Hotel Istra

Just returned from the Hotel Istra on an island off the coast of Rovinj. It was a very pleasant stay. The holiday was reasonably priced, in a v.good location with lots of things to do. The staff were v.helpful & the rooms v.modern & comfortable. Food got a bit boring towards the end but if you break it up with the odd meal in the town which isnt that expensive its ok. The al a carte was proberbly the worst meal to be had & they charged alot more for the drinks than the hotel. When I ask anyone about their holiday I always ask Would you go back? & on this occasion I would definatly go back to the Hotel Istra.

We spent 2 nights at the Hotel Istra and were completely disappointed. Firstly, you must take a boat to the island, which only leaves once an hour. If you intend on just staying on the island, then this obviously wouldn't be a problem. The service was horrible - they didn't even offer us towels at the pool - the guests had brought their own from home! And everyone wakes up early to reserve their chairs by the pool, so there is nowhere to sit and noone to help you find a place. There are no waiters at the pool to offer food or drinks, just a small bar with terrible sandwiches. The breakfast buffet was absolutely disgusting - nothing fresh - boiled hotdogs and broccoli, everything tasted as if it were frozen or out of a can. The setting is beautiful, and if you have kids, there is a great kids' club, playground and wonderful pools. We enjoyed Rovinj, some great restaurants and a really nice town to walk around in the evenings. If we would return, would definitely stay in a hotel on the mainland.

I stayed at the hotel Istra from the 28 July - 04 August 2007 with 3 friends ages ranging from 24 to 34. We chose this hotel for the very fact that it was on its own island and the surrounding sceanery was breath taking on the photos we had seen prior to our visit. However, we arrived on a Saturday and were slightly disenchanted to find that the hotel island and connecting island were crawling with day trippers. This seemed only to be an issue on a weekend as not only did the day trippers use the beach and neighbouring island it seemed the hotel had no control over people using the hotel pool and its facilities which raises concerns regarding the safety of personal possesions etc. This really was the only complaint I had about this hotel, the rooms are very clean and bright and serviced daily. The reception area was light with very modern minimalist seating. The hotel pools were a mixture of salt and fresh water, the larger being fresh water and not too over crowded and i would highly recommend getting up at an early hour to claim your parties sun loungers to avoid dissapointment as leaving it until after breakfast limits your options baring in mind this was high season. The beaches are very pleasant and swimming is very safe. The neighbouring uninhabited island is an unofficial nudist bathing area but is not restricted to those who choose to bare all. A pathway takes you round the island but be warned there are plenty of people to see in all their natural glory. For those who are of a nervous disposition, stick to the hotel island. There is a sports centre offering various activities such as volley ball, archery, tennis etc. You are able to hire boats powered by a small motor by the hour, for 4 hours or for the day costing up to 500 kuna ( approx £50) for the day. Although a motor licence is preferred, if the sea is calm and there is no wind the men operating the boats will alow you to take a boat if you are persistant. You must take advantage of this as it allows you to experience the near by islands at your own pace and are able to anchor in coves allowing you to snorkel and picnic which was the highlight of our holiday. We were also suprised to be accompanied by a pod of dolphins on our voyage to the near by islands which was amazing, a real must. Dining at the hotel was a pleasant experience. Breakfast caters to all with a variety of vegetables which includes carrots, broccoli and cauliflour with cream cheese, chips.. However, those who are used to a normal breakfast can expect omelettes, cereals, toast, tea and coffee. Evening meal consisted of a buffet with a wide choice of starters, main courses and desserts. Guests who opt for half board can also take advantage of the al a carte restaurant for one night during their stay for no extra cost. Rovinj itself is accessible by a courtesy hotel ferry which takes around 10 mins. A very picture post card town based around a large harbour, lots of restaurants, cafe bars winding cobble streets leading up to the towns church which has great views over Rovinj. We watched the sunset from one of the bars near Baluota beach where you are given a cushion to sit on the rocks and served cocktails with really nice chill out music playing in the back ground. As our final full day at the hotel was overcast we took advantage of the well being centre which costs 150 Kuna (Approx £15) for 4 hours. For this you have access to the saunas, steam rooms, whril pool, water beds and relaxing sun loungers in a courtyard in the middle of the well being area. Well worth doing if you have an overcast day but not if the weather is good. Overall an excellent stay will certainly return and took less flying time to get to than it would to Spain. Lastly, take you own beach towels as they are not complimetary at this hotel, although you can hire beach towels if a deposit is left, it seemed the majority used their own towels to distinguish which were their beds and avoided any confusion.

