Croatia Calling :: Plitvice Lakes

[trip style = active + adventure]

For the final installment of our Croatia series, we're pulling back from the coast and heading inland. Scroll to the bottom of the post for more on Dubrovnik, the Dalmatian Islands and Rovinj.

Plitvice Lakes National Park might be the most beautiful natural wonder in Europe you've never heard of. Croatia's stunning coast receives most of the attention—and crowds—but away from the coast lies a gorgeous and unforgettable park made up of 16 crystal-clear lakes laced together by countless waterfalls. At Plitvice, the colors of the lakes are so vibrant you might think you're in Bora Bora or the Rockies. My Croatia guru Rick Steves compares Plitvice Lakes to a European Niagara Falls sliced, diced and sprinkled over a heavily forested Grand Canyon. With its lush landscape rich in deep blues and bright greens, I'd compare it to the Blue Lagoon meets the Shire. Whatever your comparison, you'll realize it's uniquely Plitvice and well worth a day or two on your Croatian itinerary.

Plan to spend three to four hours in the park if you stick to the main paths, or longer if you take the paths less traveled.

A path along the Lower Lakes and the biggest waterfall in the park—Big Waterfall {seriously, that's the name}—a short walk from the main path.

Waters flowing over limestone and chalk have, over thousands of years, deposited travertine barriers, creating natural dams, which in turn have created lakes, caves and waterfalls.

The no-swimming and no-fishing rules guarantee a serene surrounding, but if it's warm, you'll really, really want to jump in.

Electric boats shuttle visitors across the park's largest lake.

During the 1960s, several "spaghetti westerns" were filmed in Plitvice because Germans and Italians believed certain sections of the park looked like the American West.

Miles of plank walks connect the 16 lakes.

Most park visitors focus on the Lower Lakes; hike all the way to the end of the Upper Lakes for a more peaceful experience.

It's hard to believe that in 1991, the first shots of the Croatia-Yugoslavia war were fired in Plitvice. The Serbs controlled the park until 1995, which allowed the ecosystem to recover from years of visitors prior to the war.

Plitvice is one of Croatia's seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

For a Euro-Disney-meets-Jurassic-Park experience, take a "train" {which the park calls its shuttle buses} from the top of the Upper Lakes back to the park entrance. 

Things to know

• With over a million visitors a year—up to 10,000 a day—Plitvice {Pleet-veet-seh} is a packed park. Visit during the shoulder or low seasons for fewer crowds, or before 10am or after 3pm to avoid the bus tours. 
• Stop at a nearby grocery store to stock up on snacks and enjoy a picnic on the shores of the largest lake.
• Adult cost: ~$10-33/day depending on the season
• The park is located two hours from Zagreb, or three hours from Rovinj. It has three hotels, but we chose to stay in an apartment nearby.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Croatia Calling: Dalmatian Islands
Croatia Calling: Dubrovnik
Roam+Board: Hotel Lone

[images by @heatherlovesit]

Lanai 2.0

[trip style = luxury + beach + sun]

The tides are changing in Lanai, the billionaire-owned private island 9 miles from Maui. Once a Dole plantation growing 75% of the world's pineapple bounty, production moved elsewhere and small-scale tourism took over in the 1980s.

But, let me qualify tourism. There's one car rental agency, one gas station, only 29 miles of paved roads and vast expanses of land so quiet, you can picnic in paradise wearing nothing more than your birthday suit. To me, it's Hawaii as it was intended: exotic, authentic and soul-stirring. 

Couple this with 3,000 inhabitants who are set on preserving Hawaii's heritage through song, story and spirit, and it's no wonder Lanai's curious newcomers quickly turn into converts.

If you've been following Trip Styler since 2009, you know I have a crazy-in-love crush on Lanai. So much so that when I was there a month ago for the second time {with Mr. and Baby Styler}, I informed the Mr. that we should *try* and find a way to return yearly because it's an actual far-flung hideaway. Normally, the Mr. rolls his eyes at my big-picture proclamations, but completely smitten by the isle as well, he agreed we should try.

While I love the cottage-cool, 11-room boutique hotel watching over Lanai City's main square, my beach, design and trip-styling side is head-over-heels for the Four Seasons Resort Lanai at Manele Bay.

