Croatia (Istria) late July

fricatus

Hi, we're looking at sun holidays for later this year, and Croatia is the front runner at the moment - Porec in Istria is the area we're looking at.

We're mainly interested in relaxing, bringing the little fella to the pool, going for walks, nice meals outdoors, etc. Maybe two or three short sightseeing trips over the fortnight, but we've little enough interest in drinking (other than at mealtimes) or going out clubbing.

Has any of you been there or elsewhere in Croatia? Any tips or advice?

fricatus

Bump... anyone got any tips or advice on Croatia, particularly Istria?

nibtrix

I was in Istria a few years ago, a different kind of holiday than you're planning so can't recommend any accommodation.

I'd highly recommend Rovinj for a day trip though, the old town there is stunning and not too big, so easy enough to sightsee with a kid. Nice ice-creams down in the marina area just outside the old town! It's quite near to Porec as well. Pula is an interesting town as well, the amphitheatre is pretty cool and not too expensive to visit.

Don't know if you're planning to rent a car but the local bus service was pretty reliable, especially if you are travelling between the main bus stations (Porec to Pula, Rovinj or Umag etc.). We had to catch a bus at a remote stop in the middle of nowhere, there were no signs and no people around so it was a bit hair-raising waiting for it, but it turned up on time and despite having no English the bus driver was very helpful. There's good info on the bus services on this website - http://www.buscroatia.com/bus-station-porec/

I don't recommend the day sightseeing trip to Venice, particularly with a kid. The ferry leaves very early, was pretty crowded and Venice itself is fairly intense.

We weren't overly impressed with the food in most of the towns in Croatia, it seemed to be fairly standard tourist fare in most places. It was still reasonably priced and reasonably tasty, just nothing special. I'm sure if you asked some locals for recommendations you can find some good spots though. If you're just looking for pleasant, outdoor, standard food at a good price then you won't be disappointed, there are loads of restaurants and the service is nearly always friendly and efficient.

mrsbouquet

Its over 20 years since I stayed in Porec but I must say I really loved it. We stayed in a complex that had 3 hotels the Diamant Hotel, the Rubin Hotel and the Crystal Hotel and the diamant had apartments which we stayed in. The hotels were lovely and had entertainment every night. It was a 10 minute walk into Porec where there were several lovely restaurants. The beaches were all concrete so if you like a sandy beach its not the place to be. But we could use the hotel pool. You could walk into Porec through the forest and it was a lovely walk. We use to watch the little squirrels running around in the forest. A trip to Motovaun (the village of fools) is well worth it. We didn't go on any other trips. Hopefully not too much has changed. Hope to go back there some day soon.

fricatus

Thanks both of you for the helpful comments! Looking forward to it now since we've just booked our holiday in Porec!

nibtrix wrote: »

We weren't overly impressed with the food in most of the towns in Croatia, it seemed to be fairly standard tourist fare in most places. It was still reasonably priced and reasonably tasty, just nothing special.

Hmmm, surprising, particularly since the guidebooks all paint Istria as some sort of foodie paradise, like Tuscany on the Adriatic!

Anyway, part of the fun will be finding out whether things have changed since your time there!

mrsbouquet wrote: »

We stayed in a complex that had 3 hotels... You could walk into Porec through the forest and it was a lovely walk. We use to watch the little squirrels running around in the forest.

This is exactly where we're going to be staying - that sounds lovely, just the sort of thing we're looking for.

nibtrix

fricatus wrote: »

Hmmm, surprising, particularly since the guidebooks all paint Istria as some sort of foodie paradise, like Tuscany on the Adriatic!

Yeah, that's why we were surprised and a bit disappointed as well. I'm sure there are loads of great restaurants, maybe we just weren't lucky enough to find them!

NotaSheep

Definitely ask locals for recommendations, best restaurants are off the beaten track hidden in some stoney side street or in a slightly remote village. We had wonderful food while in Porec, but then we have friends who live there and led us to a few places where food was just gorgeous.