My lasting memories from a holiday in Croatia include strong and incredibly scarce red wine, a marine encounter with a turtle in which I massively over-reacted and unexpectedly coming face to face with a German ‘sausage’. First, the wine!

List your favourite wine-growing countries and France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, maybe the USA and Australia are likely to be at the forefront of your mind.

But apparently, Croatian wine is so good and produced in such small quantities, they keep the majority of it for themselves.

Zinfandel may, in fact, originally be from Croatia, where it’s known locally as Crljenak Kaštelanski. It is also the parent of Croatia’s flagship red grape, Plavac Mali, known for producing rich, flavourful wines that are high in alcohol (typically 13% to 17% ABV).

The truth is that most Croatian wineries are small and can’t produce enough wine for export. This means most of the wine is sold in the country itself and smaller wineries sell out by the end of each year.

Wine was just one of the attractions of visiting Croatia, the plentiful islands off which remind me of Greece, but with a hint of Italy about them, probably due to the fact that Istria has been under Italian rule in its history.

Upon strong recommendation from a very dear friend, we booked with Tui to go to Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort. My friend hadn’t been, but someone she worked with had and had raved about it. My friend likes what I like, so I booked in confidence. She has since been herself too.

Normally preferring to travel independently, this is the one and only package holiday I can ever remember taking and, to be honest, the Tui website does the place no justice at all. A much better impression of the resort can be found on Valamar’s own website.

We loved the laid-back vibe and what the island had to offer so much that we barely left, apart from for the occasional dinner, a winery tour and a day trip to Venice.

Where is Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort?

The resort is off Poreč, on the Istrian Riviera, set on the tiny, traffic-free, tree-covered Sveti Nikola island, accessed only by boat.

We travelled from the tiny Pula airport by coach and, on approach, I was a little hesitant. The holiday rep said we were only minutes away and what I was looking at was nice and indeed fine, but ‘fine’ and ‘nice’ don’t necessarily cut it.

It wasn’t until we stepped off the bus and wheeled our cases a few steps down to the waterfront, where we saw the island sparkling across the water that I knew I was going to love Poreč and all of its terracotta roof-topped beauty.

Poreč is the most popular holiday resort in Istria and is frequently named the top resort in Croatia by the Croatian National Tourist Office.

It’s been part of Italy and Austria in its history and there is much to see in the old town, apparently – although I didn’t get off my sun lounger that often. I liked knowing it was there, though!

By the way, only once did we arrive too late for the last boat to the island, but we didn’t have to swim! There are other boat taxis available for a few euros.

What’s Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort like?

The resort comprises a mixture of hotel rooms, suites and villas, dotted in different locations around the island, which is made of two halves. There’s the more lively, family Isabella Hotel side, with fab views over the water to Poreč, and here you’ll also find the Isabella Villas. There is also the rather more boujee, five-star side, where you’ll find the luxury Miramare Villas and Suites and the refurbished 19^th century Isabella Castle.

We went in September, when kids had returned to school, and stayed in the Isabella Hotel in a main building, superior double room; a smart, modern, well-equipped space with sea and pool view. Think contemporary furniture in typical Mediterranean shades of earth and sea.

If I were to go again, particularly during peak season, I would certainly consider booking the five-star side, which had a luxury spa feel to it and accommodation was steps away from the glistening sea. I wouldn’t stay in the castle, though, as I didn’t see any balconies, and that’s not for me.

The island has plenty of spots for sun loungers, including manmade sandy sweeps, purpose built sunbathing platforms with steps down to a sea as clear as tap water and rocky coves, one of which is where I encountered a bratwurst up close.

Our favourite cove was a quiet, rocky one, just away from the family beach, where you could press a button and a waiter would appear to take your order. We were often the first there and there was only a handful of sun loungers on manmade platforms, so it remained peaceful throughout the day.

It was also a nudist beach, but I didn’t know that until, upon shrieking that I had seen a jellyfish whilst in the sea, a very kind and very naked German man came to reassure me that it wasn’t a stingy one, standing above me on the shore with his ‘waist’ at my head height when I stood up. I saw more than I had bargained for. Shame on us Brits for being so prudish, I guess!

What are restaurants like at Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort?