Wow - this hotel was way beyond our expectations - a very good 4 star resort. A modern feel, rooms updated in last year,great buffet, 4 outdoor pools and always seemed to get a sun bed! Loads for our children (3 & 6 years), kids club, softplay area, paddle boats - or if you prefer to chill out and have some privacy there is more than enough room for that too. Mainly German and Italian guests, with no particular age group dominating the resort We visited the town of Rovinj a few times via the free boat ride - a gorgeous town that remains unspoilt as cars are not allowed in the village. We took a daytrip to Venice which was great - 2 1/2 hour catarmaran ride - it was a long day for the children, but we had a ball, rode on a gondola etc. Well worth the visit. The day spa at the hotel was excellent, fitness centre had good equipment and if you want some privacy you can walk a few minutes to another part of the island and spend the day swimming in the Adriatic Sea. This resort is big - but it has character and is in a beautiful location only a 15 minute boat ride to the enchanting town of Rovinj. We all loved the holiday for different reasons and thought it was incredible value for money. Weather was great 30 - 35 ddegrees. Pleased we decided not stay on the main land - you enjoy the best of both worlds at Hotel Istra.

I stayed there with my boyfriend during the first week of July. When we got to the hotel they gave us a room in the back looking out to the tennis court so my boyfriend asked to be changed and we thankfully got a room overlooking the beautiful sea. It really made a huge difference. The hotel is on an island and there is nothing else on it , you get there with a boat , a 15 mins trip from main land. The hotel itself is nice and modern, but we were very disappointed with the choice of food. Since there is nothing else on the island we expeced the snack bar by the pool to have a bit of variaty, all they had was a choice of two baps..every day the same thing. The night life isn't very exciting, the hotel bar, although beautifully located by the sea, stays open only until 1. At 2 everything is deserted. There weren't a lot of joung couples so i would say the hotel is more for older couple and families. There is a boat that goes to Rovinj town every hour, but the last one to return to the hotel is 1am. Also we were a bit put off by swimming in the pool as the place is over flown with seagulls ... but the sea water was so clear that we preferred swimming in the sea... I would reccomend the hotel for the beautiful location, i think it is worth the visit .... Alltogether we had a very nice stay but we were happy after 4 days to pass on to another hotel on main land ... the Eden .... which then turned out to be the Amerin....

Just got home from a week in this hotel which is in the most fantastic setting. The free boat to and from the hotel to Rovinj runs hourly thoughout the day and we had very little trouble using it although at the weekend it got a bit hectic. The rooms all overlook the sea and the views are spectacular. Our twin bedroom was spotlessly clean and the maid very friendly and helpful. Some of the staff were not so friendly, some hardly smiled at all. My main complaint is the food which is buffet style and got very boring to the point we went to the a la carte restaurant twice. The food there was really good. My other complaint was that we had no hot water and although we complained they did nothing to remedy the situation. So if you like a cold shower first thing in the morning this is the hotel for you. Rovinj is lovely and we also took a day trip to Venice from the town which was fantastic. One of the best days of our holiday.

We stayed in the Hotel Istra mid May, just as everything was opening. On the positive side, the hotel was only half full and felt spacious. On the negative side, only 1 of the 3 restaurants were open. We were given vouchers for a meal one evening in the a la carte restaurant, and it was excellent, despite there being a wedding on at the same time. Food and service faultless. The only negative point about the whole hotel experience was the poor quality of the food overall at dinner. Breakfast was fine, if a little odd with the previous night's brussels sprouts and cauliflower making a return appearance. But dinner was only OK if you wanted salad every night. The meats and fish had obviously been cooked MUCH earlier in the day and reheated., veg were lying in water under lamps. The pizza and local speciality restaurants advertised not being open, we ate only twice in the hotel, apart from the lovely evening in the a la carte. Fine excuse then to find good restaurants in Rovinj, having taken the delightful free ferry. We'd recommend for quality and value the ? d'Oro, on the narrow street from the harbour that winds up the hill next to the waterside buildings (recegnise it by the large number of tables on a raised area outside. It's after the bar that has the diver's suit outside as you go up the hill). It's on the right, so has no sea view, but food, ambiance and service was excellent, and considerably less expensive than the restaurants opposite that do have a view. For a special meal the Monte, near the top of the hillj ust below the cathedral, served spectacularly presented imaginative food and was a delightful, if a little more expensive, experience. The hotel spa had an offer on so for around £16 each we spent the best part of the only dull day being very well pampered. We booked the trip to Venice from Rovinj by hydrofoil, which took (on a not unreasonable day) 5 hours to get there, 4 to get back. We had 4 1/2 hours in Venice which was far too little for the amount of traveling, and we would not recommend the trip. Rooms were great and well modernised, views excellent, islands beautiful, ferry a lovely addition to the tranquility. We were glad we had not booked the Park, which looked overdue for a makeover in comparison. We would certainly go back.to the Istra if we return to Rovinj.

