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The Best Hotels to Book in Zadar, Croatia

Discover the beauty of Croatia’s northern Dalmatian coast in and around Zadar
Discover the beauty of Croatia’s northern Dalmatian coast in and around Zadar | © Zimu Liu / Alamy Stock Photo

Rosemary-scented islands sprinkled across an emerald Adriatic, crumbling Roman ruins, valleys of vineyards and meadows of wild asparagus; Croatia’s northern Dalmatian coast is every bit as pretty as the celebrated stretches around Split and Dubrovnik to the south. However, it’s far less visited. Yet Zadar is well-served by UK budget airlines – and with Venetian churches, palatial townhouses and a lovely setting right by the water, it makes a good base for exploration. This is our pick of the best hotels in Zadar.

Luxury Rooms Kadena

Bed and Breakfast, Guesthouse

Colourful room at Luxury Rooms Kadena with a bed, TV, rug, wooden floor and large window
Courtesy of Luxury Rooms Kadena / Expedia

With only three rooms, the Kadena is more a boutique bed and breakfast than a hotel, decorated in soft greys, and lent pizazz by swirling baroque wallpaper, satin curtains and marble-lined, double-basin bathrooms. It’s in the heart of old Zadar – two minutes from the Roman ruins and the sea front. The only downside is that there’s no lift – and with the bells of St Chrysogonus Church next door ringing out at 7am, it helps to be an early riser.

Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Iadera

Spa Hotel

Sparkling outdoor pool with views of the ocean at Falkensteiner Spa & Hotel in Iadera
© Falkensteiner Spa & Hotel Iadera / Hotels.com

The Falkensteiner caters for travellers who want to stay on a Mediterranean beach without having to worry about more than getting a good tan. Identikit laminate-wood, cream and Matisse-blue balcony-rooms sit behind a modern glass-and-concrete façade on an isolated peninsula. With a gentle shingle beach, a stroll from the rooms, a hammam spa and huge indoor and outdoor pools, you are some drive from any sights. Most guests are content to lie back, relax and never leave the grounds.

Mono Apartments & Rooms

Hotel, Apartment

Smart room at Mono Apartments & Rooms with a large sunburst mirror and a double bed
Courtesy of Mono Apartments & Rooms / Expedia

With off-white walls, soft-grey counterpanes, inoffensive art and ebony-look furniture, the Mono’s room decor is more business hotel than boutique. But the location is plum: in a historic tall townhouse right next to the archaeology museum in Zadar’s old town. Best of all, shops and restaurants with genuine local character are within credit-card swiping distance.

Hotel Bastion

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

Spa at Hotel Bastion with sparkling tiled walls, potted plants and a guest in a robe
Courtesy of Hotel Bastion / Expedia

Here’s a genuine piece of heritage in old Zadar, set in an elegant neoclassical manor house built around the ruins of a 13th-century Venetian fortress on the quays. It’s far from frumpish – light floods into the plush, modern rooms through tall windows, most with views over the marina. The jacuzzi-steamy spa glitters with gold mosaic and the sea-view terrace restaurant (serving Croatian-Mediterranean cooking) is one of the best in Zadar. When you’ve had your fill here, there are plenty more places to dine nearby.

Dezign Apartments

Serviced Apartment, Apartment

Smart room at Dezign Apartments with a green velvet sofa, a table with a potted plant and a double bed
Courtesy of Dezign Apartments / Expedia

With double beds you can fall into, complimentary wine you actually want to drink on the bedside table and bathtubs in the living room, these self-catering apartments (with fully equipped kitchens) are for couples who care about intimacy even more than privacy. The seaside promenade is a five-minute amble away, and tailor-made for romantic sunset views. While you’re out, take time to potter among historic Zadar’s sights and shops.

Hotel Niko

Hotel

Smart room at Hotel Niko with a wooden floor, a sofa and a terrace with a view of the sea
Courtesy of Hotel Niko / Expedia

The building is nothing to Instagram home about – a concrete block 10 minutes’ drive from the centre. But the Niko’s Trokrevetne and Balkonen rooms are something else. Decorated in an exuberant French Empire style with bergère armchairs, heavy drapes and satin bedspreads, both are fronted with sea-view terraces big enough for a romantic evening meal. And the owner-manager family are heaven-sent – genuinely seeking to please.

Almayer Art & Heritage Hotel

Hotel

Dining terrace at Almayer Art and Heritage Hotel in the evening, with tables, chairs and greenery
Courtesy of Almayer Art and Heritage Hotel / Expedia

Accommodation in Zadar is rarely better located than this: in a beautiful neoclassical townhouse in the heart of the old town, a minute’s stroll from the waterfront. There’s even a shady courtyard garden. Free parking, too. We say avoid the top-floor attic rooms, which have uncomfortably low ceilings, and the mezzanines, with their print-block art and faux-Japanese screens, in favour of the best rooms: the upper-floor double-standards.

Art Hotel Kalelarga

Boutique Hotel, Hotel

Room decorated in neutral tones at Art Hotel Kalelarga, with a bed, armchair and occasional tables
Courtesy of Art Hotel Kalelarga / Expedia

This little Zadar boutique hotel, in the busiest part of the historic centre, manages to feel bright and modern. Rooms radiate honey-tinted whites and light wood, with fitted desks and bedside tables, all the while retaining vestiges of the 19th-century building. Expect exposed raw stone walls and an al fresco bar area spilling onto the Renaissance flagstones of the adjacent street. Generous breakfasts are included and Zadar’s best restaurants are minutes away.

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