Boutique & Design Hotel Navis — Hotel in Grad Opatija

My husband and I stayed here for five nights on a nostalgia trip to several of my childhood holiday haunts. It proved to be a fantastic choice! The hotel is quirky in every respect. It is just the right size (about 40 rooms) – intimate but not in any way intrusive. Every single staff member was genuinely warm and super-friendly and we felt pampered and almost part of the family! In fact, we learned that the Navis was actually family-owned and got to chat briefly to the owner ourselves. He also runs an olive-oil business and we received a bottle of olive oil as a parting gift. A lovely touch!|Our room was modern and we had the most beautiful view of Kvarner Bay and the Adriatic Sea from our balcony on the fourth floor. While there was no kettle in the room, there was an excellent Nespresso machine with regular refills being provided. Another minor niggle was the shower above the bath (luckily, we are both fit enough to climb into the bath but it could be an issue for somebody with mobility issues). |The parking garage under the hotel was unfortunately way too small for our rental SUV (not our choice of vehicle!) so we parked on the slope right outside the hotel. |We loved the pool terrace and beach area which always had plenty of sunbeds. Knowing Croatia well, we were prepared for having to climb down a ladder into the crystal-clear sea (there is also a very small pebbly bay but you’d need swim shoes to go into the water there). We both got great massages from Alma, definitely the best of our holiday! It is a little bit peculiar that in order to access the sun terrace, guests have to walk through the spa – which is not conducive to creating a tranquil atmosphere in the spa.|The Navis’ restaurant is simply outstanding (separate review). We enjoyed one superb dinner on the terrace. The included breakfast buffet was great and offered a lovely variety of dishes. I especially loved the fresh breads and pastries (the cheesecake and cinnamon strudel were to die for!). The fruit and cereal selection was a little bit limited and it was difficult to find fresh milk for the cereals. They also offer a very good selection of cooked egg dishes which are ordered a la carte but are included in the breakfast.|The cleaning ladies were great and very prompt in the morning.|As others have remarked, the hotel’s location is perfect for accessing Opatija’s 12-km coastal promenade and you are spoilt for choice for lovely restaurants in walking distance (our favourite was Mandrac in Voskolo).|If we ever return to Istria, we would not hesitate for a second to choose the Navis again as the...

Location: We spent an extended weekend in the Opatija area on short notice. We originally wanted to stay for just one night at the hotel Navis, but extended our stay twice since we liked it so much. The hotel is located some 2.5 km from Opatija in a remote corner at the sea. It is the only hotel in the vicinity and we liked its quiet location directly at the sea. Within a 10min walk you can get to Volosko, a beautiful small village. Opatija is about a 30min walk, but the hotel offers a free shuttle bus until 7PM in the evening and the taxi ride is about 10 EUR.

Rooms: We didn’t book in advance and it was high season, so few rooms left. We spend the first night in a suite, which comes with an extra room but had to move to a normal room thereafter since there were no suites available for the subsequent days. My wife preferred the extra room of the suite, but I personally felt the normal rooms are big enough. If it’s important to you, the beds in the suites face directly to the sea, while in the other rooms the beds face with their side to the sea. Again, very minor aspects in my view since all rooms, whether suite or not, have balconies and direct sea view. I personally preferred the higher floors (3 and 4) since they are further above the pool terrace. The rooms with the higher numbers have a bit a better, more direct, open sea view.

Staff: Very pleasant and attentive staff, who will support you with all your needs.

Pool area: I read a few reviews reporting a lack of sun beds, which I cannot confirm. It was high season, the hotel was almost completely booked, we were never at the pool before 11AM and there were always free sun beds. Further, I have never seen that people block sun beds with towels. The pool itself is not particularly huge but we preferred the sea anyways.

Beach: The “beach” is a small private 10m long bay. Not huge but we really liked it.

Breakfast: Due to COVID, no buffet anymore, but you can order everything a la carte. Was Fine for us.

Dinner: We had dinner on our last evening in the a la carte Restaurant, which was a marvelous experience. Outstanding local sea food, fantastic service (Thanks, Marko!) and one of the best restaurant visits we had in the recent past. Definitely a...

We stayed here in July 2020. I should split the review in one for the hotel and one for the restaurant.

Hotel: 5/5 Probably the best hotel in Opatija. The ocean view from the rooms is fantastic. The beds are comfortable and the AC is just right. Room size isn’t spectacular and the bathroom in the standard rooms lack a proper shower, but those are minor points. The staff was impeccable. Really helpful and professional. Breakfast was à la carte and one of the best we ever had. A tip: the jetty could be used to put some extra sun beds. I had the feeling there weren’t enough beds available for everyone. The Tesla chargers are great but they need maintenance, they didn’t work properly in many cases.

Restaurant (dinner): 3,5/5 Again, the staff is flawless. We left the restaurant somewhat disappointed given the very high price you pay. At this price point we were expecting something close to a one star restaurant. Overall the dishes weren’t seasoned enough. The starter was minced fish with fruits(!). Sorry, but this doesn’t match. The fish was not seasoned whatsoever. The main course (octopus) was actually quite good and the dish we enjoyed the most. Dessert wasn’t memorable. The selection of wines was good. Presentation was nice. I would advise the chef to taste the dishes and re-think some of the plates. A lot of improvement is possible. If you’re looking for a nice dinner in Opatija go to Ruzmarin or Roko. You’ll spend less than half for a 3 course dinner and had a better meal. Sorry I’m a bit harsh, but in Belgium you get a memorable culinary evening for this kind of money.

Overall I would rate the hotel 5/5 as the restaurant was only a small part of our experience and maybe we just hit them on...