Hotel Plavi Plava Laguna

Set in the Plava Laguna resort area, Hotel Plavi is a straightforward seaside base for divers who want the coast close by and the practical bits taken care of. You have a restaurant, a lobby bar, an outdoor pool and direct access to the beach, so the day can move from water to lunch without requiring a complicated plan. That is often the sensible approach after a couple of dives: less logistics, more sitting down.

The hotel has 213 rooms spread over three floors and offers the sort of facilities that make a difference once you are back on dry land: air conditioning in selected rooms, free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel, a 24-hour reception, a lift and a safe at reception. The hotel team speaks English, Italian and German, while the website is also available in Croatian and Slovenian.

You can keep things quiet around the pool, meet the family in the evening or use the hotel as a base for exploring Istria. It is not trying to be a small boutique hideaway; it is a practical coastal hotel with the sea and a fair number of activities within easy reach.

The address is Ul. Zelena laguna 10 in Poreč, on Croatia’s Istrian coast. The hotel sits on the seafront, with direct beach access and the beach just 30 metres away. Depending on the section you choose, you can settle on sand, pebbles or rock, with sun loungers, parasols and showers available by the shore.

Poreč city centre is 3 km away, far enough to give the hotel a coastal setting rather than a town-centre feel, but close enough for an outing into town. The surrounding area also works well for a slow afternoon on two wheels, with bicycle hire available and excursions reaching places such as Rovinj, Pula and the hilltop villages of Grožnjan, Oprtalj and Motovun.

A car is useful for seeing more of Istria, and parking is available on site, with a charge. The hotel also has a car-hire service, so you can arrange transport for a day inland rather than treating every excursion as a full expedition.

The room choice is broad, but the useful distinction is fairly simple: single rooms suit solo trips, while double, triple and quadruple options cover couples, dive partners and families travelling together. Several categories add a balcony, and views range across the sea, water, park and surrounding land. If the view matters to you, choose by that rather than by the label alone; the names do much of the work here.

Selected rooms include air conditioning, heating, blackout blinds, a desk, Wi-Fi, a television, a private bathroom, shower, hairdryer, towels and toiletries. The exact equipment varies by room, so check the individual room card before booking rather than assuming that every category carries the same kit. Some rooms also include a fridge, while a refrigerator can be rented through the hotel.

For a couple, a double room with balcony and sea view is the obvious choice when the room is meant to extend the evening rather than merely store wet towels and luggage. Solo divers have single-room options, including rooms with a balcony or sea view. Families and groups can look towards the larger room categories, including triple and quadruple rooms; the kids’ club for children aged 4 to 12 gives younger travellers somewhere to be while you take a slower turn by the pool.

The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with international cooking rather than a narrowly local menu. Breakfast is a buffet and is included in the breakfast-only board option. Service runs from 07:00 to 10:00 for breakfast, 12:00 to 14:00 for lunch and 18:30 to 21:00 for dinner, giving you a workable window for an early meal before heading out or a proper plate once the day is done.

There is one named bar, the Lobby Bar. It is the place for a drink without turning the evening into a full operation, while the restaurant handles the more serious requirement of feeding a diver who has spent several hours in the water.

Vegetarian dishes are available. The hotel can also prepare a packed lunch, which is useful for a full-day excursion or a day when lunch is better carried than chased. A gala dinner takes place once a week during the stated seasonal period, and dinner drinks are included during the applicable seasonal dates.

The outdoor freshwater pool covers 128 m² and reaches a depth of up to 1.5 metres. It gives you a simple alternative to the sea for a swim, a few lengths or an hour on a sun lounger when the beach has had enough of you. The seafront is right outside as well, with loungers, parasols and showers available on the beach.

When you want to move without committing to another major outing, there is tennis, table tennis, minigolf and cycling. Boat excursions are available, and the organised programme reaches from ancient Istrian towns to hilltop villages, Plitvice Lakes, Venice and the local aquaparks. There are also evening activities, so the hotel does not shut down the moment dinner is over.

Families have access to a kids’ club for children aged 4 to 12, along with children’s entertainment. For adults, the more convincing post-dive plan may be less ambitious: swim, shower, sit outside and decide whether a bicycle ride or another drink is the wiser use of the remaining energy.

Check-in starts at 14:00 and check-out is at 12:00. The reception operates around the clock, which is useful when travel times refuse to behave or when a late arrival follows a long drive. Early check-in and late check-out can be requested, subject to the hotel’s arrangements.

Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel. You will also find a cash machine, currency exchange, a souvenir shop and newspapers, laundry service, luggage storage and a safe at reception. A lift serves the upper floors, and accessibility facilities are available. The hotel has a meeting room as well, although most divers will be more interested in the terrace than the conference set-up.

On-site parking is available for a charge, and parking is also available nearby. Accepted payment methods include cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Diners Club. The hotel does not accept pets. If you are travelling by car, the combination of on-site parking and car hire makes it easier to use Poreč as a base rather than a single-stop beach address.

The hotel and its coastal setting carry three named environmental and safety labels: Blue Flag, Safe Travels and Safe Stay. Blue Flag relates to the beach environment, while Safe Travels and Safe Stay address recognised health and safety standards.

There is no longer a need to turn this into a lecture. For you, the practical point is that the hotel sits beside a beach carrying the Blue Flag label, with direct access, showers, sun loungers and parasols close to the building.