Frank decided to give you an overview of big Istria hotel brands. Reason is simple: Frank knows a lot about them, and your chances of staying in property owned and/or managed by one of these Istria hotel brands during your visit to Istria are pretty high.
Istria hotel brands usually own and/or manage majority of big hotels in one destination. Something very unknown in western world, where usually one hotel brand runs one property in one destination. This is legacy of Yugoslav economic model. Something that naturally would never develop.
In Rovinj and Vrsar the biggest Istria hotel brand is Maistra. With 10 hotels, 8 tourist resorts and 7 campsites, and total capacity of 34.000 beds, Maistra represents 15% of total Istrian capacity. Their flagship hotels are boutique hotel Monte Mulini and design hotel Lone. Monte Mulini is a luxury 5-star boutique hotel located in Rovinj. Hotel has 113 rooms and suites all with balcony, two fine dining restaurants: Meditteraneo inspired by Greek, Spanish, Lebanese and North African cooking, and Wine Vault offering blend of French and Mediterranean dishes with wine list featuring more than 550 labels. Hotel Monte Mulini is best suited for couples. 5-star design hotel Lone in Rovinj, is a brand new hotel (opened in summer 2011) featuring 236 rooms, 12 suites, 3 a la carte restaurants, conference and meeting facilities and Wellness & Spa.
In Porec, there are two big Istria hotel brands: Laguna Porec and Valamar. Laguna Porec has most of its properties (hotels, apartments and campsites) located in two resorts: Plava & Zelena Laguna (Blue and Green Lagoon). Resorts are 5 km far from Porec’s old town, but they are connected by tourist train, bike and walking paths, as well as by bus. Laguna properties range from 2 to 4 star and company takes great care of greenery surrounding these properties. Frank often swims in Zelena Laguna, but as much as he finds the company really well run, he finds also that there is nothing exciting about Laguna Porec hotels or apartments. They are really typical summer resorts offering good value for money. Best suited for families with children, seniors and sport groups (there are lots of sport facilities in Zelena Laguna Resort). Another big Istria hotel brand with properties in Porec is Valamar. Beside Porec, this Istria hotel brand also has hotels, apartments and one campsite in Rabac on the East Coast of Istria. In Istria, Valamar manages 18 hotels, 10 tourist resorts, and five campsites located in two destinations in Istria – Porec and Rabac. In one day this Istria hotel brand can accommodate over 30.000 people. Valamar flagship hotels in Porec are hotel & residence Valamar Riviera, opened in 2010, and family hotel & residence Valamar Tamaris. In Rabac Valamar flagship hotels are hotel Valamar Sanfior suited for couples and hotel & residence Valamar Bellevue best suited for families.
In Northwestern Istria, there are two big Istria hotel brands: Laguna Novigrad in Novigrad and Istraturist in Umag. Istria hotel brand Laguna Novigrad owns 2 hotels and 2 campsites in Novigrad and its surrounding, while Istria hotel brand Istraturist owns 9 hotels, 6 tourist resorts and 5 campsites. Istraturist hotels, apartments and campsites are managed by Sol Melia. The company flagship properties are Melia Istrian Villas, 4-star detached and semi-detached villas with large garden and some of them with private beach, and hotel Sol Garden Istria, a 4-star hotel best suited for families and active holidays.
Arenaturist, another big Istria hotel brand, owns 8 hotels, 5 tourist resorts and 7 campsites in Pula and its surrounding. This Istria hotel brand can accommodate 20.000 people at once in its properties from Brioni Islands to Medulin. Arenaturist properties are managed by Park Plaza hotel brand, and first two hotels from their portfolio will have Park Plaza hotel brand in their name. These are Arenaturist flagship properties: Hotel Park Plaza Histria and Holiday Resort Park Plaza Verudela, both opening in May 2012.
