Sunny Poreč by Valamar, ex Crystal

We travelled with TUI, with our son, daughter-in-law and 2 year old granddaughter. We had a great time and spent a lot of time around the pool, which our granddaughter loved, as it is particularly suited to little ones. The staff were all very friendly and the food was okay, although we also took advantage of some of the nice restaurants in Porec, which was around a 20 mins walk away. There are regular tourist trains to Porec stopping near the hotel, but they were usually full. The week we stayed it was very warm and humid. Now in our mid-60s, it certainly took a while to adjust to the heat, but this should be expected in August! Our only real issue was the size of the 'superior twin room' and the amount of time it took to gain access to it. Our flight left Birmingham at 6.15am and we arrived at the hotel at around 10.30am after a two hour flight and a 45 minute taxi transfer. Our rooms were not ready and we finally unpacked at around 12.30pm. Not great when we had a very sleep deprived 2 year old with us. My wife and I were eventually allocated room 530, on the 5th floor, with a view overlooking the pool. On TUI's website, it is described as 'spacious'. Not so. The room is far too small to accommodate two standard single beds pushed together. A small double would probably be about right, at a push. As you can see from the photos, there is very little room between the end of the beds and the furniture/fridge. We were unable to fully open the fridge door. We bashed our knees against the frames of the end of the beds several times, which was quite painful. The bathroom is also very small and I didn't feel entirely safe climbing in and out of the bath for a shower. The balcony was also tiny. Not a big deal for some, as most of the time was spent away from the room, in the airconditioned lobby area and bar, or just 'out and about'. We even managed to squeeze in a day trip via catamaran to Venice, but more about that elsewhere. Our son and his family had a family room, 118, on the ground floor, and this was very spacious, althought they also mentioned the small bathroom. Once we got over the disappointment with our 5th floor room, the holiday was most enjoyable and we had a great time, overall. The hotel is spotless, the staff are great, the pool is fab and the location ideal.

As per all the rest of the reviews, how they call themselves a four star establishment is laughable. And, as per all the rest of the 3 or lowers star reviews, they will say the same old thing about using your review for future enhancement, no, they won't it's all just lip service. In the week we were there, our room towels and bedding were never changed. Once our room was actually touched they took our own glasses that we had brought with us for our own use. Then they have the cheek to charge a rental fee for pool towels, now, I have heard of a deposit but a daily rental is appalling. If Valamar hotels are all this standard thank god we normally holiday on cruises. Food is beyond diabolical and doesn't warrant anything else said about it.

The hotel and rooms are great for this price, the beach is unique, the possibilities for cycling and hiking are excellent, you can go to the city center by foot, by bike or by regular line along the beach. The food is average and satisfactory. The pool is nice.