As previous reviews suggest, hotel Fortuna is in big need of a revamp. As you approach the island the grey colour of the exterior is not welcoming. The reception is large but contains some very dated sofas. Rooms are again very simple and old looking. Then you enter the bathrooms in your room and located around the hotel and you can tell these are new so it lets you know the revamp is on its way! The only other moan is that when you go on your tour of the hotel island you come across loads of scattered small unit buildings. On inspection you find that they are indeed abandoned holiday units that were obviously once used. Now all the windows are smashed, beds burnt out and just a complete hazard. It is such a shame. My only conclusion is that they must have run out of money and had to stop using them. Dont let this put you off discovering your own little island gettaway - just dont treck through the middle, instead go round the outside!

All above problems still dont make it your holiday nightmare. The hotel even if dated was spotless throughout, the staff were always helpfull and never rude. The location is the best in Porec. There are beautifull views and the fact you have to cross the water to reach your hotel after a night wandering around porec lets you feel a little bit more set back and away from the buzz of town.
We travelled at the very beginning of the season so we did not encounter any noise from the town or hotel. There was the same two people singing every night in the hotel and no outside entertainment so noise was not a problem. In Porec the town was never heaving or empty. A constant bubble of people moched the laid back streets both night and day. We did the free tour the day after we arrived and found it very usefull. Free wine tasting so had to be done! We ate at a couple of places during the week and never had a bad meal. We found a large outdoor resaurant in a sqaure which served a fab pizza and tuna salad. We also had a lovely meal in Ana restaurant. This was in the town down a small street behind Sarajevo Bistro. Along the harbour are loads of locals selling boat trips around Istra including Rovinj and Lim Ford. We did not take a trip with these but a few people from the hotel did and found them excellent. The hotel food was good to. There was a variety of food everyday and drinks on tap for you to help yourself. The bacon was a bit ropey though! The staff were excellent every time. There is also a small boat trip to Zelana Lagona which is a nice trip on your own. You catch the boat where you get the boat to your hotel and it takes you about 10 mins away to where the newer inclusive hotels are. We had a few drinks in some rare sun and then caught the noddy train back to Porec which allowed you to see more of the area.

Weather wise we chose an awfull week to visit Croatia. It rained for most of the week but in the end it made us change our plan to just sit by the pool and sunbathe to one where we thought we would have to make the best of the counrty and go explore. We booked up sveral trips and thouroghly enjoyed every one. In one week we visited 3 countries-another bonus of visiting Croatia.

Taste of Istra - Tour round Istra. Lunch Included. Travelled down to Pula and walked round the town and visited the Ampitheatre. A must see. Guided tours are good and very informative. We then went to lunch in a family resaurant. We were served fast and there were lots of us. The food was great. The owners then play music and dance around which was entertaining. After lunch we visited a medievil town where lots of artists visit. From here there were some truly amazing views both within the town and out towards Motovum (the town in the clouds). On the coach the gudes are great and point out different things along the way. A great day out.

Plitvice Lakes- Wow. Along day as it takes 4 hours in the coach but dont let it put you off. They make plenty of stops and when you reach your destination you dont mind that you have sat there for 4 hours. These lakes are amazing. I have never seen anything else like it. It is a good walk and wouldnt reccomend it to people with mobitly problems. Nice boat ride across the lakes included. You walk round on little wooden tracks and in some places the waterfalls bubble through the tracks onto your feet. The biggest waterfall is over 70 meters high. After you have been here they take you for dinner very near by and again quick service and good standard of food. On the way there and back you drove through war torn Croatia and saw bullet filled houses abandoned and occupied. You can also see mine fields. Amazing day.

Venice- Again a day that you have to do if you have never sampled Venice. Its an early start. You get the boat opposit the hotel. Arrive in Venice about 10.30 and leave around 5pm. The people on the boat are very informative and provide you with some good information. They also have a good day planned for you if you choose and are not pushy for you to book with them. When you arrive you can either walk with them to the main square or catch a boat for 6 euro. Do the walk its free and doesnt take long. It takes you round the back streets and you see a lot more. You can have lunch with them which we did not do so cannot comment. The gondala ride has to be done and would be double the price on your own. The only thing is dont expect it to be romantic as there are 6 of you on the boat and probably at different ends. Lasts about 30 mins. Then before you are about to make your journey home there is a water taxi ride which takes you around the other side of the island and drops you off where you need to catch the boat back. We did this and it proved usefull. You did have time in the middle to sample Venice on your own. Amazing place but even in May very busy and hot so glad we never went in july/august. Back about 7.30pm.

