The end of our (otherwise fabulous) Croatian holiday was spoiled by coming here. I am sure there are some nice rooms in the Villa, but they act as agents for many apartments nearby. When we arrived we were told that nothing was available for our three nights. They would put us in one apartment for two nights and for the third night we could move to a "lovely apartment on the beach".

We did not want to waste more valuable time looking for alternatives so we reluctantly accepted. The first apartment was alright, so we completed payment - it was clear that our passports were being held hostage until we did so.

When we tried to move after two nights (and some wasted time re-packing), we were told to come back later as Triana was having a massage - of course she did not come to us, we had to keep trying. Eventually we were handed a key and a scrap of paper, showing us where to find the apartment. When we eventually found it, we could see why they did not want to bring us there. It was old, grubby, and gloomy, with many basic faults. Most lamps did not work, there were cracked windows and dangerous loose electric sockets. There was no shower door, a crazy oversized basin tap which soaked the floor when used, and a toilet amusingly squashed into a corner at an angle. It was on the beach, but we did not fancy sitting on the mouldy furniture.

We had decided to leave out a planned trip to a National Park so that we could enjoy the beach apartment on our last day, which made it all the more annoying.

When we complained, we were stonewalled completely ("Triana is having another massage"), and apart from being shown another apartment which was even worse, there was no attempt to put right the problem.

We never received any sort of apology, and requests for a discount to reflect how they let us down met blank refusal. We left messages asking to speak to her when available, but she did not even have the politeness to come and talk to us.

This place was a thousand times better than we expected, we booked a 'hostel' that was the cheapest place we could find, but when we arrived we were delighted, our room was just gorgeous, we had a balcony and kitchenette, and the place had a pool and was right on the beach! The location we thought was perfect, not in the town, but not far from it so it was nice and quiet but a 5 min walk away were all the resorts with watersports and stuff to do. We were also 2 houses up from a supermarket. Very handy! The next time Im in Zadar, I will most definitely be staying here!!

We arranged for the transfer from the airport which was punctual with a friendly driver, though we'd suggest taking the bus from the town back to the airport which is considerably cheaper and easy to find. We were greeted by Triana, the owner, who was very friendly, spoke good English, and was more than happy to answer any questions. Our room was on the top (third) floor with a beautiful view from the balcony of the sea and the notorious Croatian sunset. The room was cleaned every day (except the dishes) with fresh towels and soap. It looked just like the pictures on tripadvisor (though an even more golden look), but the kitchenette is rather small yet sufficient enough. There is a reliable bus service into the town, but it is actually not far to walk and it is a scenic route. We recommend this cute hotel for a romantic long weekend.

Villa Triana is a lovely waterside villa. The villa is directly on the water, and the views are stunning. The back garden has a pool and seating area which looks out onto the water. It's a great place to sit at sunset and enjoy a glass of wine. The "beach" on the water consists of concrete slabs/walkways/ledges. You can sit on the concrete and look out on the water (which is rocky/pebble bottomed). There are also small concrete piers that you can sit on. We were there in early April and the water was too cool to wade or swim in, although we did see a few hearty souls out for a brisk swim.

Our room shared a fully stocked kitchen with the room opposite us on the ground floor facing the water, which was very convenient. If you'd like your room cleaned every day, simply hang a sign they provide you with outside your door. Otherwise, your room will not be cleaned without you requesting it. Our bed wasn't terribly comfortable - a rather thin mattress and one pillow each. Not the best night's sleep, but it was adequate. The bathroom we had was enormous with a spa-bath. The bedroom was a good size with a window that looked out onto the water. Fast, free Wi-fi was available in our room and everywhere throughout the villa. Breakfast is available at an extra cost, but we never opted for it.

The owner and the staff were incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. They offered us great information on transportation and sightseeing, and provided us with maps and specific directions on how to get places. Their expertise was much appreciated. They allowed us to store our luggage the day we checked out since our flight wasn't until late in the day. Overall, the staff was extremely accommodating, helpful, and kind.

Villa Triana is in Diklo, which is outside of the old Zadar centre. In good weather, it's a lovely walk along the water to the old centre, but at a leisurely pace it took us an hour and a half to walk to the centre from the villa (you have to wind your way around piers and parks which extends the walking time). However, the bus that goes into the centre stops directly outside the villa, and it's a cheap, easy and fast (10 minute) bus ride into the centre. In addition, taxis in the centre are plentiful, and it's an inexpensive taxi ride from the centre back to the villa (22-30 Kunas). It was never a problem to travel from the villa to the centre, and vice versa. Since we were there in off-season, many of the restaurants in Diklo were closed. However, in high season, you'll find plenty of restaurants in the area without having to travel to the centre. There's a lovely waterside cafe/bar a couple doors down from the villa with an outside deck, and another smaller waterside cafe/bar a couple doors down in the other direction. There's an ATM and good sized market ("Market Toni") a couple doors down (in the same set of buildings as the cafe with the outdoor deck) which stocks all the essentials.

Unfortunately, Villa Triana was undergoing renovation and landscaping in their back garden/pool area while we were there. It made for a dusty and noisy visit during the day. We were unable to take full advantage of the back garden area since construction was taking place during the day, and the pool was not yet open. The jackhammer outside our window made sleeping in one morning (and taking a nap one afternoon) unpleasant, if not impossible.

We rented a car (through Sixt in the Zadar centre; great company) for a day trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It was about a 1 1/2 - 2 hour easy drive. We highly recommend this trip - it is the most beautiful park either of us has ever seen. Turquoise and green lakes surrounded by waterfalls; just breathtaking. Villa Triana also offers excursions to the park if you prefer not to drive. There's also a public bus that goes to the park, but after much research on Tripadvisor, we decided we'd prefer the independence of a car. We read about problems some people had in catching a return bus from the park to Zadar, as sometimes if the bus is full it won't stop at the park. We were there off-season and probably wouldn't have had a problem, but the car made the whole trip easier.