Terme Sveti Martin

The thermal water at Sveti Martin was found by accident: exploratory drilling for oil in Medimurje in the 1930s hit hot mineral water instead, and the resort that eventually grew from it now uses the same source at around 38 degrees. The complex sits in the vineyard hills above the Mura in the far north of Croatia, with indoor and outdoor pools, a wellness wing and a golf course, and it has pushed a sustainability and cycling agenda harder than most Croatian resorts, sitting on the Mura-Drava biosphere reserve and the regional cycling routes. The Medimurje wine roads run through the hills directly above.

What you actually see

• Water found by oil drilling - hit in the 1930s and used since.
• Thermal pools at around 38 degrees - indoor and outdoor.
• Vineyard hills above the Mura - the setting in upper Medimurje.
• Cycling and biosphere routes - running past the resort.

When to go

Year round. Half a day.

Honest expectations

It is a modern commercial resort rather than a historic spa. Weekends and holidays are busy with families. It is a long way from the coast routes, in the far north of the country. Golf and wellness are priced separately.

Nearby

Strigova and the wine roads are above; Cakovec is south.