Visit Croatia Review: Grand Hotel Brioni, Pula – luxury rest and relaxation on a stunning part of the Istrian coast
I was lucky enough to visit and stay at the Grand Hotel Brioni on a short trip this past weekend to escape the English winter (also known as the summer of 2024). Read up on my experiences of staying and enjoying this gorgeous hotel and all it has to offer, as well as the town of Pula and the local area.
About the Grand Hotel Brioni
The first Radisson Collection Hotel in Croatia, the Grand Hotel Brioni has a long tradition of luxury and elegance. The hotel first opened in 1972 as the Hotel Brioni and many times welcomed dignitaries and celebrities of the day as guests. Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito often stayed here (his summer residence on the Brijuni islands is nearby; more on that later) as did famous figures such as Sophia Loren and Abba. A casino license in that decade even drew regular gambling guests from the U.S., making use of the – unbelievably – direct flights from New York to Pula that existed back then.
An extensive refurbishment at the start of this decade saw the 227-room hotel brought back up to present-day opulence and it reopened to guests in 2022. The Grand Hotel Brioni has clearly immediately made its mark; it was named the best luxury hotel in Croatia last year, out of 68 five-star hotels in the country.
First impressions – and they are good
Back to the present. This luxury five-star hotel immediately puts my mind in relaxation mode from the minute I enter, with calming colours in the marble lobby, highlighted with items in different shades of the hotel’s signature blue. The natural materials used in the hotel’s furnishings and furniture are apparent. It’s a wonderfully tranquil first impression.
The personal welcome is top-notch, with one of the most relaxed check-ins I’ve experienced. My passport details are dealt with (not always so straightforward in Croatia – if you know, you know) and I’ve gained my room’s keycard before I can even sample a welcome drink.
That’s when the first wow moment comes. Stepping into my second-floor, sea view room, my immediate split-second thought is about how wonderful the room is – before I’m drawn to an absolutely breathtaking view of the Adriatic Sea, the rest of Verudela Bay jutting out a short distance away and even the Brijuni islands visible further beyond.
I’m so entranced that I spent much of the weekend opening up the sliding doors of my room (32C heat be damned) to soak in as much of the beautiful view, calming sea colours and the sounds of the waves gently lapping on the beach below. The position of the room’s mirror right by the large sliding doors is a clever trick the hotel has clearly done deliberately, giving guests an immediately doubled view of all of the above.
Grand Hotel Brioni – an infinity pool to die before…before being revived in the spa
I mention “the first wow moment” at this hotel for there are several more to come during my stay. From my room, I also spy the infinity pool – an 80-metre-long seawater pool that stretches all along what looks to be the hotel’s edge. “Inviting” is certainly one way to describe this pool, but once I finally take the plunge – literally – it’s even more magical. I can’t help but bob and hang by the edge of the infinity pool as it looks directly out over the sea. It’s hard to tear myself away, and even harder to not spend most of the afternoon posing there either. (I just about manage the former but totally fail on the latter.)
The infinity pool is one of two at the hotel, the other being the indoor pool. Normally, a hotel’s indoor pool is the poor little sister of the outdoor one but not here. Swim in this indoor pool and you can enjoy the trick of being engulfed by different shades of shimmering blue water – as you look out from the pool over to the infinity pool and the Adriatic Sea beyond that.
The indoor pool is part of the extensive Gemma di Brioni spa and wellness centre that offers a wide range of facilities and treatments. These include facial treatments, non-invasive beauty treatments, body rituals, hydro massage baths, men’s treatments and of course massages. The Merveille Arctique Massage that I enjoyed involved the use of alternating hot and cold massage balls that aim to relax muscles and destress the body. “Aim” is a misleading word to use here, for the massage absolutely does its job, and I find myself on the point of falling asleep on the massage table as I’m so relaxed.
Hotel guests can also use the spa and wellness centre without booking a treatment, enjoying two types of sauna, a steam room and what the hotel calls a “water paradise” – four showers offering different sensations lined up in a path. There is also a large relaxation room to get into a fully zen headspace, but even the spa’s waiting areas offer complete calm.
Let’s talk about the food…and wine
Very undeservingly, Istrian food and wine is not as well known as it should be. Really, the region should be one of the most talked about gastro regions in the world. And I don’t mean that lightly. The quality of the ingredients (including local specialities such as truffle and olive oil, plus fish and seafood), the inventiveness of the cooking and presentation, and the warm and knowledgeable way dishes are presented
The Grand Hotel Brioni has five restaurants to sample some of the Istrian specialities, including the more relaxed poolside Brioni Giardini Restaurant or the Brioni Lungo Mare overlooking the beach. Buffet breakfasts and dinners are served in the Brioni Forum Restaurant. Both have a wonderful choice of dishes; of course, there is pasta, meat, seafood, salad and charcuterie options (for dinner…I probably don’t need to point out) but each is served in a typically Istrian (or Croatian) way.
