The NKF Holiday Pages —Having read an article last year, written by a lady who had camped just outside Medulin on the Istrian Peninsular in Croatia, so her husband could receive dialysis treatment there at The Arcus Hotel. As I’m also a Dialysis patient I found the idea of a unit within a hotel quite intriguing.
We made enquiries through Freedom travel they kindly arranged everything for us, the flight, hotel, transfers, and the 6 dialysis sessions I would need. They also told us that some hospitals pay for a certain number of sessions per year when you holiday outside of the European Union.
We flew to Pula by Thompson air on 10th May this year the flight took 2 hours. We were met by private taxi & driven to Hotel Arcuss in Medulin. On arrival the Dialysis co-ordinate and receptionist were there to greet us.
Our ensuite rooms where large airy & comfortable. All the staff were very friendly and helpful, and nothing seemed to be too much trouble for them. They all spoke English in varying degrees of fluency. The meals were of an excellent standard & very varied with a selection of meals suitable for a Dialysis diet. There was a swimming pool, gym, massage & aromatherapy on offer. They have a coffee lounge & a cocktail bar opposite the reception area.
The Dialysis unit in the basement was state of the art & could take 20 patients, the Doctor and nurses were very kind. Whilst on the machines you could order a meal to be brought to you whilst dialysing.
Five minutes away was a lovely marina where you could relax and watch life pass by. It was so warm families also took an evening stroll; on our last night there we sat eating ice creams at 8.50 pm without coats or cardigans. You could reach Medulin town by path opposite the hotel which took you on a circular route through the quaint village and back down to the Marina. Or just stroll along the main road a few minutes later you were at the marina. In the opposite direction was a forest to explore.
After a few days we hired a car to go further afield, Pula itself has a 3000 year old Amphitheatre and other Roman ruins. From there you can take a boat trip round the 14 islands in the Bay, or you can go by catamaran to Venice for the day. Rovinj is an old sea port, further north; the old houses by the marina are painted in different colours. If you walk up the steep narrow streets filled with tiny art and jewellery shops you come to an old church, from where the view is stunning. Labin is a mountain village. With an interesting square & lots of nice places to eat and see. There are so many interesting places to visit. Croatia is a very beautiful clean, green country the people are friendly. A lot of them grow their own vegetables and fruit in their gardens or allotments. Quite a few places have marinas, Medulin has restaurants, along the main road and at the Marina there are little restaurants souvenir shops ice cream parlours.
We would recommend it to anyone you’ll have a great time whilst also on treatment with plenty of R&R We returned on 24 May to cold and wet, having been in temps of 25-30c.
Yvonne Sansom, 15th June 2011
The National Kidney Federation cannot accept responsibility for information provided. The above is for guidance only.