Latest Reviews for Rabac

First time to croatia and it won't be my last. The people are so freindly and helpful.I have never returned from a holiday so relaxed!!!

When we arrive in Rabac the deal was that we were to be given one of three hotels Hotel Amfora was by far the best hotel as we had a sea view to die for with a balcony and aircon. The food in the restaurant was self serve and top rate with something for everyone plus everywhere was clean. It has 1 swimming pool and 1 baby pool with sun loungers.
I would give the hotel and staff 10 out of 10

The Beach is a stones throw away and you can swim in it.
One tip from the locals is to buy some footware (50 kuno from one of the stalls or shops)to wear when you go in the sea as the pebbles get very hot and only the tourists are seen going ouch as they walk on the hot pebbles.
We had a nice walk along the sea front every day and evening where there are lots of coffee shops, ice cream parlours, restaurants, gift shops and stalls selling marano glass jewelery etc.
And all so cheap!!!
You can also get the local bus into town or even go as far a Pula and even take a taxi.

The trip to venice is a must at 525 Kuna (£50) which includes the tour guide only. you have extras to pay for if you want which are:- special tour which takes you round the parts that the tourists don't go and a boat ride to st marks square for 6 euros, gondol ride for 24 euros, lunch 13 euro and 19 euros and a taxi boat ride for 23 euros. Children are half price up to the age of 16.
also on the return boat ride home they sell gifts from 3 euros to 10 euros which range from small face masks to marano glass and venice dvds and calenders.
Also don't forget the duty free shop.

We paid for the special tour and taxi boat ride which were good and didn't book the meal but bought a slice of pizza for 2 euros each down a side street. we were told by people that paid for the meals that they were microwaved which was a shame for the price they charged.

Don't forget to tell the hotel that you are going on the trip the night before as they will pack you a breakfast to take with you and leave a cold plate of food in your room for your return.

The other trips available were:- Best of Istra, the Plitice lakes, Dubrovnik,Slovenia's Creations of Nature,Slovenia and Lake Bled,Discover the Brijuni Island, Cruise to the island of cres, Croatian Village Party Night, and Canoeing/Rafting.

Rabac is a lovely resort. Aparthotel Pluton is quite far out of the centre though. It is also very steep and hilly and not good for those with mobility problems.

The staff at the hotel very friendly (as were all the Croatians we came into contact with).

There are lots of little pebbly beaches all the way around the resort so you're never far away from one.

Hotel Mimosa, Hedera, and Narcis,are all basic 3 star hotels,not all rooms have A/C,some have no view only the sky.
Good swimming pools, ideal for familys,the coast of Istria is all rock no sand you MUST buy shoes(£5) if you venture into the sea it is full of sea urchins with barbed spines,you can buy a mattress for the rocks for £6-10 at resort, chairs and umbrellas are £2: 50 each per day.
Once in Rabac you are a little isolated,you can only get from there with excursions from Hotels,as busses are very infrequent.
You can get to Labin and walk back through the trees to Rabac the path starts at the end of the cobbled road towards Rabac on the right,a plan of the walk is on the wall near the tourist office,not for high heels some parts are a scramble,takes about 45 mins down.

Really pleasant hotel. French seemed to be at the Mimosa next door and Russians at the Narcis. Good choice of meals, plenty to eat. Rooms cleaned and fresh towels every day. Only down side was that there was only one way to stroll each evening.! Rovinj was absolutely beautiful to visit. Opatikja was disappointing. Would go to the country again. Very pleasant people. Local taxi driver would take 4 people anywhere for the same as bus fare.

First season for Thomson flying from Bournemouth airport to this resort.Pula airport is very small but relaxing.Were dismayed on arrival to be given a poky dark,room overlooking the back of the hotel and car park,despite the rep telling us that most people got a sea view.(no,that was just the Germans!)However we complained immediately and for an extra £3 each per night we secured a lovely room with balcony overlooking the pool and sea.We were happy then!Most other English people said it didn`t bother them,but better to request a sea view on booking.We were given one of three hotels on arrival and were very happy with our choice.

This small resort is really lovely,a small fishing village 20 minute walk from the hotel.The Neptun is the last of the hotels,next to the nudist beach.I would highly recommend it.No crime,very clean-no litter on the beach and very picturesque.In fact,very like Italy in some respects.The hotel itself was well run,the food was very good,something for everyone.I think you would be hard pressed not to find something you liked.The breakfasts were memorable.Loads of fruit,cooked breakfast,ham,cheese,freshly baked bread and rolls,cakes,yogurt and cereals.Hotel was very clean and the staff friendly.The only downside was the Wedding party on Saturday night,which went on until 5 am,with no warning.We love music but it has it`s limits!
The weather was generally good for the start of June.It was stormy when we arrived,but in a day or two it was very hot.
All in all a good cheap break-we would love to go again.

Our holiday in rabac was fantastic it is an absolutley beautiful place.There are lots of little cove beaches,and the water is so clear and blue.Although the beaches are very pebbley,so its worth taking some wet suit shoes if you intend swimming.

Hotel neptun is very clean,our room was cleaned everyday.The staff were very helpfull and polite.
One of the hightlights of our holiday was our trip to venice,which we would highly recommend!You can book this with your holiday rep.It cost about £50.00 each and was an excellent day.

We found eating out was a lot cheaper than greece and spain.The average price for a meal was £17.00 for two people.We found a lovely resturant called captaino,had the most fantastic steak in mushroom sauce ive ever tasted!