Lake Bled-Fairytale reality. This is in Slovenia and takes about 3 hours. Slovenia is a lovely country and you can see with your own eyes how much more Coratia suffered in the war. When you arrive they take you to Bled Castle first. Lovely castle,mostly amazing views. Small musuem inside. Then you go into the town and they can take you to a restaurant they know or you can go on your own. We went with the guide and it was a lovely meal. We then took a stroll down the hill to the lake. We just sat there in awe. There were plenty of people everywhere but still it was almost silent and peacefull. After we took a gondala ride over the lake to Slovenias only island. This is a tiny scrap of land in the middle if the island that holds a beautifull church. Beware 99 steep steps to it! Church bled is stunnning and has a bell that you ring twice and make a wish. The whole area is beautifull and you really do feel like you are in a story book. The picture do not do to justice.
These are the trips we did and not one of them wasnt worth every penny. Alot of pennies. If your a couple the money does mount up but if you look at it per person they are worth it. We enjoyed them and has confirmed that Croatia is a really beautifull counrty filled with forests,culture and charm. We would go back to Istra and Fortuna but it has made me wonder if such a small part of Croatia has that much to offer then i want to visit other parts!!
The only thing i did notice was that Croatia was a holiday desination for alot of the older generation and i cant undersatnd why. There was plenty for us to do. Not all under 30's are after Ibiza.

Fab holiday!!!!!

The hotel fortuna on Fortuna island is a spectacular hotel it has its own pool and very friendly staff. One of them is my godfather! The rooms are brilliant and the hotel is clean. The staff attend to you well . To get to the hotel you must travel on a ferry but it is worth it because in the grounds they have a mini golf course and have peacocks. The hotel is also a great place for the kids as it has a 'kid club so you can go off and enjoy the town away from the island while they are in good care!

Overall we loved Croatia, Porec and the Hotel Fortuna. The location is a perfect island getaway and it was a lovely feeling heading across
the water after a day/night out on the mainland.

The hotel swimming pool is great, the choice of food eye-popping and the place is generally well-equipped and clean.

As others have commented, the outside of the hotel's upper floors looks a bit grim but don't be put off. The one massive thing lacking is air conditioning. The rooms were stifling in the 40 degree heat and
the pool was the only escape. Air con would have made our stay perfect. We hear it is planned in a refit next year.

As for the noise, it all depends where your room is. We certainly wouldn't say it was unbearable, even though we were at the front of the hotel.

And yes, the evening entertainment is often laughable but you have to just relax, laugh and take it for what it is. It's a shame the hotel bar doesn't stay open much beyond 11pm.

We must recommend the restaurant opposite the hotel called
'Distinguished Guests'. By Croatian standards it is pricey, but we had a sensational meal for approx £50 that would have cost about £100 in England.

Oh, and just make sure you eat as much ice cream as you can - it is absolutely delicious.

The day trip to Venice can be a long day, but well worth it. Don't necessarily follow the tour guide and get your earplugs ready for his singalong on the way home (one song from every nation on board - he reached 24 different songs at our last count).

We would definitely recommend the Fortuna.

Hotel Fortuna, St Nikolas, Porec, Croatia

We holidayed here from 28th August to 4th September 2007.

The flight to Pula from Gatwick went well and was uneventful.

The transfer to Porec takes approximately 45 minutes by coach. On arrival at Porec bus station you disembark and a guide (from the hotel) leads you to a jetty where you get the free hotel ferry boat over to the island of St. Nicolas. This is less than a five minute walk but you do need to carry your own luggage.

Our first impression was similar to that of others who have stayed at the hotel. The exterior could really do with a lick of paint. The entrance to the hotel is up a long flight of steps (disabled access is via slopes which were either side of the steps).

The hotel has a fountain at the top of the steps outside the main entrance and there are very pretty gardens en route (with some interesting flowers).

Once inside the hotel we found it to be spotlessly clean. The hotel staff are helpful and have a happy demeanour. The main lounge is situated just inside the main doors to the hotel. The black and grey marble floor is lovely. However, the fake leather furniture has seen better days and is now threadbare. This area is a huge gloomy space of which better use could be made. Nobody really used this area while we were there apart from small groups of people waiting for others, and to queue for the hotel restaurant.

Off this main area there is a separate internet room with two computers for guest use. From what I remember there was a reasonable charge. The hotel also provided a room to store lilo's (for use in the hotel pool).

The main bar was a long “L” shaped room with lots of round tables and chairs lined up in rows. It wasn't particularly welcoming or very interesting to sit in. The hotel has a terrace off the bar which gets very busy at night for with guests watching the hotel entertainment. During the day the terrace serves lunch.

The quality of the evening entertainment is varied. It ranged from very bad some nights to excellent on others. One night in particular a singer called Miro Unger performed (he was in a Croatian boy band in the 60/70's) and was very good. The entertainment programme finished each evening about 11.20pm. If you want early nights you are probably best choosing a room at the back of the hotel overlooking the trees.

