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Finding a secluded beach in the middle of summer in Croatia can be hard to accomplish. Still, not impossible; you just need to know where to look.
The western coast of the island of Cres is full of beautiful small coves that hide isolated pebble beaches. One in particular, stands out. Sv. Ivan beach is located beneath the small village with an interesting name, Lubenice, which is translated to watermelons. The origin of the name has nothing to do with the beloved fruit but comes from an old love story.
Forgotten spirit of the Mediterranean
Situated in the northern part of the Kvarner Gulf, the island of Cres is the largest island in the Adriatic. Due to its remote location and rough landscape, it's also one of the least inhabited islands. Exceptionally preserved characteristic natural Mediterranean landscape, from aromatic herbs, colourful flowers, and old forests to pastures, overgrown thickets, and bare rockeries, makes you feel like you're in an actual nature park.
On a sparsely populated Cres, its people are usually engaged in sheep farming, olive growing, processing of medicinal plants, beekeeping, fishing, and only recently, tourism. So, it can be said that Cres is an island where the spirit of the Mediterranean still lives as it once existed on all islands of the Adriatic.
A lot of smaller villages are scattered around the island, some of which have only several houses, one of them is Lubenice. This village is located on a high gorge on the island's west coast, at an impressive height of 378 meters above sea level. From this exceptional position, there is a beautiful panoramic view of the island.
This small place is full of medieval heritage. It's so small that there are no street names, just house numbers. Regardless of its size, Lubenice hosts various musical events during the summer, such as Lubenice Evenings, when numerous world-famous and Croatian artists take the stage. It is also home to a small museum dedicated to sheep breeding.
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Sv. Ivan beach
The path to the beach under Lubenice is narrow and steep but worth every step. It will take you an hour to get down and twice as much on your way back because of the steep uphill climb. If you are not in an adventurous mood, the easier way is to approach it is by boat. The trip will surely pay off when you see the snow-white pebbles, crystal clear waters and the endless view of the open sea. The beach is relatively isolated, which makes it perfect for a relaxing and peaceful vacation. Because of its inaccessibility, there are not many visitors even in the middle of the tourist season, so its not surprising why the German magazine Bild ranked this beach 15th among the 40 most beautiful beaches in the world.
Legend of Lubenice
In ancient times there lived a king in Osor who had a daughter. She fell madly in love with a young man from the hill where the village is now. The king disapproved, so he drove his daughter out of Osor, but she escaped and joined her lover on the hill. Her name was Ljubica, and the place was named Ljubenice. At the beginning of the 20th century, the island fell under Italian rule, and the name was changed to Lubenice.
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