Croatia is a really lovely and beautifull place.Rabac is ideal for couples wanting a relaxing break.

Hedera Narcis and Mimosa Hotels, Rabac, Istria.

June 2005

Holiday in general:

This 8 day half board holiday was booked in early 2005 with Page and Moy, a Travel Company with a good reputation who advertise regularly in the quality press. Rabac, pronounced 'Rabach', is a small village on the Eastern side of The Istrian Peninsular in Northern Croatia. Most of the other larger and more popular resorts such as Pula, Rovinj and Porec lie on the flatter Western side of the peninsular. The Hotels are situated at the head of the beautiful Maslinica Bay, (named presumably after the company that owns the three hotels).

This is a beautiful spot that looks out to the Island of Cres, pronounced 'Tres'. Our short flight of 105 minutes was from Gatwick to Pula, Istria. 2005 is the first year that British tourists have returned in any number to this part of Istria. Istria region borders Italy at Trieste and the Ljubjana region of Slovenia. This area was hardly touched during the civil war that took place with the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

More info can be found at these websites:

page-moy.co.uk/specialoffers/tourlists/croatia.htm
travel.guardian.co.uk/readeroffers/europe/page/0,12302,1393886,00.html
maslinicarabac.com/

The Hotels:

In early June all Page and Moy guests were accommodated in the Hedera. The Hotel was multinational with German and British guests in the majority. Mimosa was occupied by non- British guests and the Narcis was empty, but was being prepared for use later in the season.

The three Hotels are of 3 star standard and have been improved in recent years by the Italian owner. They appear to have been built in the 1970's and externally have quite an austere appearance. This is why the hotels are not depicted in the brochure. They are quite comfortable and clean inside however.

The hotels sit side by side at the head of the bay. It is well worth spending the extra small supplement for a sea view, preferably with a balcony, as there is no view from the rear of the hotel due to steeply rising ground. Much has been spent on the hotels' swimming pools and external areas, which are excellent and are pictured in the brochure. The gardens were extremely well maintained and we have never seen so many roses in a garden anywhere. There were ample sunbeds available around the pools and in the gardens, however umbrellas had to be hired from reception. Inside the hotel was not at all austere. It was kept scrupulously clean by the hard working staff.

The hotel company appears to own and run a large campsite adjacent to the hotels which was occupied by caravans, camper vans, chalets and a few tents. This was not a problem at all. Safes were available in all rooms free of charge, so long as a returnable deposit was paid to obtain a key. Drinks prices in the hotels were reasonable and free tea and coffee was offered to guests each day from 4.00 to 5.00 pm. A cake was also offered but this was a bland piece of puff pastry and not worth bothering with. It was possible to run a 'tab' and pay the total bar bill at the end of the week via credit card.

The only real downside to the hotel we felt was the standard of food, which was generally below the expectations of other guests as well as ourselves. We also felt that the atmosphere was akin to eating in a works' canteen. As a result we twice ate at the outside grill restaurant on site. You receive 40 Kuna (£4) per person discount if you eat there, rather than in the main Hedera restaurant. You get a voucher from reception for the 40 Kuna and then pay the difference (you can not add this to your hotel tab). This represented reasonable value for money and is fine unless you are on a tight budget. We also ate out in Rabac (an easy 10 minute walk away along a flat coastal path) on two other occasions which meant we only had to use the ";works' canteen"; for breakfast and three evening meals. Expect Mediterranean type cuisine at restaurants away from the hotel, with plenty of fish available on the menu.

Outside the Hotel / Touring with Page and Moy and Kompas Travel:

We can highly recommend Restaurant Capitano, which is right around the bay in Rabac, Restaurant Terasa, up some steps near the supermarket in the harbour corner and Restaurant Miramar, which is one of the first you come to when you walk to Rabac. For a lunchtime snack sandwiches are hard to find so we ended up sharing a Pizza between us most days, which is standard practice, so two plates are provided! The lager beer and ice creams are excellent all over Istria. We caught the public bus to the nearest inland town of Labin, on top of the hill. There isn't much there to see, but we enjoyed a lunch, a walk around and then took a woodland path back to the hotel. It is about 3 miles downhill. Good shoes or trainers are essential. Very safe and easy to find if you ask at the Tourist Information Office or ask one of the café waiters. Almost everyone speaks English.

Kompas Travel is a local company which has a partnership arrangement with Page and Moy and provides an excellent guided travel service. The trips, which are available at extra cost, we would highly recommend. The guides speak good English and are extremely knowledgeable. We took the catamaran day trip to Venice, including coach at 490 Kuna each (£49). The fast boat trip took 135 minutes each way. We also undertook two other coach tours around Istria that were excellent and very educational.

We enjoyed good weather apart from a thunderstorm which ruined about half a day. We enjoyed the holiday and the region very much and will be returning to Croatia for another holiday within the next few years. This was our second visit - we went to Dubrovnic in 2001. Although the food in the hotel was below expectations the holiday still represented good value for money and we think it highly likely that the food will improve as the hotel company realizes from the guests' questionnaire comments what standard is expected. Remember to budget for the extra cost of the trips, they are very worthwhile! Good Luck.

Phil and Judy Catterall, North Yorkshire.

Page and Moy have only started going to Croatia this year I believe but the holiday was excellent and the reps very helpfull.
Rabac is avery pretty village with wonderfull views,The hotel apeared to have been completely refurbished inside and the
staff were all very pleasant.
Highly recomended for value for money.