It is the Sophia Restaurant (named in tribute to Italian actress Sophia Loren) which is the gem in the Grand Hotel Brioni’s restaurant offering, and at least one dinner here during your stay is an absolute must. Yes, it is meat-heavy but that’s to my delight, and items such as the tartare, carpaccio and expertly cooked and served steak are simply divine. Even the pre-meal bread and accompanying olive oil and homemade salts – such as gin and lime – are superb.
Pula – The ultimate city break
I spent much of my stay thinking about how Pula is the ultimate UK weekend break destination. With a flight time of just under two hours (from London), you can get settled into life on the twinkling Adriatic Sea in no time at all. A hotel stay somewhere such as the Grand Hotel Brioni gives you the perfect base for Pula, with time to rest poolside or on the beach before heading into town. (The centre of Pula is only an easy 15-minute taxi ride away, or can also be reached by local bus for just €2.)
Pula is a truly charming town. Not especially big, to be honest (it has a population of just over 50,000 people), but it is certainly the kind of place you want to be near when you’re on a luxury break. The town is easily walkable so once you’re there, there’s no need to do anything but stroll between sights, stopping off at a cafe or three for an iced coffee or a glass of local Malvazija wine.
And boy, what sights. A smattering of Roman sights, the crown jewel of course being the 1st century AD Roman amphitheatre, the Arena. The weekend I was there, the Arena was fully set up for the 71st edition of the Pula Film Festival (the longest-running film festival in Croatia) although it was still possible to enter and explore the amphitheatre during the daytime. But The Arena also hosts concerts throughout the summer months, with Dua Lipa having performed there in early June, and concerts from Duran Duran and Lenny Kravitz coming later this month. Legends such as Elton John have also appeared in the past.
I was equally as fascinated by a more modern-yet-still-histroic sight – the Zerostrasse Tunnels. Built during World War I, the tunnels were intended to provide a shelter for the town’s citizens as well as an ammunition store, communications network and more. The tunnels apparently could potentially shelter all of Pula’s citizens even today. Thankfully, they are used as an attraction and house an exhibition on Pula’s old tram transport. They can also be used to access the 17th-century fortress Kastel (Castle) for fantastic views all around.
Make like a celeb of days gone by and head to the Brijuni Islands
A short ride away from the Grand Hotel Brioni is the coastal village of Fazana from where the public ferry to Veliki Brijun of the Brijuni Islands departs. As I’ve mentioned, President Tito had his summer residence on the islands – although, as the Tito Museum exhibit sign on the islands implies, his idea of summer was apparently six months long. It was here that he also hosted many world leaders and others; even our very own Queen Elizabeth II was a guest.
The islands are one of Croatia’s eight national parks and perhaps not as well known as Plitvice or Krka. Very different indeed (no lakes or islands here), the Brijuni islands are still magical in their own way. The archipelago contains 14 islands in total (the smallest, Supinic, appears to be barely more than a rock) and is full of quiet coves and bays with crystal-clear waters. A tourist train takes you on a gentle tour around the majority of sights on the largest island with a guide providing information. If you go for a private guide, ask for the very impressive Sanja who is as knowledgeable as she is entertaining.
The islands are an exciting mish-mash of sights and experiences, from a 12th-century tower, the oldest building here, to an 18-hole golf course; dinosaur footprints (yes, really!) to 160 plant and tree varieties from all over the world in the Mediterranean Garden; an olive tree that is 1,600 years old to a safari park containing animals that were presented as gifts to Tito over the years. In fact, almost all of the animals in the park today are descendants of the original gifts to Tito – apart from elephant Lanka (again, another “yes, really!) who arrived on Veliki Brijuni 50 years old as a two year old.
Year-round stays at the Grand Hotel Brioni
The Grand Hotel Brioni is one of those Croatian rarities – a coastal hotel that opens year-round. Whilst the Croatian coast offers so much for summer visitors, many won’t even entertain the idea of visiting at any point from November to March.
Whilst the weather in Pula and Istria does certainly become wintery, daytime temperatures usually only get to a low of about 10 or 11 degrees Celsius. Practically like the aforementioned English summer of 2024, in fact.
A stay at the hotel during winter or at least during off-season would allow you to really indulge in what the hotel has to offer – the excellent spa and its treatments, the indoor pool, the top restaurants – without your head being turned by the (understandably) endless pull of the sun and sea. And strolling around Pula in wintertime would also be wonderful.
More information
Visit the Grand Hotel Brioni website for full details of the hotel and to book a room, or see them on Instagram @grandhotelbrionipula or on @radissoncollection for their luxury holiday inspiration.
Visit Croatia stayed as a guest of the Grand Hotel Brioni. All views are Visit Croatia’s own.
