Strandhotell i Stara Novalja

"We travel to Croatia every year and love it – but this time we made the mistake of booking this hotel. It ruined the start of our vacation and forced us to leave early. The elevator didn’t work (despite staff insisting it did), the AC was broken during a heatwave with two kids, and the bathroom had no light. The staff kept saying “It worked yesterday” instead of fixing the problems. We were offered to change rooms for one night, then move back – not a real solution. The food was awful, with overcooked, stale pasta, and the room smelled like garbage and old fish. The building was run-down, with rust, cracks, and neglected maintenance everywhere. We tried to shorten our stay due to nearby fires, but the hotel blamed Expedia, while Expedia said it was up to the hotel. No one took responsibility. After just a few hours, we gave up, packed our things, and left – €1000 lost, but the right decision. The online photos are misleading; the reality was the worst stay we’ve had across Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia, Austria, France, and Italy. The hotel looks charming online, but in reality it felt like an abandoned construction site. Nothing worked, and the staff hid behind excuses and policies. Even the hotel’s rust-covered star sign symbolized the neglect. A place built on appearances, not guest care. For a few more EUR we got a 100-times better stay in Zadar with luxury apartment, clean pool, nice beach and own jacuzzi. Don’t make the same mistake we did, especially with kids."