Park Plaza Histria

"Just back from a lovely week at the Park Plaza Histria. Our third visit to Croatia but the first time we’ve visited Pula and we had a fabulous time. We loved the hotel and really couldn’t fault it but the location isn’t great. There’s literally nothing within walking distance, apart from their own shops/supermarket which appeared to be closed more than open. The town of Pula is a very long walk if you’re feeling super-fit but we jumped on the bus (the stop is about a 10 min walk away from the hotel) and at just €2.20, well worth a visit. There are lots of nice walks and plenty of beaches around the hotel, all the beaches are stony/pebbly but some beautiful scenery and the sea is amazing. We went for a swim most days and loved our beach time. Pula itself is beautiful, some amazing historical sites, including the amphitheater, plus lots of cafes, restaurants and shops. We went three times during our week. It’s very ‘Italian’, with ice cream shops and pizzas galore but we loved it. Back to the hotel, it’s definitely worth its 4 stars, the place is spotless and the decor is beautiful. The pool is small but overlooking the sea, with lots of sunbeds (we didn’t really spend time at the pool as the sea was our preference). Our room was cleaned daily, was a good size and included a fridge and kettle, along with basic supplies topped up daily. We had a nice balcony overlooking the port and really couldn’t fault it. We stayed half board and made the most of the food/restaurant. The choice was amazing, loads of variety and again, all very clean. The food was excellent, with lots for everyone (meat, fish, veg, gluten free etc). There was a bit of a queue at the coffee machine in the morning but they served filter coffee too which was was readily available. The only downside to the restaurant was that you had a long wait to be served drinks, we’d nearly finished our meals on a couple of occasions before the staff came to our table. It’d be far easier if water was on the table and they only had to serve the alcoholic drinks. All in all, a lovely hotel and good value for money but a bit far from any life. If you like the sea, enjoy a walk and are happy to jump on a bus or take a taxi, then I’d recommend this hotel is great as a base for your visit to Pula."

"Overall, this is a nice hotel. It’s clean, the food is good and the staff are friendly. Most of the staff we dealt with were very helpful and welcoming. It was refreshing to see the manager also cleaning away tables and helping out. However, there were a couple of things that let it down for us. The standard of the room cleaning wasn’t what we would expect from a 4star hotel. In particular, the beds weren’t made, which was disappointing. The hotel also has a conference suite which was being used during our stay. The conference delegates mixed with the holiday guests at breakfast, and unfortunately we found some of them quite inconsiderate. They also spent time sitting around the hotel working on laptops and having business conversations on their phones. We appreciate that hotels cater for both business and leisure guests, but for us it did affect the atmosphere. When you’re away on holiday, you want to switch off and enjoy a relaxed environment, and at times it felt more like being in a business or conference hotel than a holiday hotel. There are plenty of positives about the hotel, particularly the food and friendly staff, but the housekeeping and conference atmosphere did take the shine off our stay."

"Just returned from 2 weeks at this hotel. We had a great relaxing time mixing lazy beach days with trips into the nearby towns of Pula and Rovinj. - Hotel Initial impression was great, modern bright reception area and fast check in. Our premium room was on the 3rd floor with a great sea and pool view, it was in need of some modernisation, but was clean, quiet and comfortable with a great Illy capsule coffe machine (thankfully as morning buffet coffee was poor). The buffet restaurant serves the usual breakfast offerings, and a very varied and tasty selection in the evenings, food was never piping hot but that didn't bother us. There's a great selection of cold meats, cheeses and salad but deserts were dissaponting. Buffet got very busy and was more like a canteen than a restaurant, grated a bit by the end. Staff worked very hard and always got served with drinks quickly, beer and wine were good, hotel prices were as you'd expect. It would have been great to have another table service restaurant to break things up a bit but the Yacht Club they advertised as being part of the hotel has been an independent venue for about three years. We did eat there twice and had a beer or two in the day as views were great. There is a bar in the reception /terrace area, lacks atmosphere inside but terrace was nice on warm evenings. There is also a smaller Luna bar, the lovely waitress here works so hard, as do all staff to be fair. The lovely young man who cleaned our room made us smile with his towel sculptures, and the "knock knock" ladies came round in the early evening to top up towels coffee etc and always had a smile and friendly greeting. The pool area was quite small, beds went quickly, there are loungers on the green areas but again, mozzies were a nuisance. Small beach bar open till 6pm for drinks and snacks. We didn't use the Spa, but the gym was more tan adequate, enough equipment for a few people but not much floor space. -Area The Verudela area has 3 Hotels, the higher end Grand Brioni, a modern 5 star Radisson. The more family orientated Arena and the Histria. There are also lots of apartment blocks belonging to the Arena resort. There is a short avenue with a restaurant, supermarket, coffee shops, ice cream and souvenir shop.(ask reception for a map of the resort). You can use the bars and restaurants in the other hotels too at a cost. Lots of sports activities available, tennis, paddle ball and water sports. Ambrela beach is a nice little beach about 15 mins walk away, there is a cash only bar/restaurant there we went to to watch the sunset. Pula Aquarium is worth a visit, built in the old fort, went on a rainy day and was impessed by variety of creatures, they have a turtle hospital and butterfly enclosure. You can walk around the area along the coast between the hotels which is a flat walk but on uneven ground, and there were lots of mozzies around so we avoided this most nights sadly. -Beach The sunbathing area by the sea right outside the hotel is not part of the hotel, the beach beds down there are for rent, I wouldn't object to that normally, but there was no maintenance and the beds and general area was scruffy and rubish was left around by hotel guests and locals. The sea was still warm and we did some snorkeling, quite a few little fish varieties and calm water though getting in and out was tricky, slippery rocks and ladders. Bus stop is 10 mins away and we went to Pula on a few occasions, got the 3a bus in and 2a back, bought tickets on advance on the promet pula sight and downloaded QR codes. We also went to Rovinj from Pula by bus, that was absolutely beautiful and I would highly recommend, takes about 45 mins from Pula Central bus station (not much info on where to get the bus back so ask when you get off). Overall, we did enjoy our stay very much, but spent alot of time going into Pula as hotel has no entertainment and evenings were lacking atmosphere. Tip: On a Sunday the hotel arranges a free walking tour of Pula, we really enjoyed it and our guide Antonela from Fat Cats Pula was excellent!!"