If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR189.34), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Villa Rainis was the 19th-century home of Venetian chemist Giovanni Rainis – today rebuilt as boutique hotel and spa Palazzo Rainis. This refined stay is a deftly dosed prescription for upscale R&R by the sea. All that’s good about its past has been conserved – stately proportions, ornate balconies, towering pines in the grounds that were built around. Its balconied rooms, most with sea views, are a soothing tonic; its destination restaurant, a triumph of Istrian cuisine you should take twice daily. A location close to town, on a coastline of feted Istrian beaches, means Villa Rainis and its Novigrad setting have great chemistry, too.
Smith Extra
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A welcome glass of wine, beer or soft drink. GoldSmiths get a room upgrade where available and a bottle of wine
11am. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
Prices
Double rooms from £183.21 (€214), including tax at 13 per cent.
More details
Rates include buffet breakfast with hot dishes cooked to order.
Also
May we alert your attention to room service hours: coffee and pastries on your balcony accompanied by a gentle sea breeze is the simplest of breakfast upgrades.
At the hotel
Pool, spa, gym. In rooms: free WiFi, satellite HD TV, minibar, free tea, coffee and free bottled water, local botanical bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Superior suites offer excellent value with generous living space and broad balconies. Although interiors are equally calm and contemporary across all buildings, the allure of staying in the main villa is hard to resist: first-floor suites have stately proportions and elegant arched windows framing sea views, but it’s the top-floor Premium Suite that has stolen our hearts – a tucked-away charmer with serene sea views from its balcony under the eaves.
Poolside
In front of the hotel, flanked by superior rooms and suites, the chlorinated pool (unheated) is open from 10am until 6pm.
Spa
In the basement of Palazzo Rainis, a tucked-away spa is a sleekly dressed den of saunas, ice-bucket showers, a treatment room, relaxation area and a Jacuzzi, plus a small gym.
Packing tips
Casual, loose-fitting threads for wafting around Novigrad; nautical stripes and deck shoes for yacht adventures.
Pine-shaded tables on the terrace are the most sought-after.
Dress Code
What would Beth Harmon wear? Channel tailored separates, pleats and retro prints to bring a little Queen’s Gambit flair to the chequerboard dining room at Chemistry.
Hotel restaurant
With room for only 30 diners and a gourmet menu, Chemistry at Palazzo Rainis is something of a hot ticket. In a 50s-cool dining room of chequered floor tiles, peacock green walls and brushed nickel details, dine on Istrian cuisine with Mediterranean and French influences thrown in: championing local, seasonal ingredients and at Chemistry you can expect the same with added kitchen alchemy: ingredients such as tartufi and wild asparagus are reimagined with more than a nod to the science of cooking.
Hotel bar
Named in deference to Venetian chemist Rainis, the villa’s original owner, Potions bar is at the heart of the restaurant, allowing guests to move seamlessly from apéritifs to dinner; curvaceous velvet sofas at one end of the restaurant are the place to linger over cocktails or sample your way through the Istrian and Croatian wine list – with additional high stools at the bar.
Last orders
Breakfast is served, 7am–11am; lunch between noon and 3pm; dinner, from 7pm–10pm.
Room service
A tale of two menus, breakfast can be ordered to your room between 7am and 11am; from noon, a dedicated menu of Istrian-influenced dishes is available until 7pm.
Palazzo Rainis is in Novigrad on the west coast of the Istrian peninsula in northern Croatia.
Planes
Pula (50 minutes by road) and Trieste in Italy (80 minutes away) are the nearest international airports to Palazzo Rainis; Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport is less than two hours away, too. The hotel can arrange private airport transfers (€130–€460 each way).
Trains
Istria is not known for its rail infrastructure. Trieste in Italy is the nearest train station with good connections, still an 80-minute drive from the hotel: Pula train station is less well connected and routes from Zadar, Dubrovnik and Zagreb often involve lengthy stints on buses as well as rail travel.
Automobiles
The hotel is a car-free zone with a private car park 200 metres from the hotel, which has charging points for electric vehicles.
Other
Ferries from Venice cross the Adriatic in less than three hours to Poreč, which is only a 35-minute drive from Palazzo Rainis.
Worth getting out of bed for
Town does not preclude beach in the scenic port of Novigrad: shingled gems such as Plaža Maestral, south of the old town, and City Beach, alongside the town walls, are bathing spots in easy reach. Further along the coast, popular Plaža Pineta is a broad, pine-fringed stretch of pale pebbles lapped by turquoise shallows. The hotel can arrange a day trip by yacht to explore the pristine blue-and-green beauty of the Brijuni National Park (off the coast of Pula). The Roman amphitheatre in Pula has Colosseum-like grandeur and is yours to visit on a full-day private guided tour of Istrian towns and sights. Join a truffle hunter in the woods on a quest for the famed fungi and feast on your finds for lunch. The picturesque fishing port of Rovinj and seductive summer resort Poreč, which has lauded beaches and a charming old town, should also be on your Istrian checklist.
