Hotel/apartment recs Croatia
 

Does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay in Rovinj, Plitvice area & Zagreb that are convenient for having a car?

In Rovinj we are open to either a hotel or apartment. We'd like to be in old town if possible (though not sure if it is with a car) or we'd like easy access to old town. A view/terrace would be very nice.

We will be in Plitvice one night for early morning access to the park. I'm open to staying up to 45-60 minutes away from the park if there is an interesting town to stay in. And by "interesting" that might only mean a town with a really fantastic restaurant. We are a bit food focused and I have the impression that the options very close to the park are not that great, though I could be wrong.

Zagreb we'd prefer a hotel as it is just a two night stay before flying back home.

Our budget is flexible but a general target is 150/night. Willing to pay more for a great place in Rovinj that ticks all the boxes.

Travel is mid September.

Thank you.

For Plitvice, you also have the option of staying at a Soba (B&B) that includes dinner. Read Trip Advisor reviews to see what the reviewers think of the food, if that is important to you. Or, you could eat dinner in Sibenik or Zadar and then drive late into Plitvice, get to bed and up first thing in the morning into the park (opens at 7AM) which is easier if you are close by. You could stay in one of the overpriced park hotels for convenience, but you would be disappointed in the food no doubt.

You can't drive a car into the old town in Rovinj, but you can park in a lot just outside of it. The walk in isn't very far from the closest parking lot just to the north of the old town, which is pretty tiny. Mid-September you might find parking in that lot. Last May I stayed further out than the lot but walked from my B&B about 15 minutes into town - no view and perhaps further out than you would want, anyway. I would browse the options on Trip Advisor and see what options you have for views in the old town.

In Rovinj, I was very pleased with the Casa Garzotto; which still gets great reviews. They will work with you to arrange parking for a car.
http://casa-garzotto.com

For the Plitvice Lakes, the Villa Mukinja met my needs for lodging -- nothing fancy, but satisfactory. The dinner there was scrumptious! It's not a restaurant, so you don't get a choice of meals (as I recall), but it was memorable! Here's the review I wrote at the time:
"My dinner at the Guest House Mukinja was included in the price of my lodging there. I’m not sure if one can dine there if one is not a guest, but in case one can, it is well worth considering. I began with a salad of fresh greens, pršut garnished with tomato and olives, and an enormous serving of a luscious fresh cheese. My entrée was a whole, perfectly grilled fresh trout served with herbed potatoes and home-made ajvar. Absolutely delicious! Service was friendly, attentive, and welcoming."

In Zagreb, I was glad to have chosen the Best Western Hotel Astoria -- the location and service were excellent, and it still gets good reviews.
http://www.hotelastoria.hr/en/
Although it generally gets very good reviews, some people have complained about the size of the rooms there; if that's a concern, be sure to contact them about it when you book.

A car will not likely be an advantage to you while in Zagreb, so you might consider returning it upon your arrival there.

Enjoy!

Thank you both so much!

Kja, I might just follow right in your footsteps, all three of these properties look great.

We do plan to drop car off when we get to Zagreb :)

I sincerely hope you enjoy them as much as I did! And that you don't blame me if you don't! ;-)

Good plan to drip the car off ASAP upon reaching Zagreb.