My wife and I were visiting Venice and decided to rent a car and drive over to Croatia to see what it was like. We didn't reserve any accommodation there but figured we would stop when we found something nice. It worked out well. The almost four hour drive from Venice was quite pleasant and to my surprise, the roadways in Croatia were very good. We were also impressed by the cleanliness and beauty of the landscape. We stopped in Vrsar at the Hotel Pineta and asked if they had a room for three nights available. We were in luck. They had two rooms left. Vrsar is a beautiful little seaside village with a lovely marina surrounded by restaurants and touristy shops. The hotel was pretty basic but clean and bright. I would recommend this hotel if you want a clean convenient place to stay when in Vrsar. Coming from Canada we were taken by the number of German tourists there. I don't think we heard any English spoken, other than the staff, who were very helpful. We visited the nearby towns of Rovinj and Pula which are both close by by car. In summary we very much enjoyed our first trip to Croatia.

We stayed for a week in June 2010. Location is brilliant, right on the seafront and 5 minutes walk from the old town of Vrsar. Our room was spacious with a big bed and balcony and was kept very clean throughout our stay. One complaint however would be that the room was on the ground floor and there were lots of ants on the balcony (there were lots of ants over the whole hotel complex) which tried to get into the room at night!! Would probably ask for a room on the 1st floor next time to avoid this and would ask for a sea facing room as our balcony overlooked the entrance to the hotel.
We would also have prefered more english speaking channels on the tv as there were only a couple but there was (I think) about 8 or 9 German channels!! The resort was predominately filled with Germans and Austrians so we understood why the tv channels were like this but it left us with nothing to watch after a day or so!!
The location is very hilly with lots of steps down to the pool area which is lovely, wasn't overcrowded and pretty clean. There is also a public, pebbly beach 2 minutes away and an island to swim across to (you may find nudists on this island as there is a nudist resort around the corner and the people we saw on it were generally naked).
There are plenty of facilities such as bike hire, pedalos and organized entertainment and there is a good gym (which you have to pay extra for) and indoor swimming pool.
Vrsar is a pretty child friendly place and there were lots of families in the resort however ther was an erotism festival taking place in town whilst we stayed which we didn't attend but from reading the guide, we didn't think was too appropriate for a family orientated town.
Breakfast in the hotel was great, massive amounts of choice and well cooked. The coffee was lovely. If you eat outside on the terrace you may be visited by one or two scrat cats. They are very friendly and look healthy but they won't come up to you unless you ask them. I fell in love with one and wanted to bring him home!!
All the staff were friendly and helpful, especially the young lady on reception with curly hair.
Do not miss a trip to Rovinj and the Limski Kanal whilst you are there. Both are lovely.
There is a very nice restaurant just back from the seafront that we went to on a couple of occasions. Just go pass the other, brash pizzeria's and its just up the street on the right hand side.
We will definately be returning next year as we had such a lovely time.

We strayed for three days here after driving into Rovinja and finding that the town is full of tourist buses and crowds, and parking was difficult. Hotel Pineta is well located with views over the sea and islands close to Vrsar. We had a room that faced the sea and we enjoyed evening drinks watching the sunset. Reception staff were quite helpful, even though they were busy with the numerous group bookings they had to deal with. We visited in early May and the hotel seemed largely full of elderly tourist groups. The room was reasonable for a three star hotel being clean and adequate size, the breakfast buffet had a reasonable range of food styles which cover most tastes. The location is very good, close to many restaurants on the water front, a short walk to the old town and plenty of parking for cars. It was also centrally located (mid west coast) for our drives around the Istrian peninsula.

We've just come back from a great last minute holiday at Hotel Pineta in Vrsar. The accommodation and location were great and I loved the dinning and drinks terraces which overlooked the busy harbour.
The room was adequate with a comfy bed, mini fridge and aircon.
Bathroom was clean and maid service was good although I'd have liked to have had clean towels every day. The shower in our room (no 7) was a bit dodgy, power ok but temp could be erratic depending on time of day and other guests showering in the hotel. Ladies who like to do their hair properly should be advised to take their own hairdryers as the one provided was pretty useless and tended to take ages to do the job.
Breakfast was great and we often didn't bother with lunch as we were so stuffed from the buffet. Choices of bacon and eggs as well as pastries and cold cheeses and meats with toast, jam and fruit etc . . .
The hotel bar was a little pricey for some drinks but happy hour between 8 and 9 is worth a visit as the cocktails are half price then. The Belini was very nice. (champagne and archers).
Hotel staff spoke fair English and made an effort to make us feel welcome although I wouldn't say that smiling comes naturally to most Croatians!
Although the hotel didn't have it's own outdoor pool, the inside one was good and the other hotel with the outdoor pool that you have use of is very close and almost on the same site as the Hotel Pineta.
Transport was a bit of a let down in Croatia, no trains in that part of Istria and the buses aren't terribly frequent to the larger towns of Pula and Rovinj. I would suggest booking early to ensure you can get a hire car unlike us who were left a bit stranded. One excellent service I did discover was www.istriatours.com who are a very reliable and by far the cheapest airport transfer taxi service.
Definitely have a fish platter for two whilst on holiday but stay away from a restaurant with a large fishing net hung up on the balcony just back from the harbour area. Very pricey and bad food. Only restaurant we found this in all the rest served excellent food at reasonable prices. Pizza and ice cream to die for, definitely shows the Italian influence.

Do take a good pair of walking shoes due to the hilly location of Vrsar and also a pair of wet shoes and if you fancy it a snorkel for the beach. I'd suggest buying a cheap beach mat on the first day you arrive. Will probably cost about a fiver but is well worth it as the beaches/rocks can be a little uncomfortable without it.
Do go for a boat ride and have a trip on the little tourist train that takes you around Vrsar. Both are cheap and good fun. We also hired push bikes which meant we could cycle out to the Fjord along the eco bike path, nice country side and good for looking at the vineyards. You can also hire scooters for fairly cheap prices.

Overall a thoroughly good holiday with just enough for a week. Two weeks might have got a bit dull but I'd certainly recommend it as a holiday for couples and families.
Hope you enjoy it as much we did.