Isabella Island Villas

From the first boat transfer to the island, you know you're in for a magical time. The views are spectacular, we had a seaview room which was small but very clean. The air conditioning is centrally controlled and we would have preferred it a little cooler. Pillows are too soft for us but beds are large and comfortable. The food was very good, plenty of live cooking and lots of variety though would have liked a few lighter options at lunch. The soft drinks aren't great, wine and beer are fine and there's a small selection of cocktails and spirits for UK guests. The selection of fresh cakes was so tempting and the pizzas are excellent. Pool is busy but slides are fun and there are plenty of sun loungers and plenty of beach/sea options. Everywhere is extremely clean, well lit and beautiful. We hired kayaks on the island and enjoyed running the island and the small gym. The boat service is excellent and so frequent. We went into Porec most nights as it's so beautiful and the gelato is excellent (recommend Aroma) and we ate there a couple of times for a change (recommend truffle pasta and the tasting boards at some of the bars). We visited the basilica in Porec and climbed the bell tower, well worth it! We also took trips to Pula (amphitheatre is a must), Rovinj and a day trip to Lake Bled in Slovenia - all amazing! Croatia is stunning and this hotel is a wonderful base to explore it from and to relax at between exploring.

This is our 4th stay at Isabella island , first time since it went all inclusive, breakfast and Evening meal were great lots of choice however lunch time saw a lot of pizza and the outside bar area you had to pay for ice cream which I didn’t think was great after paying all inclusive…..The hotel is beautiful and the staff are amazing and so friendly and helpful I would like to thank David on the night shift who caught the 7 o’clock boat with us and helped with luggage and waited with us as the transport that was supposed to be there was very late and we could have missed our coach ,even though he had finished his shift he stayed with us till transport arrived ,he is a credit to your hotel and we appreciate everything he did to help . There were always plenty of beds and so many places to go around the island , I took my grandson and he loved maro club they were great with him he loved all the staff . would definitely return to this island again and thank you to all the staff who made it a wonderful holiday .

Beautiful island off Porec, with regular access to the town. Island felt very hierarchical with the inability to use certain beaches and bars, despite the price we paid for an all inclusive plus holiday. Hotel was not as welcoming as previous holidays, very unclear explanation as to what we were entitled to with a white wristband compared to the basic blue wristband and V Level gold wristband. It was an expensive holiday that didn’t deliver. The rooms had adjoining doors in the main hotel that you need to be careful with in terms of who your neighbour is and noise as we immediately asked to be relocated due to a very loud young family next door. Food in the self service Isola restaurant was extremely good, service excellent but the only other option available for an all inclusive plus was a meal in the Oliva grill restaurant but drinks were not included. The meal was very disappointing with a set menu choice only. With two teenagers there was no drinks option such as free mocktails nor any free ice cream bar as has been the case in previous high star accommodation. Evening entertainment was good and we booked trials for SUP, Pilates and yoga which wasn’t made clear from reception that we had to find out for ourselves. Best things were free sun beds, towels and snorkelling in the allocated swimming areas. We felt very much second class to the V Level guests despite our booking being all inclusive plus.

It is not our first rodeo with Valamar nor Isabella Island and as always we loved it :) we started coming in 2008 and have been at many at their hotels but Isabella Island Miramare and Villas remain our favourite. This time we stayed at one of the villas, which was a first time for us. From the moment you arrive at the parking lot, to the boat ride and the reception welcoming + welcome drinks you are met with warmth and a big smile. We got offered a very nive upgrade and ended in a room with a small kitchen which turned out to be perfect for our family. I would say that the kitchen needed a little upgrade: the dinning table had bumps probably from water and the bottom of the kitchen needed some love. The main bathroom also had a little hole, so I wouldn’t call the villa 5 star not when comparing to Miramare, but more 4+. The cleaning crew were super nice and the room was always clean. The rest of the holiday was however very much 5 star. The restaurant Momenti had great offers both for breakfast and dinner and we loved that not everything is a buffet. Very fresh! The people at the restaurant are simply the best!! So nice and sweet! As well as the bubbly hour arrangment. Only minor thing is the kids afternoon snack which I found was better 3 years ago. It just had more options. The pool area in front of Miramare is simply the best: saltwater, calm, amazing view and very comfy sunbeds! The kids also wanted to try the other parts of the island, especially the activity pool. Very nice that you can opt in and out from the other parts of the islands which is a bit more lound that the 5 star part of the island. It would prefer eating from Miramare restaurant, in the room or in Porec. The Olivia grill was a bit disappointing. The Kids loved the fried but we opted for a greek salad that was 80% olives and hence didn’t go back. If you want a bit luxury, not that much noise, excellent food, and nice pool, sea and views choose the 5 star part of the island. Even with kids it’s amazing! And of course their kids club is simply amazing! Their warmt and kindness is next level! We were amazed by what they prepare for the Kids. We’ve stayed at a couple of kinderhotels in Austria but this is simply so much better!

