A four star boutique hotel Vela Vrata recently opened on the once favourite promenade of the Istrian town Buzet. The hotel was created by joining up and renovating of old buildings in the historical town core, while the construction works were overlooked by conservators. The hotel has 18 contemporary designer rooms and three apartments. Every room is furnished individually featuring a combination of antique and custom made furniture. There is also a plan for the construction of a multifunctional conference hall and a swimming pool.

The hotel restaurant has a top gastronomy offer based on the indigenous cuisine of a seasonal character and the unmissable truffles for which Buzet is widely famous.

The hotel was named after the stone arch built in 1547, at the entrance to the old town of Buzet, next to which it is located and makes an intimate relaxation place for those whishing to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Buzet is an old medieval town located in the far north of Istria close to the border with Slovenia, on a hill above a fertile valley of the largest Istrian river, Mirna. It is known as the `city of truffles`, because the best `hunting grounds` of this heavenly mushroom are located precisely in the woods along the valley of Mirna.

Every year, from September to November, `Truffle Days` are organized in honour of the white Istrian truffle and on the second week-end in September in Buzet, there is a fair traditionally featuring a huge frittata of scrambled eggs (more precisely 2011 of them) with more than 10 kg of truffles prepared by the locals in a massive frying pan measuring several meters. This is how the `Truffle Days` traditionally begin in Istria.

The Tourist Board of Istria County
www.istra.com

The Tourist Board of Buzet
www.istria-buzet.hr

Hotel Vela Vrata
www.velavrata.net