PORTOROž, Slovenia

Situated in its own sunny sheltered bay PORTOROŽ (Port of Roses) is Slovenia's major beach resort. It's a likeable enough place, and despite possessing all the customary trappings of your average seaside resort, it's by no means a brash place; moreover, the beaches are clean, safe and well maintained, and there's enough going on here to keep activity-seekers happy.

The town's modern appearance belies a history dating back to the thirteenth century, when Benedictine monks from the nearby monastery of St Lawrence cured a range of diseases using the local mineral-rich brine and mud from the saltpans, the same health-inducing properties that led to the development of Portorož as a popular resort in the nineteenth century. While the town remains a popular health and treatment centre, most visitors to Portorož today come here for the more traditional beach diversions.