Laguna Gran Vista Reviews

Sept.08 stayed at Laguna Gran Vista, great hotel cant complain about the hotel or staff. We went with Cosmos, never saw a rep, had no welcome pack, no welcome meeting and very disappointment with Cosmos altogether. We were given a piece of paper on the Monday to say our meeting was on the Saturday (which had obviously gone). Never saw a rep to organise trips or anything else, totally disgusted with Cosmos as a whole. The Germans, Italians, Russians etc. all had reps.so it made you think because you were British they couldnt care less about you.

Having not been to Croatia before, this was a bit of a step into the unknown, but it is somewhere I would certainly return.

Porec is a very picturesque town. The architecture is wonderful and the narrow cobbly streets and squares ooze atmosphere. I wouldn't recommend it for anyone looking for a lively holiday - though there are plenty of bars and a few clubs - but for couples, those getting on a bit, or people just wanting to relax, it is ideal. The restaurants seem to be of a consistently high standard (with Istra and Nono [don't order a large pizza for one person, you'll never finish it] recommended).

The Gran Vista is an excellent hotel. The rooms are cleaned daily, the pool was rarely crowded, the meals were always very good, and the staff were helpful. It's a bit of a distance from Porec itself, but the noddy train, which costs about £1.50, means getting into the town very easy.

For other attractions, we went to Pula. The Roman ampitheatre there is incredible, but Pula has very little to offer other than this. In many areas of Pula you could easily be in Grimsby. Except Grimsby isn't adorned with quite as much far-right graffiti. We got the bus there and back from Porec, which was fine heading there, but on the way back it was over an hour late. This didn't seem to be a rare occurance, and no efforts were made to inform us of its lateness. The ampitheatre is a must, but it may be worth going on an organised excursion, where you only get an hour or so in Pula. You won't need much longer.

Venice is Venice. I wasn't very impressed (you have to get up very early to get there, the place is crowded, a rip-off and the shops are just what you'd find in any other tourist trap) but if you haven't been it is probably worth a visit, just to say you've been. It costs about £50, and this includes a pleasant journey on a water taxi. Don't bother with the lunch they organise. It's overpriced, you are squeezed in the 'restaurant' like sardines and the underwhelming food will take five minutes for some people, and half an hour for others.

The visit to Lake Bled in Slovenia, however, is a must. Particularly if Ivana is your guide. She's very knowledgable and very funny. Slovania is a beautiful, untouched country that just seems like one big film set. Lake Bled itself is amazing. It's hard to describe fully so I won't bother other than to say don't pass up the opportunity to visit it. The trip costs about £50 and comes very highly recommended. We didn't bother with the lunch they put on, but those that did said afterwards they wished they hadn't.

Overall, Porec and the Gran Vista come very highly recommended. Thomson, through rep Mandy, also looked after us very well.