There are many and they vary in style – from buffet to fine dining. The Isola buffet restaurant is where the rather magnificent breakfast, which the hotel says is the “best gourmet breakfast experience in Croatia”, is served.

The canteen feel of the buffet restaurant wasn’t my favourite in the evenings and we only ate there once (despite having paid for half board), but we loved the Miramare seafood restaurant on the more secluded part of the island, plus the more relaxed Bistro Vista and Oliva Grill. It was at one of those that I had probably the best pizza I’ve had in my life, piled high with large prawns, rocket and parmesan, but then I’m told I say that a lot!

What is there to do at Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort?

Aside from the pools and beaches, there is also a spa, and various watersports – offering everything from sailing to paddle boarding.

Every morning, after breakfast, I used to enjoy snorkelling by the watersports centre, overlooking the town. One morning, I was following a shoal of fish as they darted between rocks and glanced something moving swiftly towards me from the deep. By the way, I am the sort of snorkeler who thinks ‘shark’ every five minutes, wherever I am.

I glanced to my right and saw a turtle the size of a dinner plate hurtling towards me. I spared no horses and exited quickly, scraping my stomach on the jagged rocks as I did so, although in hindsight, I’m not sure what damage a turtle would have done to me. When I mentioned to the reception staff that I’d seen a turtle there, they didn’t seem to believe me, so maybe it wasn’t. If not, I have no idea what it was.

Sea life was evident around the island and we watched what I assumed were tuna chasing smaller fish in a roped off swimming area on the other side of the island on one day. Thank heavens I wasn’t in the water then!

What trips are available from Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort?

You can book excursions via Tui on arrival (and there was a certain amount of pressure for us to do so), but we visited the hotel concierge and booked our trips, once we’d settled and knew what we wanted to do.

Both highly recommended, we booked a vineyard tour and a day trip to Venice, which is just three hours by high speed ferry from the port of Poreč.

The vineyard tour took us to two wine estates, including the beautiful Kabola winery, where we glugged perfectly-chilled and fresh Istrian Malvasia wine (our favourite) in the shade of a giant oak tree, with ham, bread and cheese laid out on white clothed tables, overlooking the coast of Slovenia. It was a truly memorable experience.

The second wine estate was less memorable; so much so that I don’t remember its name. Off the top of my head, I think the trip cost about £45 a head, but don’t quote me on that.

The Venice trip cost about £75 per person and involved an early start, but was so worth it, as neither of us had been. It’s worth paying extra for the premium lounge on the ferry, which cost slightly more, but was less crowded (and they served ready mixed Aperol spritz in mini bottles).

Best restaurants in Poreč

When we could tear ourselves away from the darling island, we ate on the harbour, looking at the island! I’m not sure I’ve ever had a bad meal in Croatia and the seafood is so very good, in my experience.

One of our two favourite restaurants, primarily because they threw truffle all over everything they served – sweet or savoury, was Restaurant Sveti Nikola, where we ate twice. The menu focuses on traditional Italian and Croatian cuisine, with plenty of fresh fish and meat, plus delicious local specialities, such as Istrian dry-cured ham.

My partner loved his fillet steak scattered with truffle and I was much impressed with the carpaccio of octopus, monkfish and scampi. Dessert (something indulgent and chocolatey) was also served with truffle shavings and, after our second visit, the restaurant manager gave us a little bottle of walnut grappa to take home, as a memento.

We also loved the award-winning Spinnaker, which was on the harbour front in another Valamar hotel. Here, little works of culinary art are placed in front of you as the waiting staff carefully explain the story behind each one.

The current tasting menu, which includes Istrian charcoal scampi with almond velouté and sea foam, ‘brodetto’ of local squid with raw scallop and smoked sea bass in tobacco, potatoes and kale, might not be cheap (€90 per person), but it’s a truly special experience.

What I remember most of all about our meal at Spinnaker was the green grass-fresh olive oil which was probably the best I’ve ever had (there, I said it again) and explained beautifully by our waiter.

Seven nights at Isabella Valamar Collection Island Resort in September 2024 is £1,013 per person half board, including flights, in a superior double room with sea view, booking with Tui. One night at the Miramare Villas and Suites starts at €394 per night, booking directly with Valamar.

Go, but don’t order the bratwurst.