With all ecstatic reviews, we placed high expectations on Miramar and chose it to crown our Croatia trip. That must be why we felt a bit disappointed. The restaurant and the recreation facilities were top notch; but the room didn’t live up to our expectations, and the service was poorer than it should have been. So I just can’t rate the hotel higher than average, even though quite a few things about it were truly outstanding.

BOOKING

Booked by sending a request through the hotel’s web-site. Like few other Croatian hotels, they requested the credit card details. Unlike the other Croatian hotels we stayed in, also an advance payment of 20%. It would have been so easier if they had a secure payment tool on the website, which they don’t.

HARD TO DRIVE TO BUT EASY TO PARK

The hotel wasn’t too easy to find. Our GPS kept on telling we were near, but the road signs prohibited to turn. We had to make a bypass down some narrow lanes off the main street to finally reach Miramar. A taxi driver told us later that the left turn (if driving from Rijeka) towards Ive Kaline was allowed before, but not any longer.

Spacious garage parking of the hotel was for free, but must be reserved in advance.

ROOM: NOT MY CUP OF TEA

We booked a waterfront double room with the sea view at the Villa Neptun, on the half-board basis.

Immediately as we entered, I realised that except for being perfectly spacious the room was entirely not my cup of tea. It didn’t look cosy let alone luxurious; just large and old. I couldn’t get rid of the feeling it was a royal cloak-room turned into a guest room. The furniture and the floor could have been «antique», but were not too well-maintained - the damages made them look shabby. Two large wardrobes dominated the room; they stood out like two heavy coffins.

God knows why they decided to place the bed diagonally across the room! It headed into the corner and faced those two coffins. It didn’t feel good to stay in bed with our heads in the corner and the eyes in the wardrobe.

One more brilliant idea: a window to the bathroom by the bed, with the bath right behind it. We had to remember to shut it when taking a bath, otherwise water splashes wetted the bed through the window.

Despite my request of a king-size bed, we had two beds moved together; we were told they didn’t have kingsize ones. The bed turned out perfectly hard; we loved it! The sleep was just excellent... especially in a day or two when the strong smell of linen detergent faded away.

The room had a balcony with two sun loungers, and a loggia with a table and chairs. The balcony offered magnificent sea view, with amazing sunsets; while the view from the loggia was half-blocked by a pine tree. There wasn’t much privacy on the balcony; we could easily see and hear the neighbours and be seen from the beach and the upper floors.

The bathroom was wonderful, well-lit and clean. It had two large sinks, a bath-tube and a bath, and a separate room with a toilette and a bidet. All needed amenities and toiletries were available... but the bathrobes. And those turned out necessary to be allowed to the pool area and the spa centre.

Most of the information in the room was in German only, including on the wellness services that we were determined to use.

There was no WiFi in the room; LAN connection only. Free WiFi was available at the reception, in a different building.

BEACH: MAKE YOUR WAY THROUGH THE RESTAURANT

The beach in front of the hotel was clear except for some autumn leaves in the water. The area marked out for the guests’ swimming was too small. To get down to the beach, we had to pass through the restaurant on the terrace each time; not too convenient. Although there were lots of sun beds available, we spent most of our time by the pool, away from the diners.

RECREATION FACILITIES: FANTASTIC!

Here comes the best part. The gym, the pool with saunas of different types and the wellness centre were absolutely fantastic! These alone make it worthy to stay in Miramar.

The gym had a surprisingly decent for a hotel selection of free weights and a very good choice of simulators and aerobics machines. I can hardly think of anything I was missing there.

The heated pool was quite large, with both indoor and outdoor parts, a sauna area and an open air jacuzzi. Free saunas «in Nordic traditions» were of various kinds - herbal, Finnish, steam etc; and had an interesting selection of showers, including a bucket of icy water. These were truly hard to leave!

The wellness centre shouldn’t be missed. I tried several treatments, including various massages and a facial, and was pleased with qualification of the massage therapists.

RESTAURANT: DIVERSE AND DELICIOUS

The restaurant was another outstanding thing about Miramar. They offered the best buffet breakfast we’ve had in Croatia, with an excellent choice of everything one can fancy for a morning meal. Also a delicious espresso (when I succeeded to get one). The dinners, a la carte, were never repetitive, and were invariably delicious.

SERVICE: LEARN GERMAN OR BE IGNORED

Funny enough, the two of us can speak 8 languages and understand Croatian, but no German. And it turned out essential to get a proper service in Miramar. I understand that the hotel is owned by Austrians and that overwhelming majority of the guests are German-speakers, yet this is hardly a good excuse to ignore other guests.

And we felt ignored, when, for instance, sat in front of the dirty plates at a breakfast table trying hard to attract anyone’s attention to ask for a cup of coffee. Why, the waiting staff had been too busy chattering cheerfully to the other guests for over 15 minutes (yes, I did follow the time once). Are they paid here for talk, not for changing the dirty plates or serving coffee?

To be fair, the staff at the wellness centre and the gym was not only professional, but also helpful and accommodating. As were two out of three receptionists we ever dealt with. The receptionist on our departure was rather cold. It was the only time in Croatia we weren’t even asked how our stay was.

Well, not as perfect as we expected, sadly.