We arrived in the early evening and I went to the reception to find out where to park to unload our luggage. The few parking spaces offered by the hotel were full by that time. The receptionist said to bring the luggage up and then drive around the town until we found an "empty blue parking space" and then pay with coins in a nearby machine. She said we had to pay until 9 PM that day and either pre-pay for the next morning or get up before 7 AM and buy another parking card. It took quite awhile to find an empty spot (3 blocks away) and then another few minutes to figure out how to pay. Other vacationers were quick to help. After finally getting to the room, we found it pleasant and clean, but smaller than expected. The air conditioner was comfortable and the room quiet. The receptionist was very friendly and the breakfast ample. The small lobby was jam packed with a tour group and all of their luggage in the morning, making the check out difficult to navigate.

We got the top floor apartment which was simply amazing. The view was spectacular, the hotel beautifully designed with a lot of attention to detail. The staff was attentive and friendly, breakfast very satisfactory.

The hotel offers a good value for the money, everything is clean and functional. Staff very friendly, we were even offered to upgrade to a better room with no extra charge. Hotel parking at 10 EUR/day right in front of the hotel. Taking account the breakast and amenities I´d say that it is more like 3 than 4 stars.

Opatija is an old Riviera town that dates back to the late 1800's/early 1900's. There is a lot of old Austro-Hungarian charm here. The Design Hotel Astoria is a recent renovation with comfortable rooms, great staff and very accessible to the main tourist areas of the town. For us, it was a perfect stop for one night as we drove down the coast towards Split.