October the 29th, 2024 – A recent trip to the truly incredible Materra in the wider Osijek vicinity left me both speechless and with endless amounts to say, all at the same time.
How many of you have heard of Osijek? Okay, a fair few will have as tourism gradually expands beyond the confines of the coast and the islands. How about a little place called Cepin? Less likely.
TCN embarked on a little team building recently, and opted for a couple of nights at this rather remarkable complex. A far cry indeed from a pub in one of Zagreb’s more nondescript alleys. As we pulled up to this structure, we were unsure if we were heading in the right direction at all. As we drove, we seemed to be getting further and further away from any sign of civilisation. Slavonia’s famous endless, flat landscape made up of greenery and agriculture stretched out in front of us for as far as the eye could see, and passenger vehicles were gradually replaced with tractors and farming equipment.
Then it appeared. An astonishing square structure as if dropped from above into the vast expanse of Zito’s fertile eastern fields. While surprisingly large, Materra was anything but overly imposing. Despite being absolutely in contrast to its nature-packed surroundings, it somehow fit perfectly.
Upon arrival, we were taken aback by the sheer amount of cars parked in the hotel’s car park. License plates from across Croatia and the immediate region could be seen throughout. That alone begged the question – How many Croatian hotels down on the famous coastline can say they’re this full at the end of October?
Upon entering the hotel itself, we were warmly greeted by a knowledgeable receptionist who immediately handed us one of Materra’s signature drinks. Served in a beautiful ceramic vessel and accompanied by a hot towel. It was clear from the first five minutes alone that Materra was synonymous with zen. As we drank the refreshing, homemade beverage that is Materra’s very own, we couldn’t help but admire the surroundings we’d found ourselves in.
materra – back to the roots
I hesitate (and honestly, I cringe) to use words like “calming” “wellness” and so on, because let’s face it – the vast majority of companies using these terms are rendering them no more than buzzwords to the majority of understandable eye-rollers.
I, too, am a self-admitted eye-roller. Working in the field I do, I’ve seen words like that so many times that they’ve lost all meaning. Materra was different, and the difference was apparent within the first few seconds of being there. Every imaginable part of this complex has been done with intense levels of care that I personally have never experienced anywhere else. Everything from the basics like the colour scheme to the light fixtures, to the furniture used, to the total lack of clocks caused my brain to turn things down a notch or two.
“Back to the roots” is Materra’s motto, and it’s obvious instantly that it is far more than just another catchy slogan. Every aspect of this hotel embodies those words. The stresses of everyday life gradually melted away in this totally surprising location, and we’d only just arrived.
The bar area is spacious yet cosy and welcoming, with friendly and professional staff. Given that Materra plays host to so much business and congress tourism from across the nation and indeed the wider region, a conference room is located a stone’s throw away from the bar to allow for meetings to take place in the same relaxing ambience.
If you’re not a fan of sitting indoors and instead want to fill your lungs with the cleanest, fresh countryside air of the fields and endless nature you’re surrounded by, the bar provides a wide open space that leads directly out into the flat Slavonian plains, with shallow pools of water and beautiful plant life tucked into the heart of the structure.
The seamless immersion of Materra into its surrounding natural environment wouldn’t be complete without a hefty dose of actual sustainability. This is another of those words, isn’t it? It has the same buzzword-style ring to it as “wellness” does, but much like with wellness, I had all my preconceived notions totally put to rest here. Materra lives and breathes sustainability. From the sourcing of the produce it serves to the furniture and decor it applies to its premises, right the way down to its own beautiful straws. For Materra, it wasn’t enough to just throw out harmful single use plastic and introduce one of those flimsy paper straws that falls to bits after 5 minutes. It provided some elegant and beautiful straws bearing the hotel’s name with its drinks. Never did I think I’d be referring to a straw as elegant or beautiful, but the fact that even this tiniest of detail was considered speaks volumes about the depth of thought poured into absolutely every little thing here.
the windows to slavonia’s nature
The rooms were yet another surprise. Rarely do you end up in hotel rooms so expansive. The size alone was impressive, and then came the minimalist, calm-inducing interior design and colour scheme. The bed was absolutely enormous, and tried as I did, it was impossible to do its size justice with a camera. Despite being somewhat tired after having had a less than ideal night’s sleep and then having travelled to Cepin from Zagreb, I forced myself not to sit on this gigantic, insanely tempting bed. I knew it would be over for the day if I did so.
To distract myself from thoughts of collapsing on Materra’s whale of a bed, I ventured out to the spacious, deep balcony, equipped with a fine screen to allow you to enjoy the cooling breeze all while avoiding the great stinkbug invasion that occurs every October in Croatia.
The view was of the same famously flat Slavonian landscape, obstructed only by trees slowly losing their red and orange leaves to autumn. Indeed, the only unnatural sign of life in this peaceful bolthole was a cute little robot which spent its days going up and down, cutting the facility’s enviably perfect grass. It was almost a mistake to distract myself from the bed with the view, as it was in itself so peaceful that it could easily lull one into a pleasantly tired state. Materra had precisely that in mind when this astonishing hotel was constructed, as it has been designed so that all of the rooms face outwards, directly to Slavonia’s nature that to the untrained eye, is more like the glorious English countryside than it is the typical scenes shown in Croatia. Such is the lack of spotlight the east receives.
