ENG Valalta FKK Naturist Camping - Croazia

The choice 

In 2018, during our vacation at the Koversada naturist village, in a rainy morning, given the relative proximity to Rovinj, we also took the opportunity to make a brief exploratory visit to the naturist village that is right in front, on the opposite bank of the Lim Fiord, the Valalta FKK Naturist Camping. The impression of that time was really positive, so much so that we promised ourselves to try it at one time or another. At the time we did not think certain that this would happen the following year.

In fact, this year we were able to book a 12-night stay, from June 30 to July 12. At the time of booking we did not have much expectation of finding an accommodation adequate to our needs, firstly because, due to the children's school (the daughter one engaged in the preparation of the degree thesis, the boy one in the high school diploma), we made the reservation very late, but also because during the 2018 visit to the village, the clerk at the reception told us that the apartments and bungalows were in great demand and for July and August the tourists begin to book already in January.

The Travel

No problem with trip planning: having taken the same route last year, we are well aware of the route that allows us to avoid the Slovenian motorway and therefore save 30 euros of "vignette". For those who want information, on the internet there are many useful pages that illustrate precisely and in great detail (videos, photos, etc.) the path to follow to avoid the odious and useless heavy tax (a good example can be found here).

We leave on the morning of Sunday, July 30th at about 06:30: the keys to the apartment are handed over after 1:00 pm, the goal is to arrive in time to enjoy at least the first afternoon of our holiday in the sun and the sea. The weather forecast is good, the day looks warm and peaceful.  Arriving at the state border, at the Rabuiese crossing point, we leave the Slovenian highway and take the ordinary road system following the known route. We enter Croatia at the Dragonja / Kastel border around noon, after having done a half-hour queue. In Croatia, unlike last year we decide to take the highway, we travel about fifty kilometers and go out to Kanfanar. We proceed in the direction of Rovinj until we find big posters that lead us up to Valalta, where we arrive a few minutes before 1.00 pm.

The accommodation

The organization is perfect. At the veichle entrance a clerk asks us for the surname we gave to the booking, checks the presence on the daily arrivals list and then directs us to the reception which is two hundred meters ahead, where there is a small space where you can park just the time to check in / checkout. There is no queue so we take care of the files in a few minutes. The reception clerk gives us the keys to apartment 1240 and, in a good Italian, gives us directions to reach the parking lot reserved for us: in fact, each apartment has a parking space available identifiable by a plate that shows the same number the apartment. We leave the car in the parking lot, unload the luggage and take possession of the apartment which is a few tens of meters away.

From the map that we were given at the reception, we learn then that, in addition to the classic camping pitches, the Valalta offers different types of accommodation, for all tastes and needs: the apartments and mobile homes with kitchens, the Bungalows without (in this case mainly rented by those who choose B&B or half board). The apartments at Valalta are built in terraced buildings, of different sizes and shapes, mainly on one floor, built in a single area in the center of the village, convenient to various services such as shops, the pool complex, the reception , the main restaurant and the marina. Our apartment is a spacious two-room apartment, with a double bedroom and a large living room with a kitchen and a double sofa bed, so it can accommodate 2 + 2 people, and a spacious bathroom with shower. Outside there is a veranda with a table and four chairs, an umbrella and two sun loungers for sunbathing in front of the house. The interior equipment is really high level: a class AAA dishwasher, split air conditioning in each room, a large TV in the living room and a smaller one in the bedroom (the main Italian channels Rai and Mediaset are visible). The service is also excellent: every day they come to do the cleaning and change the towels, every 5/6 days we change the sheets. Moreover, in the face of any problem encountered in the apartment (air conditioning and safe in our case), it is sufficient to inform the reception and within a few tens of minutes you will be visited by a technician who performs the repair. We really don't have to think about anything except to relax and enjoy the holiday.

The village

Like Koversada, the Valalta village also has considerable dimensions: along the outermost perimeter with the GPS of the mobile phone we measured 6.5 kilometers. A pleasant difference, however, compared to Koversada is that the tour also includes a high part of the hills with observation points that, especially at sunset, offer splendid and romantic views of the Lim Fiord, the village beaches and the marina.

From the residential point of view, the apartments, bungalows and mobile homes are all located in a more or less central area, close to the main services, while the pitches for tents, caravans and campers are outside, in the hills to the east and on the shore at the sea.

