The Isolano, Cres Town
Set on a pine-dappled beach promenade about a 10-minute walk from Cres town, this recent arrival caused ripples when it opened. Designed in Matisse blues with curvaceous natural wood and seedpod pendants, it serves negronis from a ceramic-fronted bar and poke bowls for lunch. A surprise is the delightful spa with its glowing wall of Himalayan salt bricks.
Boutique
The restaurants to book
Na Moru, Valun, Cres
This quayside konoba’s fourth-generation owners, siblings Martina and Ivan Krivičić, plate up whatever’s fresh – amberjack carpaccio, just-caught scampi, whole sea bass – with rocket and chard grown in the garden. Between bottles of Malvasia, diners can wander over to the Roman-style stone fish pond where lobsters scuttle for cover.
Address: Na Moru, 65, 51557, Valun, Croatia
Alfred Keller, Mali Lošinj
Named for the Viennese architect who designed one of the original villas here in 1912, now part of Boutique Hotel Alhambra, this Michelin-starred restaurant with a view, under chef Daniel Skokić, well-versed in Lošinj food lore, conjures up clever, French-accented plates with island ingredients (truffle, herbs, seafood) and a little Asian intrigue – Kvarner shrimp with Thai salsa, for example. The wine list is the best on the islands.
Address: Alfred Keller, Čikat ul. 16, 51550, Mali Lošinj, Croatia
Website: boutiquehotelalhambra.com
Bukaleta, Loznati, Cres
The culinary heart and soul of Cres, where the family flock provides most of the menu – there’s so much lamb here it’s a wonder that griffon vultures aren’t circling overhead – from brains in breadcrumbs to suet pancakes with figs. Inside are shelves lined with lace and the hand-painted clay goblets that give this konoba its name.
Address: Bukaleta, Loznati, 51557, Cres, Croatia
Website: ekvarner.info
