T

he Valamar Riviera Hotel is perched at the water’s edge in Porec, a 2,000-year-old seaside town encompassing 37 kilometers of pristine Adriatic coastline on the western edge of Croatia’s Istrian Peninsula. Once a beloved vacation spot for Habsburg monarchs, Porec is finding new life as a destination for the Adriatic pleasure-seekers who swell the town’s population during the late-summer high season, as Croatia’s coastline reinvents itself as a Riviera for the new century.

The hotel’s red-orange façade blends with the surrounding rooftops to form a distinctively Eastern European waterfront tableau. Inside, the design acknowledges the community’s seagoing history with a clean nautical aesthetic that defines the 105 guest rooms. Decorated with a crisp Adriatic blend of creams and blues — giving Greece’s classic Aegean blue-and-white color scheme a run for its money — most rooms feature an ocean-view or city-view balcony along with parquet floors and a wall-mounted flatscreen TV.

The Valamar Riviera is steps away from seemingly endless beaches, but guests also have access to the private unspoiled beauty of St. Nikola’s island via the private boat that leaves from the marina in front of the hotel. Those who elect to stay on the mainland find themselves in the heart of Porec’s old town, free to explore the Byzantine mosaics of the Euphrasian Basilica or simply relax on the hotel terrace, where luminaries from the surprisingly vibrant local jazz scene give frequent concerts.

Please note: The hotel only accepts guests aged 16 and older.