A significant for a family hotel in Croatia in just its fourth year of operation.
Although this is their only fourth season, small family hotel La Grisa and its owner Lutvo Murić have already received numerous rewards and recognitions. The last in a series of awards arrived a few days ago, at the Tourism Days event in Poreč, where the owner received the first prize in the tenth annual “Adrian” competition, organized by Slobodna Dalmacija, which selects the best small and family hotel in the country, reports Glas Istre on October 23, 2015.
“The story about the family hotel La Grisa began in 2005, when we bought the first property in Bale. Seven years later, we opened a hotel with twenty-two rooms and two suites, a restaurant with traditional Istrian and Mediterranean cuisine which offers only traditional local products, high-quality local oil, about seventy types of wines, and fruits and vegetables from our own garden”, said Murić who has invested about 3.5 million euros in his dream.
“The effort has paid off. Not only do we win various awards and recognitions every year, but what makes me especially proud is the fact that everyone – and we are talking about twelve full-time employees and eight permanent seasonal workers – operates like a family. Our guests can feel that atmosphere and I think that is one of the reasons why people come back to La Grisa”, Murić explained. “Compared to the last year, the number of guests has increased by 15 percent and we are proud to say that we have had more than 5,200 overnight stays. The largest number of visitors come from Germany, followed by Austrians”, said Murić.
The owner has decided to expand the existing facility. “In this new space, for which we are currently waiting to receive a building permit, there will be an indoor pool, spa, fitness center, conference hall, dentist and ten accommodation units. If everything goes according to plans, we will start with the construction works by the end of the year, and we hope to open the new and expanded La Grise in 2017”, the owner of the best family hotel in Croatia proudly explained.
Edi Pastrovicchio, mayor of Bale, also expressed satisfaction with the award given to La Grisa, adding that it was an important event for the promotion of Bale. He said that there is a ten year old idea of turning Bale into a city-hotel, and that this was a step in the right direction.
