Where to Stay in Croatia for a Local Experience

Many Croatian hotels, such as Little Green Bay, offer their guests an authentic local experience
Many Croatian hotels, such as Little Green Bay, offer their guests an authentic local experience | © Little Green Bay
Culture Trip Travel Team

A slender stretch of rocky coast lapped by the Adriatic Sea, Croatia is made for long waterfront lunches, sun-drenched island-hopping and sultry afternoons wandering historic cities. Whether you’re tasting the local wines and truffles in the northern province of Istria, or exploring the harbours and beaches of a quaint island, this low-key country is all about life’s little pleasures. Here are the best local hotels and secret hideaways for anyone wondering where to stay in Croatia.

Villa Tuttorotto, Rovinj

Boutique Hotel

A four-poster bed with curtains, an armchair and stool, and chest of drawers with a lamp in a guest room at Villa Tuttorotto in Rovinj.
© Villa Tuttorotto / Expedia

The pretty little city of Rovinj looks like a mini Venice, jutting out into the Adriatic. Right in the city’s upward-spiralling old town, check into this old-fashioned guesthouse for wrought-iron four-poster beds, plush embroidered rugs and a generous homemade breakfast. Just metres from your door are historic churches and picturesque alleys leading straight to the sea, as well as the city’s campanile (ancient bell tower) to climb, and rocks to leap off into crystalline waters. The single room is a great value for solo travellers seeking a bed and breakfasts in Croatia.

Design Hotel Navis, Preluk Bay

Luxury

A bed and purple chair facing floor-to-ceiling glass doors, and a sea-view balcony with a table and chairs, in a guest room at Design Hotel Navis.
© Design Hotel Navis / Booking.com

In the pretty, historic town of Opatija, this sharply designed boutique hotel has a wrap-around terrace with a dazzling snapshot of the bay, a spectacular pool and a sea-view spa. Locally, it’s known for its restaurant, where you can devour Croatian fish stew, freshly foraged oysters and grilled octopus and try Istria’s zingy white wines. Rooms feature floor-to-ceiling windows, letting that shimmering sea view in, and balconies overlooking the tiny wooded islands just offshore.

Hotel Lemongarden, Brač

Hotel

Beautiful bougainvillea flowers on lampposts lining the outdoor pool at Hotel Lemongarden, with palm trees at the far end.
© Hotel Lemongarden / Expedia

Brač is one of Croatia’s quietest and most idyllic islands, a short boat ride from the sophisticated city of Split, and this palm-fringed oasis with its sparkling swimming pool ups the paradise factor even more. Here, you can lounge and swim among fluttering bougainvillaea, relax in a cheery lavender- or buttercup-coloured room, and get outside to explore the island. You’re close to the pretty port of Sutivan, with its renaissance palaces and sun-bleached pebble beaches, such as the much-snapped Zlatni Rat; alternatively, boat-hop to nearby islands, such as smart Hvar.

Palmižana, Sveti Klement

Resort

A bed with metal frame in a hotel room at Palmizana Hotel in Sveti Klement; a mural depicting stones is on one side, with the walls covered in colourful artwork.
© Palmižana

A collection of bungalows and villas scattered throughout a thick pine forest, trimmed with a golden beach and turquoise bay, Palmižana is perfect for couples and families who want independence and privacy. There’s a restaurant on the waterfront, or you can self-cater in the well-equipped kitchens in the villas. Its location, Sveti Klement, is ripe for exploring. This slender squiggle of an island, just off popular Hvar, is home to tranquil pebble beaches and unspoilt hiking trails.

Roxanich Wine and Heritage Hotel, Istria

Boutique Hotel

A wooden platform leading to a bed, chairs with a square table, and long drapes over the windows in a room at Roxanich Wine & Heritage Hotel; there are large wooden beams on the ceiling and parquet flooring.
© Roxanich Wine and Heritage Hotel / Booking.com

In the picturesque Istrian hill town of Motovun, deep in the region’s grape- and truffle-laced heartland, Roxanich is a grand old wine estate with an idyllic swimming pool jutting out over vines. It’s been beautifully modernised and refurbished to include quirky, individually designed bedrooms, including one with graphic floral wallpaper and a padded leather four-poster bed. It also offers wine tastings or wine-paired feasts and a sharp, modern spa overlooking the rural scenery.

