Best Hotel Bets

The Best Small Hotels & Inns

• Hotel San Rocco (Brtonigla): San Rocco's location deep in Istria adds to the romance you'll find in its lovingly restored stone buildings and grounds. Flowers, olive groves, and an assortment of ruins comprise the hotel's sensual "curb appeal." But it's really the beautifully put together guest rooms with their melange of antique and modern touches, the inviting pool, and the magnificent gourmet restaurant that seal the deal.

• Hotel Waldinger (Osijek): It packs a lot of elegance into its 18 rooms, each of which drips with elegance in the heart of a city that has not altogether recovered from the 1991 war. From here you can easily walk to the banks of the Drava, shop the city market, and explore medieval Tvrda.

• Hotel Korana-Srakovcic (Karlovac): The Korana's sleek guest rooms are a nice surprise in Karlovac, which is still putting itself back together after the 1991 war. The hotel's big porch overlooking the river and riverwalk is a vacation all by itself.

• Hotel Vestibul Palace (Split): The Roman Empire meets the 21st century at the Palace, where most rooms share at least part of a wall built by Diocletian. History and gourmet delights align to make this one of the best hotel experiences in Croatia. Each room has a personality of its own, complete with cleverly designed windows carved into the stone walls to reveal views of various aspects of Old Town.

• Valsabbion (Pula): This hedonistic experience is not to be missed. The hotel's seven rooms and three suites are decorated with flair in a breezy, romantic style that carries over to its exquisite restaurant, one of the best in Croatia. There is also a spa with a long menu of beauty treatments. You might come here for the beach, but you'll stay for the food and the pampering.

The Best Big Luxury Hotels

• The Regent Esplanade (Zagreb): The most gracious hotel in Croatia compares favorably with luxury hotels in New York and Paris for a fraction of the cost. From rich furnishings in the guest rooms to a concierge who is a gallant repository of Croatian history, a stay at the Esplanade is an experience you'll never forget.

• Hilton Imperial (Dubrovnik): This is the U.S. chain's first foray into Croatia. Rather than build a hotel from scratch, Hilton had the wisdom to restore what was salvageable from Dubrovnik's historic 19th-century Imperial and graft a modern hotel onto the base. Every detail has been taken care of, and you'll be treated as an honored guest here.

• Le Meridien Lav (Split): Le Meridien's seaside location in Podstrana, 20 minutes from Split's Old Town, gives it a resort feel. Its spacious, well-appointed rooms, spa, casino, and high-design public areas contribute luxury, and its marina, tennis courts, and pools make it a destination hotel. If you are looking for a place you don't have to leave to have fun, this is it.

• Diamant (Porec): Though it looks like one of those impersonal '70s package-style hotels from the outside, it is much more -- management has thought of everything, and the hotel has an activity to match guests' every whim. The Diamont deserves special kudos for its efforts to cater to guests with disabilities. Every room can accommodate wheelchairs; even the pool and locker rooms are outfitted to allow access for guests with disabilities.

• Funimation (Zadar): The ultimate resort hotel. Funimation is elegant, all-inclusive with excellent restaurants. It is right on the beach, and scheduled up the wazoo with activities to keep kids busy and out of their parents' hair. This is as close as it gets to a Disney World hotel in Croatia.