8 Best Hotels in Northern Dalmatia, Croatia

Carefully curated modern furnishings create tremendous relief after a day of hustling through Zadar’s narrow streets. Enjoy fine materials and plush bedding in rooms that, while not exceptionally spacious, are designed to feel so. The restaurant excels in wine selection and sophisticated desserts, and even though it’s one of the most well-regarded restaurants in town, the prices are approachable.

Nestled amid vineyards and olive groves, elegant serenity awaits guests at Boškinac. While all rooms are sunlit and well-appointed, the luxury rooms and suites offer amenities such as Jacuzzi tubs and room service on your private terrace. The most distinctive aspects of the hotel await outside of guests’ rooms: after a full day of exploring Pag, return for an evening of candlelit gourmet dining that is fit for royalty. Sample a tasting menu that features small portions of the chef’s signature dishes while indulging in wine from the Boškinac vineyards, such as the indigenous white Gegić. Follow your night of revelry with an equally refined breakfast while seated at wrought-iron patio tables, savoring Dalmatian prosciutto and fresh-fruit-stuffed strudel.

Elegant, with artistic decoration and a refined ambience, Hotel Bastion offers a chic respite for travelers with a taste for sophistication. The hotel is high-tech, with “smart-room technology” that controls amenities via a digital display and excellent Wi-Fi. Take a trip (or several) to the deluxe spa and pamper your well-heeled traveling feet in a Kneipp foot bath. Eat at the hotel’s internationally renowned slow-food restaurant while watching ferries cross the bay from your perch on one of two terraces.

Nestled into the historic Old Town, this family-owned boutique hotel in a 19th-century building preserves its historical character and has a modern, open, and artistic feel. Highlights include a glass-covered porch, a stone-wall-enclosed garden and terrace, uniquely decorated rooms, and hallways that serve as galleries for rotating art exhibits. The Almayer is within 500 meters of Zadar’s most prominent landmarks and a 10-minute walk to the beach.

Flanked beachside by a grove of tall pines and encircled by a security fence (more to keep nonguests from enjoying the hotel's outdoor pool than for the sake of safety), this is an attractive place to stay even if the long narrow lobby does resemble an airport terminal. Bright and modern with warm hues, the spacious rooms (some with a sea view for only slightly more) have pine floors and large bathrooms complete with tubs.

On an isolated stretch of the main road just before you enter Starigrad from the south—and close to the national park access road—this friendly little hotel is a bit concrete-boxish in appearance but offers not only a splendid view of the mountains to the east and clean, spacious (though not quite sparkling and modern) rooms, but also a restaurant with carefully prepared, scrumptious seafood fare.

Just 3 km (less than 2 miles) from Nin, the Zaton Holiday Resort is a one-size-fits-all holiday extravaganza perfect for anyone traveling with their family. The resort offers a range of accommodation options, from camping to glamping via apartments and mobile homes. The sandy beach is excellent, and there are also heated swimming pools, a range of organized activities for young ones, a packed calendar of events, and several food and drink options.