For more than a century, Lošinj has lured travellers with its peculiar blend of natural beauty and sea air so pure it was once prescribed by doctors. In the late 19th century, Austro-Hungarian aristocrats came to the Croatian island in search of restorative breezes. Today, its reputation as the “Island of Vitality” still holds, though the crowds look a little different. The tweed jackets of empire have been replaced by food enthusiasts, classic car devotees and wellness seekers, all drawn by an autumn calendar that seems unusually rich for a place better known for its still bays and pine forests.
The season begins in early September with the Concours de Croatie and Croatian Car & Design Week. Now in its second year, the event brings together an array of motoring rarities, the kind of machines usually kept behind glass or under cover. Among them will be the McLaren F1, a car spoken of with reverence even outside automotive circles. Two of the men most closely associated with its creation, Professor Peter Stevens and Fabrizio Giugiaro, will be present, lending the gathering an air of pilgrimage. Stevens, who left his mark on models from Jaguar to Lotus, is often cited as one of the most influential designers of his generation. Giugiaro, a figure of equal stature, has shaped car design for decades through his studio GFG Style.
Just a few days later, the island’s mood changes from horsepower to gastronomy as Taste the Mediterranean takes over restaurants both within Lošinj Hotels & Villas and around nearby Mali Lošinj. It is the first time this international festival of Mediterranean food and wine has taken place in Kvarner, the region where Lošinj lies. The timing feels apt: the area has been named European Region of Gastronomy for 2026. Across the island, the emphasis is on celebrating culinary identity, whether through a Michelin-starred tasting menu at Alfred Keller, Greek-inspired plates at Bava, or a simple seafood meal eaten by the sea at Konoba Cigale. With hundreds of wines selected by sommeliers, food becomes not just sustenance but a point of exploration.
By October, the focus turns to wellbeing. The MEDISOLA Health and Vitality Festival stretches across the entire month, drawing on the island’s long-standing reputation for restorative air. Scientists call it the Kvarner Effect: a rare combination of high air quality, sea salt, medicinal plants and sunlight. Lošinj Hotels & Villas plays host to many of the festival’s activities, from medical lectures and consultations to spa rituals, outdoor excursions and nutritional workshops. Visitors can listen to talks on longevity, take part in forest bathing at dawn, or explore the role of diet in anti-ageing through guided dinners with nutritionists.
What makes Lošinj’s autumn unusual is the layering of experiences. On one day, a visitor might admire a rare car gleaming on the waterfront, the next they might sip Croatian wine paired with seafood caught that morning, and the day after that, join a quiet aromatherapy walk through pine forests. Lošinj Hotels & Villas serves as both host and backdrop, its restaurants, spas and clinics threaded through the season like anchor points.
For 140 years, Lošinj has carried the promise of vitality. This autumn, that promise takes many forms: the roar of an engine, the clink of a wine glass, the stillness of sea air.