Eat and drink

Inside the village there are 5 restaurants: the Spaccio Restaurant, which mainly cooks fish, the Snack Grill specializing in typical meat dishes, including the famous Istrian suckling pig, the Uvala restaurant, the Tartare specialty prepared at the table on the spot, a Pizzeria , and the Pansion Restaurant, also used by those who choose the B&B or half board formula. Apart from the pizzeria, we tried all the other restaurants. On average a good level although, undoubtedly, Uvala is the one that has satisfied us the most, both in terms of quality, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the service staff. Also noteworthy is the particular system of the Pansion restaurant: you pay an entrance fee (155 Kn per person per dinner) which gives you access to a varied and abundant buffet, with hot and cold dishes, vegetables, fruit, sweets, etc , paying only for drinks at the table; the same system is also applied in the morning for breakfast, cost 85 Kn per person, drinks included.

We then count directly on the beaches of the village, four refreshment points: the Cha-Ka Bar immediately behind the Marina, the Bar Havana, in front of the water slide attraction, the snack Bar Copacabana, where you can also eat quick sandwiches, and the Bar Uvala, connected to the restaurant of the same name. All bars are open all day from 10am to 6pm.

Shops, sports and services

Among the services we can mention the minimarket, very well stocked and very popular with the guests of the village, especially early in the morning for fresh bread, the tobacconist-newsstand, with even Italian newspapers, a fruit and vegetable shop, a bazaar shop with beach items and souvenirs, bike rental, 4 tennis courts, 3 beach volleyball courts, 2 five-a-side football pitches, 3 mini golf courses, table tennis, car wash, heated swimming pool with sauna and Turkish bath (entrance to payment), twenty toilet and showers kept constantly clean. Finally, it is right to open a separate chapter for the flagship of the village, the pool complex.

The pool complex

This is perhaps the most exclusive place in the village, very popular at all hours for those who prefer to swim safely, or just cool off, or those who want to sunbathe in a less exposed environment of the beach, or even to follow the free acquagym lessons held by the girls of the animation team. The complex consists mainly of a large swimming pool with sea water, splitted into two areas: the first area is a rectangle about 35 meters long, suitable for free swimming (in the morning immediately open it is possible to swim without too much traffic in the pool ), the second with a circular plan equipped with some hydromassage beds. There is also a second smaller pool, with fresh water, also used for animation, aqua gym or various games for children and adults, a third pool for very young children, with a mushroom shower in the center and finally, under a wide covered structure, two circular whirlpool tubs.

Nudism

Even here, the entire village can be lived in complete nudity at any time of day and doing any activity, recreational, sports, play, or other. You need to cover yourself only where appropriate signs require it, especially at the reception and at the supermarket. And then, even if it is not expressly requested, it is still part of the bon-ton to wear clothing during the group activities proposed within the village such as yoga, aerobic and zumba gymnastics, or at the restaurant.

The regulations of the village is however very clear on the obligation of nudism in the beaches and in the swimming pools, we have been able to ascertain that there is a great attention from the staff to that this rule is respected by all the guests. Every day, in fact, a couple of lifeguard in bycicle carry out a sort of patrolling of the beaches and, any swimmers who are found in costume, are scolded and invited to strip completely.

Beaches

At Valalta there are basically two areas where it is possible to stay by the sea.

The first is located near the small marina for boaters and is housed in a medium-sized bay artificially protected by two rows of rocks that face each other divergently, thus leaving an opening towards the open sea. This is a beach suitable for younger children as it is partly set up with sand (on the side there are the beach volleyball courts) and partly with very small pebbles. Immediately behind the beach a large grassy area with tall trees is a coveted place for those looking for some shade during the hottest hours. As refreshment points, nearby are the Cha-Ka bar and two restaurants: the Spaccio and the Grill.

The second bathing area is located further south, just beyond a small promontory that separates it from the first. It is a deep inlet with rocks and docks on the two long sides and a pebble beach at the bottom. From the landscape point of view this is perhaps the most beautiful and characteristic area, three bars (Havana, Copacabana and Uvala) and the Uvala restaurant itself overlook this stretch of sea. Near the Havana bar a waterslide cheers adults and children.

In both bathing areas there are large fixed umbrellas and hard plastic sun loungers available for bathers, special signs indicate in various languages the prohibition to reserve them permanently. In addition, several wooden and inflatable platforms for children's water games are anchored to the bottom at various points in the two bays.