Hotel Joso

A small, family-run hotel by the sea, Hotel Joso suits divers who prefer a straightforward base with a proper restaurant rather than a resort built around endless facilities. You can return from the water, shower, step onto your furnished balcony and let the day wind down without making another expedition of it.

The setting is practical as well as pleasant: rooms are air-conditioned, Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel, and the restaurant stays open from 07:00 to 23:00. The website is available in English, Croatian, German and Italian, so you can at least get the essentials before arrival; the languages spoken by the hotel team are not specified.

There are two buildings. The newer annexe has a lift, while the older main building does not, which is worth checking before you book if stairs are a nuisance after a long day in the water.

You are in Sukošan, Croatia, on the Adriatic coast, close to Marina Dalmacija and the coastal road. The hotel has direct access to the beach, with Zlatna Luka Beach about 50 metres away. Marina Dalmacija Beach is roughly half a mile away on foot, giving you another nearby stretch of coast to explore when you fancy a change of scenery.

Sukošan keeps everyday errands simple. Your nearest grocery shop is about 300 metres away, and Restaurant Francesco is around 250 metres from the hotel. Two konobas, Kod Guste and Kaleta, are about half a mile away, so you have alternatives when the hotel's kitchen is taking the night off from your company.

Zadar is about 5 miles away, with its squares, museums, parks and historic buildings providing an easy change of pace. The Kornati National Park is around 9 miles away, while Zadar Airport is about 4.3 miles from the hotel. In other words, the transfer should not turn into a second holiday.

The room choice is mainly about how much space you want and whether the sea view matters to you. Couples will find the double rooms the natural fit, particularly if the balcony is part of the plan: a place to sit with a drink, dry off in the air and watch the light change over the coast. The superior double or twin option adds a sofa bed, which gives you a little more flexibility without moving into a full family arrangement.

For three people, the triple rooms keep the sleeping layout clear, with a king-size bed and a single bed. The superior triple room gives you more room to spread out, which is useful when three adults are sharing rather than merely tolerating one another between meals. The room cards below give you the exact dimensions, capacity and bed arrangements; the useful distinction here is how the space will work for your group.

Every room has a private furnished balcony and an en suite bathroom with towels, toiletries and a hairdryer. Air conditioning should help take the edge off a warm coastal night, while a refrigerator gives you somewhere for fresh water when you return tired and salty. You also have a wardrobe, a desk, a flat-screen satellite TV and free Wi-Fi. The rooms use soft colours, keeping the interiors calm rather than theatrical.

Restaurant Joso handles the day from breakfast through dinner, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner indoors or on the terrace. Breakfast is a buffet included in the accommodation, with continental and Italian choices alongside the usual buffet selection. That gives you a sensible start before heading out, without requiring a complicated morning briefing with the kitchen.

The restaurant's cooking is local, using fresh produce and fish of the day. This is Dalmatian food in the useful sense of the word: the distinctive point is what arrives fresh from the region, not a long list of international themes. After diving, that matters. You can sit down to a proper meal rather than assemble dinner from whatever survived in your bag.

There is one bar at the hotel for a drink when the terrace meal is over or when you want to postpone the walk back to your room. Restaurant Joso is open from 07:00 to 23:00, covering the early breakfast crowd and the sort of evening when conversation lasts longer than planned.

The direct beach access is the main reason to stay close to the water when you are not diving. You can keep the afternoon simple: walk down to the shore, take a swim or sit outside with a book while the Adriatic does its usual work of looking busy without asking anything of you. The hotel also has a fitness centre for anyone who still has energy to spend.

Boat excursions are available, with Kornati among the destinations offered. The hotel also proposes excursions to Plitvice, Krka and Zadar, giving you several ways to make a non-diving day worthwhile. Zadar is the easier cultural outing, while the national parks call for a fuller day away from the coast.

If a more active day appeals, rafting on the Zrmanja and Krupa rivers is also part of the programme. That is not the gentle option, obviously, but it gives a couple or a small group something more memorable than another round of deciding whether to go for a walk.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to midnight, and check-out from 07:00 to 11:00. The front desk operates around the clock, which is useful if your arrival or departure does not line up neatly with normal hotel hours. Wake-up service and currency exchange are also available.

Free private parking is available on site, with no reservation needed. The hotel has accessible facilities, and Wi-Fi is free throughout the property. Payment can be made in cash, by Visa or by Mastercard. Children of any age are welcome, with cots and extra beds available on request according to the room option.

The airport is close, but the hotel is beside a coastal road and consists of two buildings with different access arrangements. If you need a lift, choose the annexe rather than assuming that every room is reached the same way. Pets are not allowed.