In Saturday eddition of the Guardian’s travel supplement, under the title ‘Winter Croat’, Rab Island’s Hotel Arbiana is recommended as winter break destination:

‘Whiling away a few days on a private balcony overlooking the green Adriatic, on the tiny Croatian island of Rab is a sure-fire way to banish the winter blues.

The pretty Arbiana Hotel has 28 sunlit rooms looking out on romanesque belltowers and narrow streets lined with red-roofed townhouses, a slow food restaurant, tennis court and yachting.

It reopens for summer on March 20, and you can get a room for €149 per night B&B, for the first three nights, from March 20-24, through Charming Hotels (0039 069 7745 950, thecharminghotels.com), including a day’s free bike rental.

Fly to Pula in Istria (flyglobespan.com, thomsonfly.com and ryanair.com), rent a car to drive to Jablanac for the 12-minute ferry ride to the island. Travel details and advice at rab-croatia.com.’