We have just returned from a fantastic stay at the Isabella Valamar hotel, booked through TUI. We stayed in the main hotel rather than the villas and this is what my review refers to. This review is quite detailed - it might be worth skipping if you prefer to wait and find out some details when you get there! The hotel is situated on an island resort. It is accessed via a shuttle boat from Poreč which runs throughout the day according to a very clear timetable. The boat is easy to use and very punctual. It takes less than 5 minutes to reach the resort. There were times that the boat was busy however never to the point of it not being able to accommodate everyone who wanted to get on. The island itself is small without being tiny. There are no cars on the island (the hotel uses golf buggy style vehicles where needed) and so the whole thing feels totally safe and relaxed. You can wander around as you please with a lap of the island taking about 30 mins. The island has a variety of different ways to access the sea - there is a small sandy beach with sun loungers situated in a sort of sheltered cove, there are rocky/pebble beaches and concrete paths right to the waters edge allowing access to the sea. The sandy beach is quite small - this is not really a traditional beach resort but if anything, it is better as it has so much to offer. We visited in August and the sea was a great temperature for swimming and is shallow for a good distance from shore. A snorkelling mask is very much recommended, there is plenty of sea life to see just a few meters from the beach. We booked a 2+1 room with a sea view. This was actually a wonderful view of the Porec shoreline. The room was spotless, modern and perfectly suited for our needs. The +1 was a single sofa bed which was great for our 14 year old daughter who found it comfortable. Our room had a huge television which was very well setup giving access to lots of info about the hotel and local area (we could even request different pillows through the TV interface). There are limited TV channels available but we were able to log in to our Netflix account which was really nice. The bathroom arrangement was perhaps slightly odd - the only thing separating the toilet from the rest of the room was a frosted glass door. We would probably have preferred a bit more privacy. The only other issue we had was noise. Despite being 400m away, a nightclub on the shore played very loud music that went on until 5am. This made it hard to sleep for the two nights that the club was operating during our stay. This would not put us off staying again but we would take earplugs with us if we did! The hotel pool is also excellent, the usual sun lounger shenanigans take place with people putting towels out to reserve sun loungers from first thing in the morning. Beach towels are provided by the hotel and can be changed for fresh whenever you like. In August the pool was a pleasant temperature and had a couple of fun waterslides. We enjoyed the pool but it was too busy to allow for proper swimming. There is a bar alongside the pool serving cold drinks. The all inclusive offer is good although not quite the best we have experienced. All meals are served in the hotels main restaurant which has both an indoor and outdoor seating area. There is a huge selection on offer for each mealtime and whilst breakfast was the same each day, lunch and dinner had some different options on each of the 7 days of our stay which kept things from getting boring. At lunch and dinner, there was always home made, fairly plain pizza and French fries which seemed to suit most of the younger guests very well! There is the typical huge array of dessert options including ice cream. Through TUI, we seemed to be automatically entitled to the drinks+ package. Without this, only beer, red and white wine are available as well as unbranded soft drinks. With the drinks+ package, a small selection of cocktails, mainly Spritz's and Gin and Tonic as well as a selection of branded spirits were also available. In the afternoon, there is a snack bar available that serves pizza, fries, something like nuggets or fish fingers as well as fruit, salad and cakes. The main thing we thought was missing from the all inclusive was ice cream - only available in the restaurant at meal times. Porec itself is well worth a visit, but it is very much a tourist spot with most of the shops selling the usual overpriced souvenirs. The old town is however beautiful and well worth wandering around. We very much enjoyed our stay and would certainly consider another visit in the future!