Maistra Select Island Hotel Katarina

Rooms and decor

Picture a hotel close enough to the old town to see it clearly, yet you still board a boat to reach it. From the busy old-town harbour in Rovinj the boat crosses the water in about 5 minutes and docks at a small island green with pine forest. That is Maistra Select Island Hotel Katarina on the private island of St. Catherine, known locally as Sveta Katarina. The first thing you feel is two things at once: a quiet private island, shaded by pines, with a seaside walkway, while the old town floats right in front of you, almost within reach. The hotel is a simple 3-star in the Maistra Select chain, open seasonally from roughly April to October. Rooms are clean and comfortable rather than flashy, decorated in plain tones, and many open onto the sea or the pine woods. Rooms on the side facing the old town get the Rovinj skyline as a bonus. Open the window in the morning to the sea breeze and the pastel houses and bell tower out front, and many guests say it feels worth more than they paid. If you are not chasing luxury but want a special setting and location, this should land well.

Food and amenities

The heart of staying on this island is slowing down among the sea and the pines. The main draw everyone mentions is the outdoor pool, an easy cool-off on a hot day. Sea lovers walk just a few steps to the rocky beaches and swimming platforms scattered around the island, the water clear in the Istrian-coast way, many spots quiet enough to feel like your own corner. A walkway under the pines runs along the shore for morning and evening strolls, passing viewpoints that look back at the old town from several angles. For food, the hotel has a restaurant serving breakfast and dinner buffets, plus a seaside bar for a drink as the sun sets behind the old-town skyline. Eating on an island with no car noise is another thing guests like. And because the town is so close, anyone wanting a change can take the boat over to a seafood spot or cafe in the old town in minutes, so you never feel stuck on the island.

Location and getting there

The location of Island Hotel Katarina is its clearest selling point. The hotel sits on St. Catherine island in the Adriatic facing Rovinj's old town, and it is the closest of the islands off the town. The main way in and out is the free hotel boat running between the island and the old-town harbour, taking only about 5 minutes, short enough to feel like a quick ferry hop. Step off on the mainland and you are in Rovinj's old town, where pastel houses climb the hill toward the St. Euphemia bell tower, with winding stone lanes, a harbour square, seafood spots and stylish cafes to wander all evening. The charm of a stay like this is getting both worlds in minutes: by day, take the boat over to explore the old town, browse the market and eat seafood; by evening, return to the calm of a private island looking out at the old town's lights. For the longer journey, Rovinj is in Istria in western Croatia; drive or ride from Pula, which has the nearest airport, about 40 minutes to the harbour, then take the boat across.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide. First, this is a simple 3-star that has been open a long time, and some reviews note rooms and certain buildings look dated, not as modern or polished as newer resorts. If you expect brand-new finishes or a full set of amenities, adjust your expectations and check photos of the room type before booking. Second is the boat and the season: because the whole island is reached mainly by boat, the schedule runs on set times, and evening-to-late runs are not as frequent as during the day, which makes a night out in town or a late return less flexible than an in-town hotel. The hotel also opens only seasonally, roughly April to October, so check before booking if you plan an off-season trip, and confirm the last boat of the day. Third is beaches and food: this stretch is rocky shore and concrete platforms in the Istrian style with no white-sand beach, and being on an island limits dining options outside the hotel, so on multi-night stays you may want to take the boat into town to mix things up.

Our take

After reading through plenty of real guest reviews, Maistra Select Island Hotel Katarina sells "the private island closest to the old town, the Rovinj skyline view, and a budget price" with a character that is hard to match. If your trip in your head is sleeping on a quiet island among pines and rocky beaches, waking to the pastel houses and the old-town bell tower out front, then taking a free 5-minute boat over to wander and eat seafood in town before returning to the island's calm, all at an easy-on-the-wallet rate, this is a worthwhile, memorable pick. But if you want rooms and a resort that feel new and polished at every turn, a full set of amenities, or the flexibility to come and go any time and all year, the plain rooms, the reliance on the boat and the seasonal opening may give you pause. Overall we give it 8.4/10, best for budget travelers, couples and backpackers who want a private-island location near the old town at a reachable price.