St Joseph’s, Dubrovnik

Boutique Hotel

Plush seating, a bed, a table set with wine glasses, a chandelier, a wood-beam ceiling and exposed stone walls in a hotel room at St. Josephs in Dubrovnik.
© St Joseph’s / Expedia

Renowned for its 16th-century city walls and honeycomb-hued buildings used in the filming of Game of Thrones, Dubrovnik is stacked with gorgeous, historic hotels, and St Joseph’s is no exception. With just six rooms, this ancient mansion has an intimate atmosphere and decadent interiors, with exposed stone walls, period details and soothing shades of dove grey, oyster and cream. Despite feeling secluded, it’s also within walking distance of Stradun, the main street of Dubrovnik’s Old Town, where swifts swoop in the summertime.

Vestibul Palace, Split

Luxury, Boutique Hotel

Chairs around a coffee table next to a TV, and a loft with glass walls and a bed, in a modern guest room at Vestibul Palace in Split.
© Vestibul Palace / Expedia

In quaint, story-filled Split, this boutique hotel sits within the ancient stone walls of the fourth-century Diocletian’s Palace. It has a glamorous Mediterranean restaurant, Magnus, making the most of the region’s produce (such as fish, charcuterie, mussels and truffles) and simple rooms, with polished woods and white linens setting off the thick palace walls. It’s within proximity of the city’s top attractions, too.

Little Green Bay, Hvar

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

Two chairs and a table set for dining with wine glasses, and two lit candles on the ground, overlooking the sea and trees along the rocky coastline around Little Green Bay.
© Little Green Bay

Set on a densely wooded cove in an unspoilt stretch of Hvar, with greenery as far as the eye can see, Little Green Bay doesn’t think of itself as a hotel. A Parisian interior designer and her brother have created a true retreat, where rooms have private terraces overlooking the luminous sea, framed by pine trees. A guests-only bistro serves wholesome fare on chic glazed ceramics, and the impossibly seductive Little Spa offers al fresco massages with local herbs and a jacuzzi among the pines.

Hotel Jägerhorn, Zagreb

Boutique Hotel

A bed, bedside table with lamp, armchair, desk with chair, and potted plant in a hotel room with a skylight at Hotel Jägerhorn.
© Hotel Jägerhorn / Expedia

Set in Zagreb’s historic Kaptol quarter, the russet-tiled Hotel Jägerhorn is the oldest hotel in the Croatian capital. As well as a landmark cafe-inn, it has a pretty courtyard to dine and drink in, and comfortable, classic rooms decorated in blue and gold. Its single rooms are a steal for solo travellers, and you’re under a 10-minute walk from the city’s Tkalčićeva Street, lined with canopied bars and cafes, where locals flock for an after-work drink.

Almayer Art and Heritage Hotel, Zadar

Hotel

Nighttime view of outdoor couches with cushions, tables, chairs, and potted plants and trees on the terrace at Almayer Art & Heritage Hotel.
© Almayer Art and Heritage Hotel / Expedia

One of Zadar’s most affordable boutique hotels, Almayer has a beautiful high-walled courtyard with an ornately tiled glasshouse that is a treat for long summer lunches. The hotel itself is filled with striking art, much of it local and available to buy. Smart rooms and mezzanine-split suites will delight design and architecture fans, and it’s a handy stop for onward island-hopping trips since the port is a five-minute walk away.

For more accommodation options, discover our guides to the best luxury hotels in Croatia and the most characterful boutique hotels in Split, and book now on Culture Trip. To discover more places to stay in Croatia, check out our guide to the best hotels in Zadar, Croatia, bookable on Culture Trip.

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