Pula/Nora is 25-30 mins drive away. Hotel cars were 35 euros each way as I recall. It's easy enough to drive yourself too if you have a hire car.
No stuffed animals, we had a half bottle of red wine and a nice fruit platter as a welcome gift, a lavender stick as a gift one night and some nice chocolates and a bottle of prosecco on the evening of our wedding anniversary.