It's difficult when reading the reviews of this hotel on this site not to notice all the comments about noise from bars etc. We did notice on Friday and Saturday nights you could hear the bars and clubs on the mainland, but it was possible to sleep through this. During the rest of the week it wasn't a problem. Obviously we holidayed at the end of the season and in July and August it may be different. As mentioned above the hotel entertainment finished about 11.20 pm. It was very loud and it is not possible to sleep through it.

The main restaurant in the hotel was large and a bit like a canteen. The doors opened for dinner at 7pm in the evening and the queues started at 6.30pm. The restaurant has two terraces: one recently furnished which has wonderful views and the other more hidden in trees. We did queue ourselves one evening but found people queuing behind us sent in their children to race ahead and grab the best tables. There is a lot of running, pushing and shoving to get a good table. It's a sight to behold! Dinner finishes at 9.pm. Breakfast is 7am to 10am.

The food in the Hotel Fortuna was quite good. Both breakfast and dinner had a varied selection of meats, fish and vegetarian meals on offer along with a good salad bar (at dinner). We couldn't find fault with any of it. If I had one comment to make it would be that I would have liked the food to be slightly spicier or with more garlic, but they have to cater for all tastes and children.

Throughout dinner free red/white wine, beer and soft drinks are provided on a help-yourself basis.

Our bedroom was at the front of the hotel on the third floor and had the most spectacular views I have ever seen. It's definitely worth paying the sea view supplement (unless you can’t stand the noise at night – see above). You will not be disappointed.

The bedroom itself was large and had recently been repainted (white). The furniture - although a little dated - was more than adequate with more wardrobe hanging space and hangers than I have ever had before in a holiday hotel. The beds were comfortable.

On the island there is no real main beach to speak of, just pebbles and concrete tiles, but it is adequate and didn't get too crowded. You can walk round the island and get access to the rocks on which to sunbathe. The island is worth exploring.

Sunbeds are available for hire (20Kuna) a day which is £2 GBP. The sunbeds are chained up overnight and are available from 9.15 am. This did upset some people but it did mean you didn't need to get up at the crack of dawn to put your towels down before the Germans.

There are sun terraces behind the beach under the trees so if you don’t want to sit in full sun you can take your beds here.

There is a beach bar serving drinks and snacks. A burger and chips was very reasonable.

There was another café/restaurant at the other end of the island open but we did not try it. The hotel documentation does talk about an A la Carte restaurant. There is a building along from the hotel but it was closed whilst we were there. It is a shame as the place is crying out for a good restaurant.

The free ferry was wonderful; it runs every half an hour from 7am and finished at midnight. We used it on many occasions to go over to Porec. It does run to a strict timetable but wont wait so don’t run for it if you are late wait for the next journey

We found Porec had a wonderful selection of restaurants. Our favourites were:

Ulixes in Decumanus St (number 2).
This was a bit more expensive and up-market than some of the restaurants. We ate beef with Truffles and a Sardine starter. The local Croatian red wine (Merlot) called Contarini from the Degrassi vineyard was good.

Nono specialised in Pizza. This was located at Zagrebaca 4 and was very good with huge pizzas and a variety of toppings.

Istra was located in Milanovica (number 30 at the end of the road). It served good local fish but was fairly expensive compared to the others mentioned.

We also ate in several pasta restaurants with a good selection of dishes. An average price for Spaghetti Bolognaise was £3.50.

Another good red wine tasted in Porec was Dingac from the Skaramuca Vineyard (a full bodied fruity red).

Porec itself is a wonderful town to browse around with some exceptional Roman ruins and buildings. We especially enjoyed the Byzantine Basilica of St Euphrasius and spent several hours wandering around. There is an old roman temple ruin behind the empty hotel on the point.

Most of the shops stock Italian goods at reasonable prices. The jewellery is excellent and if you don't own any amber this is the place to buy it. Baltic amber is reasonably priced and the designs were wonderful.

Whilst staying here we visited Rovinj on a sea picnic excursion booked directly with one of the boats in Porec harbour. Rovinj is another typical Croatian village with winding streets and very picturesque. One thing to note is that the street cobblestones are very slippery and you do need to be careful when walking around.

There are day trips to Venice that depart Porec on certain days of the week. These depart at around 8.00am in the morning and return early evening. Take your passport and Euros.

Overall we really enjoyed Porec and would certainly go back. It's reasonably priced and the coast is spectacular: - very unspoilt and wooded.

Our return journey to the UK wasn’t a good end to the holiday and left a bitter aftertaste. ThomsonFly managed to split us up at the check in for the return flight even though we had paid a supplement in the UK to sit together £12 per person. After a lengthy argument where we were told Thomson considered sitting across an aisle as sitting together, they eventually changed our seats and seated us together without an aisle between us. We are waiting for a response from Thomson to confirm their policy on seating, but, if splitting couples up across an aisle, even though a supplement is paid, is the policy its not worth paying for.