Local restaurants
A trio of fish and seafood restaurants are all within walking distance in Novigrad… First up, the gourmet one – Damir i Ornela – where elegant, simply dressed plates of the freshest seafood confirm its fine dining status. The award for best dressed goes to the linened tables bathed in a warm glow from pendant lamps at the Marina Restaurant, where prettily presented fish dishes are as smart as your polished surroundings. With less formality but just as much flavour, Konoba Čok (better than it sounds) is a casual spot for ceviche, oysters, pan-fried scallops and whatever catch of the day has made its way from the Adriatic to the kitchen, plus its wizardry with truffles and pasta is good news for vegetarians.
As a teenager, I went on a family holiday to Split and sailed around the southern Croatian islands, stopping off for lurid-coloured, fish-bowl ‘cocktails’ with my sister along the way. So,on my way to Palazzo Rainis in Novigrad, I was pleased to have the opportunity to head back and explore in a (hopefully) more sophisticated fashion this time around. Back then, I hadn’t realised the full length of which Croatia stretches along the Adriatic Sea, and how far north it goes, bordering Slovenia and only an hour drive from Italy.
Mr Smith had been working for a few months over the summer in north-east Italy. Leaving Trieste after my partner’s work had finished, we hit a dramatic thunderstorm en route which delayed our arrival until after dark. A quick dash inside to get out of the rain and we soon realised we’d missed the hotel reception entrance, instead bundling straight into the restaurant, disrupting the diners. Wet and a little embarrassed, we were ushered kindly through to reception by the waiter on duty.
It’s clear that one of the elements which makes Palazzo Rainis so special is the staff. Kind, warm, and genuine, they strived to make our stay exceptional. A complimentary glass of fizz, a room upgrade, and a detailed itinerary for our weekend – we felt warmly welcomed.
We were shown to our room, the deluxe suite, in the main house of the hotel which is an original 19th-century villa, once owned by a Venetian pharmacist. With its sleek lines and subtle detailing, this new extension perfectly complements the existing Italian-style villa.
The suite, with living room and bedroom divided by double doors, oozes old-school glamour. Rich colours and fabrics, elegantly high ceilings, cool marble in the bathroom, parquet flooring throughout, and not one but two ornate balconies overlooking the harbour – all we needed now to fit in with the decor was a dry martini. A quick spritz in the marbled bathroom and back downstairs for dinner and drinks at the hotel restaurant Chemistry.
Dinner was an indulgent affair. Istria is a diverse culinary area thanks to its incredibly fertile land. It’s renowned for its white truffle, wines, olive oil, and meats. All of which we sampled that evening in abundance, with a little added extra twist from the chefs to make the dishes truly unique. A final nightcap and we had, well, over-indulged. It was time to retreat back upstairs.
The following morning, although the rain had finally stopped it was still overcast. So after a coffee on our balcony, we had a slow and leisurely breakfast inside. Plates full of Istrian cured hams, eggs, and bread, with plenty of strong coffee – the perfect way to wile away a morning before heading into Novigrad.
The port town of Novigrad is a short walk from the hotel. It’s a picturesque and laid-back fishing town, with colourful houses, lively cafes, and lots of bustle around its charming harbour and within its old city walls. We spent the day exploring the narrow streets, stopping for ice creams, coffees and aperitivos; embracing the slow pace of life while eyeing up potential dinner spots – there are plenty to choose from.
Another evening devouring hearty food and delicious wines and my idea of a perfect weekend had been achieved. The only thing missing was the sunshine. But, right on cue, on Sunday morning out came the sun.
We made a beeline for the pool in our most debonair outfits. Much like the interiors at Palazzo Rainis, this is one stylish pool. Sun loungers with neatly rolled yellow towels line the turquoise pool, which is surrounded by aesthetically pleasing symmetrical planting. Friendly gardeners tended to the grounds while we were there and attentive staff cater to our every poolside need.
Sipping some (more) Croatian wine, we overlooked the graceful sailing boats in the harbour. We imagined it was our yacht we’d just moored up in front of our palatial Italian villa, dreaming of a long hot summer of food, wine and sunshine ahead. This might be a newly discovered part of Europe for Mr Smith and I, but it is one we could certainly get used to. And at the centre of it was Palazzo Rainis, making its bid as the very definition of a fine boutique hotel.
