We spent one night at the Kastel in August 2007. The hotel is placed in an old but recently renovated dark red building on top of a hill. Before we decided for a room, we took a closer look at the “Suite”, which is a deluxe double room, and the “apartment”, consisting of a bedroom and an extra living room. It is a bit misleading to name it “apartment” as there isn’t a kitchen or even a refrigerator. The apartment is a little bit dusky (and therefore cooler in the summer) but offers a superb panoramic view. Nonetheless, we choose the “Suite” (Room 202), because it is the only room with a balcony. The balcony overlooks the terrace of the hotel’s restaurant, but as the restaurant closes early enough, you won’t experience any noise nuisances. Chestnut trees cast a shadow on the balcony and it is fantastic to sit there in the late afternoon and enjoy the medieval atmosphere of the old town.
The suite has a tasteful interior design and only lacks a minibar and air condition. What I liked very much is the stylish, big bathroom. The dominant colour of the bathroom is grey which gives it a noble impression. Another fact I enjoyed highly was that the suite had an extra entry area with an extra door. This door closed, we didn’t hear anything from the hallway.
The food at the restaurant is not fantastic but ok and is reasonably priced. The breakfast was very good, there was a huge variety of food (scrambled eggs, sausages, toast, yogurt, corn flakes, bread, cheese etc.) and the breakfast room is decorated in a very nice, artistic, but also decent way.
The best about the hotel is its location at the top of the hill, in the center of the old town of Motovun. There is an ancient town wall, a glorious view in every direction awaits you there. During the day, there are some tourists, but in the evening, you will have the narrow alleys on your own. You can’t go up to the hotel by car and have to park your vehicle at the bottom of the hill, but the hotel offers a shuttle service.
All in all, we enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Kastel very much. The price for the suite was about 110,- EUR, a more than acceptable price-performance ratio. If you are looking for a hotel full of character at the top of the hill in an old picturesque town in Istria, the Kastel should be your first choice.