When I visited for the first time two years ago, the resort director hinted at some major updates, noting they would be at the forefront of technology and design, and rival the world's best hotel rooms, if not re-create the benchmark. This is a tall order; though {as I learned}, not for a titan of industry looking to create one of the world's most edited escapes.  

During my visit in April 2015 I got a sneak peek at the changes, which are taking the property down to its studs. Right now, about half of the renovations are complete, where innovation comes in the form of microchip room bracelets {so you can do anything on land or sea and not worry about losing your key}, design comes in the form of teak-adorned rooms with custom wallpaper murals, technology comes in the form of 75" televisions in every room and amenities come in the form of in-room Nespresso, Mercedes Sprinter service and included kids camp.

Fanning out over the sloping south side of Lanai's 90,000-acre landscape, the hotel is set to make its full reveal in mid-fall, but until then, here's a lens into its look. Stay tuned for more updates in the fall.

Hotel public space {worthy of the Architectural Digest cover}

More of the hotel's public space

The new rooms: sleek, earthy and upscale with teak throughout and finishes fit for a king

About to sip house-made sparkling guava juice on my patio

See that tidal wave art on the left? That's a 75" platinum bezel LED television panel, standard in every room type.

Still one of my all-time favorite guest amenities: in-room Nespresso

The Japanese soaking tub in my suite

If you can believe it, this is the "before" {pre-renovation} pool picture. Come fall 2015 there will be three cascading free-form pools: one main, one family and one adult. 

There are three ice cream sandwiches on the poolside menu. I ate all three and suggest you do the same for "research" purposes. They're seriously good with the perfect chew and crunch factor on the outside and creamy melty inside.

Hulopoe Bay: Where pods of Hawaiian spinner dolphins play and the beach is paradise found

NOBU LANAI, the only NOBU in the world to source vegetables from its own garden

NOBU LANAI

NOBU LANAI's fresh tuna salad with greens from its on-site lettuce patch

One of the most magical places to watch the sunset {that I've seen so far in my travels} is Sweetheart Rock, a 20-minute walk/hike from the property. 

Sunset selfie

A "standard" evening view from the hotel

Dusk

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Some in-the-moment family photos:

The staff stop at nothing to please. When we were at the pool they asked us if we were going to relax at the beach. We said "probably not" because handling Baby Styler in the sand would be tricky; that is, until we found this playpen they set up for us. Beach day, accomplished.

About to take Baby Styler for his first-ever swim!

We take a photo of Baby Styler on the bed of every hotel; this shot is one of our favorites.

When the light is this spectacular, you have to capture the moment with a lens.

[photos by @tripstyler taken while a guest of the hotel; select shots courtesy of four seasons]

High on Helijet

Until this weekend, my only helicopter experience was in Vegas, soaring over the Grand Canyon and landing at its base only to be handed a flute of Champagne {search #TSVegas for photos on Instagram}. To say I was flying high off the experience is an understatement, and I wasn't sure if any 'copter trip would compare. 

Then came my second whirlybird flight aboard Helijet, a fleet of 13 helis flying between Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo, in addition to charter flights to remote locations such as Haida Gwaii.

We were heading to Victoria overnight and wanted a quick and efficient path to the fairy tale city built around the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Since Helijet leaves from downtown Vancouver and lands near downtown Victoria {and you only have to check-in 20 minutes in advance}, we were there in 34 minutes, which was a time-saving eye-opener to a gal who has mostly gone between Vancouver and Victoria by ferry. 

Efficiency aside, what I didn't bank on from Canada's first scheduled helicopter service was the scenery. "I'll let everyone know if we spot a pod of orcas", my captain announced as our 12-seat Sikorsky S76 was starting up. After the safety announcements, he went on to say, "We're going to be flying lower today to avoid turbulence at higher elevations, so we'll get crystal clear views of the Pacific and Gulf Islands." 

Seeing my "backyard" from a bird's perspective was at once thrilling and spectacular, and I would even go so far as to say, bucket-list worthy. While I was not handed bubbly when I landed, the captains did invite us to take a photo with Baby Styler in the cockpit, which was far more thrilling than any vintage. 

Trip Styler Tip: Helijet posts flight deals on their Facebook and Twitter pages. And, your first kid flies free with a paying adult. 

[photos by trip styler taken while a guest of Helijet]