Little Luxuries

It's easy to see why Valsabbion, a boutique hotel just outside the Croatian port city of Pula, has become a favorite of visiting VIPs — Sting, for one, held a party here after performing in Pula's amphitheater. Discreet, quirky and filled with friendly staff, the hotel, wellness center and restaurant started life back in 1993 as a humble B&B. Then along came siblings Sonja and Sandra Peric, accidental hoteliers who were once a psychologist and a dermatologist. Now three of Valsabbion's 10 rooms are romantic suites with sea views and king-sized beds. The sisters' magpie instincts mean fixtures — like a towering Snow White mirror (a family heirloom) and an authentic Roman amphora — are one-of-a-kind. And while the spa may be Thumbelina-sized, the list of treatments isn't. As you'd expect when one of the co-owners is a former skin specialist, the emphasis is on the clinical, although wanton pampering (chocolate-honey massage, anyone?) and activity-filled weight-loss programmes can be arranged too.

But the ace up Valsabbion's sleeve is its award-winning restaurant, with a 10 course tasting menu that feels more like 20 and showcases the kitchen's penchant for unusual marriages of fresh, local ingredients served up in flamboyant fashion. A few years ago, Sonja did a brief stint in the kitchen of Ferran Adrià's renowned El Bulli restaurant. The sisters cite the inventive Spanish chef as an influence, and it shows: a single clam lies embalmed in a brick of jet black salt; a "sea symphony" made up of a mussel, a clam, a sea urchin and a frond of seaweed is laid out like a delicate watercolor on a mirrored plate; a Christmas cracker of waxy kitchen paper pulls apart to reveal sauerkraut and sausage; and dessert is a bizarre but addictive dish of fennel ice cream, chocolate soufflé, salt and olive oil. After a few glasses of wine, the orange portholes in the ceiling (the décor is as arresting as the food) take on an otherworldly glow — one that's entirely fitting when you're ensconced in hostelry heaven. www.valsabbion.hr