ENG Koversada Naturist Park - Croatia

Choice of place

Given that last year we appreciated so much the format of the naturist village (Riva-Bella in Corsica), this summer we would like to repeat more or less the same experience, but in Croatia, where we have been other times, even recently (Club Funimation Borik), but never in villages or naturist camps. Therefore we are going to look for a naturist campsite that has availability of accommodation in bungalows or apartments even for those like us who are not campers "by profession".

Thanks to the site of the Croatian camping association Camping.hr we are able to evaluate the different opportunities by choosing from the list obtained by applying a search filter by type of camping "naturist". After a careful and meticulous analysis lasted a few days (and a few nights too) we decided to explore the area where there are two locations that, in our opinion, could cover our needs: the Valalta, in the Rovinj area, and the Koversada, close to Vrsar.

Travel

Planning of trip took some time, especially to study the best route to avoid the Slovenian highway. It does not really make sense that Italian tourists who travels from Slovenia to travel to Croatia have to spend 30 euros (2 weekly coupons by 15 euros) to do just a handful of miles on the highway. On the internet there are many useful pages that illustrate in detail (movies, photos, etc.) the path to follow to avoid the hateful and useless toll (an excellent example can be found in Italian here).

We leave from home the morning of Sunday 26 August at about 07:30: the keys of the apartment are handed over after 3:00 pm, so we can take it easy. The weather forecast is not good, it will be a difficult day: while driving on the A4 towards Trieste, we see heavy rainy clouds fill the sky to the east.

As we reach the state border, we leave the highway and drive into the ordinary roads following the route studied on the internet. After about 25 kilometers we arrive comfortably at the Dragonja / Kastel customs and enter Croatia.

Motorways in Croatia are pay toll, as in Italy, so the cost is proportional to the actual use. The toll can be paid in kunas or euros and even by credit card, so there are no problems. But since we have time, we opt again for the normal road: one kilometer after customs we turn left (signs Buje / Kastel) and climb the D21, the winding national road that runs through Istria to Pula, the capital town of Istrian region.

Accomodation

Between a thunderstorm and the other, with the temperature dropped to 14 degrees, after driving for 420 kilometers, finally at 13:30 we arrive at the reception, at the entrance of the village. This reception is however only for campers: we have booked an apartment so we must go to the second reception that is dedicated to guests of the apartments (we will then discover later on the existence of a third reception that manages the rooms in the Villas area).

We pass the barrier with our car and, after one kilometer, we arrive at the reception of the apartments. Fortunately our apartment is ready and the clerk, who among other things he is a fan of the Italian singer Vasco Rossi, speaks good Italian. Therefore we do the check-in very quickly and we are given the key of the apartment, the number 178, the map of the village and some useful basic information that will allow us to settle at best and take the first steps inside effectively.

Koversada apartments are built in terraced buildings, one or two floors, which are aligned in 4 rows placed on the hill just behind the second reception, at the extreme north-east of the village. The whole area is surrounded by greenery, the buildings are new and clean and the habitability of our apartment is absolutely adequate for two people. The bedroom is a bit small but still livable, the kitchen is equipped with everything you need, in the living room there is a sofa bed and TV tuned to the main local and international channels, including the Italian television. Each apartment is also equipped with a small terrace or balcony with a table and chairs that can be used for outdoor dining. Also on the service nothing to say: every two days towels are replaced and every four days bed linen. The only aspect a bit 'negative is perhaps the distance from the island and therefore the main beaches, which is why many residents in the apartment use the car to move around the village. Instead we prefer to walk: in ten days of stay we turn the village far and wide several times, stopping to sunbathe or bathing in various points indifferently. Especially in the early morning we go down the stairs next to our apartment and spend a couple of hours on the beach which is located at the most extreme point east of the village, on the Lim canal.

The village

The size of the village is really important. In our walks with Nordic walking sticks, along the roads and beaches on the outer perimeter, including the island, we measure with the GPS of our smartphone over 5 kilometers.

From the residential point of view the village is substantially divided into four zones: to the north-east Koversada Apartaments, where we lodge, already described above; to the north-west Koversada Villas, where there are single-storey buildings that include housing solutions with bedroom and bathroom, but without kitchen; in the center the largest part, or Koversada Camping, with pitches of different types (depending on the proximity to the sea) equipped for camping caravans, campers and tents; then there is Koversada Otocic, the island, connected to the mainland by a long artificial bridge, where it is possible to camp only in tents, exploiting their own, or renting some fixed tents made available by the village (Easy Tent solution). And 'the latter of camping on the island the solution that certainly allows you to live more in direct contact with the sea and nature even if, objectively, we seem very rough and unconfortable.

Services and facilities

Inside the village there are 4 restaurants: the Batana Restaurant, located on the island, fish specialties, the Mendula Grill, next to the Villas reception, the Balun pizzeria in the middle of the campsite and the Amfora Restaurant, used by those who choose the B & B formula or half / full board. We only try the grill and the fish restaurant on the island. The latter, both for the enchanting position with a view of the sunset and for the excellent cuisine, deserves a special mention (let's go three times, two for dinner and one for lunch). In addition, at the southernmost point of the village, on a small promontory overlooking the Leme canal, is the Longue Bar Punta Trole, excellent for aperitifs or even to spend pleasant musical evenings.

To complete the list of services we can mention: the Otok Blue Bar on the island, two mini-market of the IS chain, the bicycle rental, the beach equipment rental (sunbeds, umbrellas and pedalo), the protected beach for children, the resale bread and pastries (on the island), two beach volleyball courts, the fruit and vegetable kiosk, a mini-bazaar shop with beach supplies, the mini club, a massage center, around twenty WCs and showers kept constantly clean .

Nudism

During our stay we enjoy absolute freedom, the whole village can be experienced in complete nudity at any time of day and carrying out any activity, recreational, sports, play, or other.

The only request that is expressed by appropriate signs is to get dressed in the reception and in the two supermarkets. For the rest we do not undergo particular prohibitions or impositions, included in restaurants. At the restaurant we usually do not go naked, but here we see that, at least during lunch, nudity is accepted without problems.

In addition to the period spent at the beach sunbathing, usually early in the morning and late in the afternoon to avoid the hottest hours, we also dedicate ourselves to long walks in the naturist village. In the evening we went several times to the island, on the western side, to witness the evocative sunset over the sea.

The Beaches

Like most of the Croatian beaches also Koversada is characterized by the rocks and the platforms in stones and cement built close to the sea. Apart from the limited sandy beach for children, built in a bay artificially protected by a low wall walkable concrete, all the rest is stone and rock. Only on the eastern side of the island, immediately to the right of the long bridge that connects it to the village, there is a second beach which, despite being in pebbles, can also be used by children as the depth of the seabed increases fairly gradually, at least in the first ten meters from the shore. Opposite, on the other side of the mainland, there is a large quay which, from what we see, turns out to be the most frequented and sought after area to spend the days by the sea. In all the beaches of the village, at close distance from each other, fresh water showers are installed, while to facilitate entry into the water and the subsequent ascent, have been provided comfortable metal ladders or even special slides with handrails that allow people with disabilities or even with walking difficulties to swim without problems.