Izola - no longer an island

Moby Dick’s is quite unique in Izola, a town that isn’t known for trendy bars or restaurants. Most places are fairly standard and nowhere really sticks out in terms of style. Except for Moby Dick’s which, with its shabby chic interior that lends it the feeling of a surfers shack, is probably the most individual place in town.
That’s not to say it necessarily attracts a young hip crowd; in fact, like most places in Slovenia, there isn’t really any defined clientele – anyone is welcome anywhere and only the very, very hip joints in the capital can be said to attract a type of crowd.

Situated very slightly out of town, on your right as you head up the main street towards the main road up to Strunjan and Piran, Moby Dick’s is easy to find. There is indoor and outdoor seating; although it’s on a fairly busy road, there has been some attempt to shield the terrace from the traffic noise but it does mean you lose the chance to people watch. The outdoor terrace is pretty small too so the tables are pushed quite close together, and it’s a shame that somewhere so nice, that bases its decor on a nautical theme has only a limited view of traffic rather than the sea.

The interior and most of the exterior are covered in all kinds of nautical memorabilia. Inside its meant to look – and pretty much achieves it – like a fisherman’s bar. It has a low ceiling, seats around the walls like the cabin of a boat, and some tables ingeniously made from old wooden barrels, rope and pieces of wonderfully worn wood. Life belts, ships wheels and lanterns adorn the walls as well as hundreds of picture postcards from all over the world. Only one thing spoils this cosy and appealing interior – an enormous billiards table – I’ve yet to see anyone use it! There’s also the only darts board I’ve seen in the whole of Slovenia.

Cocktails are the order of the day – the mojitos are to die for – but the coffee is equally good and hot chocolate is very popular and regarded as the best in town. Feeling peckish? There’s a small selection of sandwiches but we are close to Italy after all so do try the lovely brioche with a hot chocolate. I recommend this in particular if your accommodation doesn’t offer breakfast.

The music is nicely varied and much better from what you’ll hear played in most places. Usually there’s a good mix of blues, world music and reggae which is perfect for summer listening.

The staff are really friendly and helpful and speak excellent English as well as Italian. Service is prompt and although the prices are slightly higher than in the town centre, they’re still not bad given the surroundings.

While it does liven up in the evening it only ever gets really busy at the very height of summer so it's never really unbearably crowded. However, it has a steady stream of customers throughout the day and is a good place to meet the locals.

Opening hours

Mon - Sat 07:00-24:00
Sunday 09:00-24:00

Run by the irrepressible Mojca, Laguna is a private holiday letting agency based in the centre of the Slovenian coastal town of Izola. We found Laguna while searching online for a private room or small apartment for a few nights in September 2008; we didn’t want to spend much money and Laguna’s website categorized properties by price so we were able to identify a few properties that suited us and made an email enquiry.

Mojca replied promptly and told us the room was available. We paid a deposit by credit card (30%) and arranged that we would meet at the office when we arrived in Izola. The office is easy to find, not far from where the buses drop off and pick up (Izola does not have a bus station as such). An A-board pointed out the narrow pedestrian lane where we would find the office just off the road in front of the marina. It’s a small office but we were made comfortable while Mojca completed the necessary paperwork. She showed us a map of the town and circled the location of the apartment; it was easier to see on paper just how far it was from the centre of town and while we don’t mind walking, it didn’t take much persuading from Mojca to consider places nearer the centre, although Mojca did say she would drive us to the original room if we still wanted to stay there.

She then started to telephone other owners to see what they had available. As most people who have rooms to let advertise through a number of agencies and also have signs outside their homes, Mojca isn’t always able to have up to date details on availability. The service really depends on people updating her regularly. After a few calls she found somewhere with availability very near the office and explained what we’d get – a double room with en suite bathroom and small kitchenette. We’d be able to use the house’s two terraces too. She showed us the property on the website – one we’d liked the look of but thought too expensive. Fortunately Mojca had negotiated a cheaper rate than the one advertised.

We paid the balance in cash to Mojca – we must have trusted her as we usually ask to see the room first, even if we’ve seen photographs of it. Mojca gave us a receipt, a voucher for a free drink at the newly opened casino and some paperwork to give to the owner. The house was just off the main road almost opposite the casino (not as glamorous as it seems – the casino is tiny). Our room was small but adequate for our short stay. The kitchen was a small alcove in the room with a sink, two electric rings and a fridge as well as a little cupboard space. There were a handful of basic cooking utensils – it was more than adequate for us.

In the main part of the room there was a double bed, bedside tables and a small dining table. A TV hung from a wall bracket. Round the corner beside the bathroom there was a small wardrobe and a hanging area. The bathroom was fine, spotlessly clean with a modern shower and good lighting.

Just up a half floor was one small terrace with a table and chairs, and somewhere to hang wet clothes to dry. On the next full floor up was another terrace. Something we liked about the place was that the rooms were clustered in small groups off the landings which minimised the noise from traffic on the stairs and landings. Only people in your section would need to walk past your door.

I don’t want to say too much about the actual accommodation as Laguna has all kinds of properties on its books and Laguna is just the agent. It's not just Izola, though and the business has expanded to take in properties on other parts of the Slovenian coast.

There's also a link for excursions and Mojca can book these for you if you wish.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Laguna if you want to organise some private accommodation in advance. Summer on the Slovenian coast is extremely busy and making reservations is advisable, if you can plan ahead. However, if you arrive without a reservation, do drop in at Laguna as Mojca will take the hard slog out of finding somewhere for you.

Istrska vrata 7
Izola

http://www.laguna-sp.si/index-en_GB.htm

Tel 00 386 (0)5 640 0278

Website is in English, Slovene, German and Italian