Rovinj is a really beautiful town. Arriving to catch the ferry across to Red Island and the Hotel Istra you have a wonderful view from the harbour to the town which is completely unspoilt. The small ferry was a little difficult to negotiate with suitcases-you had to haul your own case onto the ferry. The ferry crossing, about ten minutes is delightful catching sight of other Islands on the way. At the Hotel harbour your cases are offloaded and onto a small truck and delivered to the Hotel. The Hotel is very modern and was completely refurbished not long ago. The reception area has very modern seating which is not comfortable at all, this is the main lounge area in the evenings. We had booked two single rooms which were just great, the views from the balcony looked out over the adjoining island and the pool areas. The rooms had a double bed, very comfy, plasma screen tv. mini bar, writing desk, plenty of wardrobe space, bedside lamps, good bathroom,super shower and all spotlessy clean, soaps,shampoo, and shower caps provided. The white bed linen was immaculate. Food was buffet style, plenty of choice but it did get rather boring after 5 days, if you are a veggy there are plenty of salads. The breakfast buffet was good, again plenty of choice also sprouts chips, brocolli, carrots and cauliflower made an appearance at breakfast-some people actually ate these. It was difficult to get a soft fried egg most days,the woman cooking and looking after everything obviously had too much too do. The staff are very pleasant and friendly. I tore a ligament after a fall and had to go to the hospital in Rovinj one of the receptionists who spoke very good English came with me and translated with the doctor she also drove me back to the ferry in her own car. The Hotel provided crutches for me to hobble about on. The seagulls on the pool are a bit of a pain. The staff certainly have their work cut out cleaning up all the seagull poo from around the pool avery day. Be careful if you eat outside, the seagulls will pinch the food off your plates if you leave them unattended whilst you return to get something from the buffet. I saw this happen twice. Rovinj town is special and easy to explore. There is a small outdoor market if you walk up from the main square. The prices are not cheap though and the stallholders can be a bit abrupt. This is not a cheap holiday place, prices for drinks in the hotel are similiar to home. There was nothing to do in the evening at the Istra, no entertainment provided. You can catch a ferry to town but we had thunder and lightning storms on 3 nights and the ferry could not cross, it was quite spectacular.

Having just returned from a wonderful three days on this Island I thought I'd put some of our thoughts into a review....When we first docked - the boat is free from Rovinj, and is a very pleasant fifteen minute ride...we were struck by the beautiful old castle to the left - part of which has been converted into an a la carte restaurant owvned by the Hotel. The Hotel itself is right beside this Tuscan style castle, and is very much in contrast as it is modern and not very attractive in comparison...However this should not put you off -the island itslef is what will draw us back again. It is tiny....small enough to walk around in twenty minutes. There are no cars on the island and the sea is as beautiful and clear as the North pacific Ocean. The rooms while not very large, we found to be fine. Only complaint about the rooms was that although we had booked a double we were given two singles in the guise of a double. (There were rooms with double beds aswell in the Hotel) We decided not to make a big deal of it as the view was spectacular. We were facing the old castle and the sea with a small balcony to enjoy this wonderful view. The "Wellness Centre" in the Hotel is gorgeous. We enjoyed a massage; facials and a Royal bath aswell as saunas; jacuzzis and outdoor relaxation on the loungers...Bliss! The A La Carte Restaurant is definitely worth a visit - It's called the Lanterna. Book a little later for lovely candlelit table with a view of the sea...really romantic During the day go to the "captain's club" - sit on the terrace and order a glass of Croatian chilled muscat or coffee and a slice of apple strudel and take in the fantastic scenery. Breakfast is buffet style...the usual cereal; bread; cheese; meat; juice...they even serve wine and beer at breakfast if you're so inclined! We were disappointed one evening with the buffet dinner at the neditarrean restaurant as the quality of the food wasn't great. We thought it might have been because there was a Wedding on the Island that night and that the buffet restaurant might have suffered. We tried it another night and there was a big improvement. We booked directly through the Hotel as they were doung better deals than the travel websites. We booked a spa package for two nights which included half board, and the third night we just paid for half board. take a walk across to the other even tinier island- we didn't bump into a soul on the couple of occasions that we did this - just hundreds of ghekkos and dozens of seagulls! There are no real sandy beach areas, but enjoy lying as we did out on the flat rocks with the option of taking a dip in the crystal clear waters if it gets too hot. Don't know what Hotel Istra would eb like in the middle of Summer, but when we were there this week the Hotel and Island were really chilled out and the weather around 27 to 29 degrees...gorgeous

We stayed at the Istra for a week in September 2006, booked independently as we were lucky enough to be attending a wedding in Rovinj part way through the week. We had an absoloutely fabulous time here, the hotel was newly refurbished, excellent room, excellent lobby area, fantastic large pool, amazing choice for meals (including endless supplies of Merlot and Stella!) and friendly, helpful staff. The location was wonderful, a bit like being on a deserted island but with a free boat to Rovinj all through the day. The naturist island across the causeway was lovely to wonder over to for a relaxed lunch. Rovinj itself is a charming, beautiful town. Very Italian and, well if you like that sort of thing it was just perfect. I would not hesitate to give Rovinj and Istra both 10/10