The bathroom was astounding, spacious, minimalist in style and with a shower you can do cartwheels in. Well, not exactly, but you get the picture. Every single little thing at Materra has had extra thought paid to it, and those details are more than noticeable. Exquisite Korean toiletries and lotion were the icing on an already very rich cake. When the night eventually fell, so did almost every conceivable sound, with the exclusion of the odd owl or fox in the nearby countryside.
hotel materra’s food – where local produce meets enviable culinary talent
Food is the way to the hearts of most people, and we’re no different. Slavonia is known for its cuisine, and Materra absolutely didn’t disappoint in this regard, either. The food we were served at Materra’s restaurant was second to none. I know what you’re thinking: Yeah, I bet they were tiny portions of pretentious dishes nobody has ever heard of, and then you had to order a pizza because you were still hungry. Wrong.
Many hotels are guilty of the above-mentioned scenario, however, and I think most of us have been left with grumbling stomachs after eating 81 courses consisting of one pea or one bean. Materra, however, provided both exceptionally high quality and totally normal portions.
The meat served at Materra’s restaurant was so thick and filling that it was difficult to finish it, which was an injustice as the taste was absolutely divine. Despite a filling starter and an even more filling main course, room was naturally left for dessert, which was the perfect end to our first experience of what Materra had to offer as far as gastronomy was concerned.
dalmatian fjaka in slavonia…
If you’ve ever spent time in Dalmatia, you’ll likely know what fjaka means. A soft stupor, an altered, somewhat slothful state in which one is somewhat beyond their own selves. It seems that fjaka has broken the boundaries of the sun drenched coast and made its way to the opposite end of the country, at least at Materra.
I’d love to be able to say that I even remember falling asleep that first night, but I was out like a light. The combination of the absolute silence broken only by a vocal fox cub and the bed (which was just as amazing as I’d anticipated) made for a very deep sleep. Waking to the sound of birdsong made for a pleasant morning, and the breakfast Materra puts on was just as fantastic as the meal we’d eaten the night before.
wellness – staying in the moment
Materra’s wellness offer is far, far more than just a buzzword employed to encourage the stressed masses. As I stated previously, I’ve always been very suspicious of that word being bandied about in the tourism industry, but this is truly the first time I not only read it, but felt it.
Offering a gym, pool, sauna and all the Korean skincare and hair care you could possibly need, Materra insists on the entire floor being a silent area to encourage the brain to shut off and relax. Much like the rest of this fantastic complex, the area dedicated to wellness has soft, basic colours which are easy on the eyes, as well as calming lighting and a minimalist style.
Huge windows that constantly let a flow of natural light into the space contribute to this feeling of being in a world within a world. We frequently commented that we could be literally anywhere. You’d have no idea you were in Cepin, Osijek, or even in Croatia if you weren’t explicitly told. The way Materra has been crafted – and I use that word for a reason – is to encourage this pleasant feeling of all time and space being lost to a complete and utter feeling of inner peace and contentment.
Materra as a pioneer of change for the neglected east
It’s no secret to anyone who knows more about Croatia than the tourism basics that there’s an ongoing demographic crisis that has plagued this country for decades now. Croatia’s EU accession back in July 2013 only contributed to this, as all barriers to setting up a life and working in another EU country fell away overnight. Areas like Osijek, and the entire eastern region of the country have historically suffered with a declining population, and the gap between the economies of the likes of Istria and Dalmatia and that of Osijek and Baranja have grown wider and wider as time has gone on.
This is where facilities like the remarkable Materra come into the story. We were satisfied to learn that not only are the hotel’s staff local people, some have even returned from abroad to work here. We met a very eloquent member of staff who was full of life, Leda, who had come back home from living and studying in Denmark.
In finding a rewarding job at Materra, where she clearly feels appreciated and properly compensated (which are two of Croatia’s other burning issues), it was clear that the peace of mind the hotel intends to visit upon its guests had also visited her.
Slavonia is beautiful. It looks absolutely nothing like the Croatia splashed all over the internet, on travel portals, in magazines and on billboards at airports. There are no mountains and there’s no alluring Adriatic. There are, however, endless swathes of green, unspoiled nature, and a down to Earth mindset far more focused on things that matter.
Slavonia is also changing. It’s gradual, and for many residents who have waited since this country gained its independence 30+ years ago, I’m sure it isn’t happening rapidly enough, but happening it is. As the years tick by, those alterations become more and more obvious, and commendable projects with the utmost care woven into them, such as Materra, are altering both the national and regional view of a region so criminally overlooked for so long.
from a weekend away from zagreb to a large congress, materra is always a good idea
Despite attracting business and congress tourism from across the country and wider region, Materra doesn’t focus entirely on that. I’d go as far as to say that it focuses on each of its guests as individuals. Whether you’re wanting to impress a client, arrange a business meeting, hold a conference or simply get away from the stresses of daily life and switch off for a weekend – you’d be very hard pressed to find anywhere better.
Roughly translated, Materra means Mother Earth or Mother Land, and I’ve personally never seen anywhere embody either of those phrases at its very core in a more authentic way.
