PIRAN - Croatia and Slovenia - page 1057

$$ Miracolo di Mare B&B, at the bus-station end of the Old Town, has 12 straight-
forward but comfortable rooms—each one a bit different—in a historic building. In good
weather, breakfast is served out in the inviting garden, under a 75-year-old kiwi tree (Db-
€70/€60, reception open 8:00-12:00 & 15:00-20:00, air-con in some rooms, free Wi-Fi in
lobby, free loaner bikes, Tomši č eva 23, tel. [phone], mobile [phone], Borut).
$ Val Youth Hostel isafriendlyslumbermill ashortblockoffthewaterfront.Therooms
are small, basic, and a bit dated, but perfectly sleepable and affordably priced (52 beds in
20 two-, three-, or four-bed rooms; €25/€22 per person, lower price is for Sept-May, €5
more for 1-night stays in peak season, includes breakfast and sheets, prices are the same
regardless of room size, free self-service laundry, kitchen, free guest computer and Wi-Fi,
20 yards in from waterfront near tip of peninsula at Gregor č i č eva 38A, tel. [phone],
www.hostel-val.com , [e-mail] ) . Some services are available to non-guests: You
caneatbreakfasthere(€5),usetheirguestcomputerorWi-Fi(free,butbuyadrink),and—if
they're not busy and if you ask nicely—use their laundry facilities (likely for a small fee).
Eating in Piran
Pricey tourist bars and restaurants face the sea (figure about €20 per main course), while
the laid-back, funky, and colorful local joints seem to seek an escape from both the tourists
and the sun in the back lanes. Get off the beaten track to find one of my recommended res-
taurants, and you'll enjoy a seafood-and-pasta feast for half what you'd pay in Venice (just
across the sea).
Restaurant Neptun, with fresh seafood and pastas served in a fishnet-strewn dining
room, is my favorite eatery in town. I find it far classier than the tacky tourist fish joints.
The Grilj family works hard to please six tables of diners (plus two more outside in the
nondescript alley in good weather). Everything's made to order with fish straight out of the
Adriatic—nothing's frozen. I can't resist their gnocchi with scampi as a starter. Consider
splurging on a whole fish, grilled to perfection (€7-10 pastas, €8-20 meat and fish dishes,
daily12:00-16:00&18:00-22:00,Župan č i č eva7,tel.[phone]).Don'tconfusethiswith
Neptun Café, at the waterfront bus station.
Pri Mari Restaurant is about a 10-minute walk from Tartini Square, near the entrance
to town. Gregarious Mara and Tomaž will welcome you into their cheery dining room like
an old friend, then treat you to tasty Venetian-style cooking (€8-12 pastas, €9-17 meat and
fish dishes, Tue-Sat 12:00-16:00 & 18:00-22:00, Sun 12:00-17:00—or until 22:00 in July-
Aug, closed Mon, Dantejeva 17, tel. [phone]).
Pizzeria Petica, tucked down a back lane, is atmospheric and tasty. Dine in the cozy in-
terior, or sit outside (€5-8 pizzas, daily 11:00-23:00, Župan č i č eva 6, tel. [phone]).