placing an olive wreath on someone’s head.
Lots of oil paintings depicting the area, including bridge over the River Dobri.
we also have the Croatian Grb (red and white checked coat of arms). This is definitely Croatian country 🙂
THE FOOD!
The food (and the service) was OK! Smiling and accomodating staff members 🙂 I particularly enjoyed the homemade bread – firm and tasty, and it was a very nice texture, especially the darker bread. Coffee was also good, and the meals were generous.
The first night, we had blitva and potatoes, salt and olive oil and fresh trout from the river. So tasty and so healthy. The dinner meals came with soup AND salad, so we had no chance of being hungry after that.
The next two mornings we had a nice mushroom and cheese omelette – also good – and dinner was spaghetti with cream sauce and mushrooms – a bit too creamy and not our personal favorite, but it was nice all the same.
THE POOLS
We enjoyed unlimited bathing and exercising in the heated pool (33 degrees) we went in every day. Hours are 7 am to 8 pm, with a break from swimming between 8pm and 11 pm. After that, it reopens for “night swimming”.
Here is the changing area, with wooden walkway to the bathing area. The entire room looked like a darkened cave with countless stars dotted on the ceiling. Tacky but fun! The water was the reason we came. The walls were posted with helpful instructions on how to exercise the back, legs, arms, shoulders and so on. Recommended immersion time is no more than 1-1/2 hours.
We could have tried the other, cooler pool at 26 degrees, but – it just didn’t appeal to us! The warm water was great…
Once we finished, there were shower stalls to rinse off dry skin and a changing area adjacent to that. A blow dryer was also available.
I didn’t feel like making new friends, but heard people talking in other languages besides Croatian. I would guess that they were speaking Russian.
WEEKDAYS
I have to say, going on a weekday was a good idea, because there were less crowds. There were some older people (60 plus) and there were some kids as well! When we woke up around 7, we noticed cars of people coming for a day at the hot springs. Guess they wanted to get their money’s worth, why not?
ACCESS BY TRAIN (HZZ)
The weekends, I was told, can be full of guests from Zagreb, who take the train to Karlovac getting out at the General stol station which is 4 km away, and then the manager comes and picks them up.
OTHER THINGS
At this particular location, you are right across the border from Slovenia, so if you want to drive over and visit another country, that is definitely an option. It was clear to see by the license plates that other people from Slovenia had come to spend their Croatia winter itinerary enjoying the hotsprings as well.
Croatian kunas are holding steady at approximately 7.5 to one Euro as of the date of this writing.
Slovenia uses Euros so you will need to change your money or just make an ATM withdrawal from your bank – it will spit out Euros instead of kunas or any other type of currency that you’re currently used to using.
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
The town is officially located in General Stol which, in Croatian “Generalski Stol” means “Table of Generals”. The history behind its unusual name is the fact that generals gathered here from the Austrian republic trying to work out a strategy to block the neighboring Turkish forces from penetrating any further into West Europe in the 18th century – not so long ago.
Here is a link to a blog describing the area in great detail. It’s in Croatian, however: but can always be translated if needed.
The table is now quite fancy – and probably not the original. However the generals succeeded in keeping the Turks any futher west, into Europe.
I love winter excursions – it helps break up the doldrums, there are less people, and often the weather is very nice, like Springtime.
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By the way all new subscribers will receive an authentic Dalmatian – Croatian cookbook that I have tasted and tested. It is a real gem of a sampling of healthy / delicious food!
All you need to do is return to the home page and wait for the pop-up. The URL you want is embedded here==> cookbook
So dowload and let’s get cooking! Bon appetit / Dobar tek and enjoy!!!
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