Maistra Select All Suite Island Hotel Istra

Rooms and decor

Picture a hotel you can only reach by boat. You leave the busy Old Town harbour in Rovinj, the boat crosses the water for ten-odd minutes, and you ease up to a small island green with pine forest. That's Maistra Select All Suite Island Hotel Istra, on the private island of St. Andrew — Crveni Otok, or Red Island, to locals. The first thing you notice stepping off is the quiet. The whole island is car-free: no engines, no horns, just waves, birds and wind through the pines. The island carries some history too — it once belonged to the Hütterott noble family, who loved planting and brought in unusual species from around the world, leaving behind a botanical garden in the sea you can still walk today. The hotel is all-suite, so the rooms run larger than a standard hotel room, decorated in a calm, easy tone built for unwinding. Many have a balcony or sitting nook looking out over the clear water or the line of pines. Open the balcony door in the morning to the sea breeze and only nature sounds — something guests say is genuinely rare these days.

Food and amenities

The heart of a stay here is being able to slow down, and the island gives you enough to do without ever leaving it. The highlight reviews mention most is the two indoor pools, which let you swim comfortably even when it's windy or overcast — no gambling on the weather like an outdoor pool. Next to them is a spa with massage treatments and a relaxation room for pampering yourself after a day of walking, and a fitness room for anyone who still wants to move. Sea lovers are a few steps from rocky beaches and swimming platforms scattered around the island, with the clear water typical of the Istrian coast — many spots quiet enough to feel like a private beach of your own. For food, the hotel has a main restaurant serving breakfast and dinner, plus a seaside bar for a drink while the sun drops behind the islands. Meals on a car-free island, with no traffic noise, are something guests single out. And if you feel like exploring, shaded pine paths circle the island past the old botanical garden and sea-view spots, good for a wander morning or evening.

Location and getting there

The location is what makes this place special and challenging at once. The hotel sits on St. Andrew island in the Adriatic off Rovinj, and the main way in and out is the hotel's shuttle boat between the island and the Old Town harbour, about 10 to 15 minutes. Boat into shore and you land in Rovinj Old Town, where pastel houses crowd up the hill to the bell tower of St. Euphemia church, with winding stone lanes, a harbourside square, seafood spots and stylish cafés to wander all evening. The charm of this kind of stay is getting both worlds — by day you can boat into the Old Town or carry on to nearby Sveta Katarina island, and by evening come back to the calm of a private island with no tourist crowds. For getting there, Rovinj is in Istria in western Croatia; from Pula, which has an airport, it's about a 40-minute drive to the harbour, then the boat across. If you dream of sleeping on a quiet island but still dropping into a beautiful old town whenever you like, this location is the answer.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. The first thing to understand from the start is the shuttle boat — because the island is car-free and reached mainly by boat, the schedule runs at set times, and from evening into the night the boats aren't as frequent as during the day. That makes a late night out in town, or a late return to the island, less flexible than at an in-town hotel. Anyone who likes spontaneous nightlife should check the last boat of the day carefully. The second is the condition of the rooms and buildings: this is a long-established hotel that's been only partly renovated, and some reviews note certain buildings or room types still look dated next to newer-built resorts. Look at the photos for the room type you plan to book and ask for a renovated one first. The third is the beaches and food: the shore here is rocky beach and concrete platforms in the Istrian style, with no private white-sand beach, and because you're on an island, dining options outside the hotel are limited. Some guests on longer stays feel the menu starts to repeat, so keep an open mind or plan to boat into town for a meal now and then.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real guest reviews, Maistra Select All Suite Island Hotel Istra sells "privacy on a car-free island, calm in the middle of the sea, large suites with indoor pools and a spa" in a way that's hard to match anywhere else in town. If the trip in your head is waking up on an island with only waves and birds, walking the pine paths to find your own rocky beach, soaking in an indoor pool on a grey day, then boating in to wander Rovinj Old Town in the evening before returning to the quiet, this is a place that stays with you. But if you want the freedom to come and go at any hour, lots of nightlife, or expect a brand-new, fully modern resort in every corner, the boat dependency and the condition of some buildings are worth a second thought. Overall we give it 9.1/10 — best for couples and relaxation-seekers chasing private calm at sea who still want to boat into the Old Town whenever they like.