Palazzo Rainis
Epicures ahoy
Novigrad yacht spot
Villa Rainis was the 19th-century home of Venetian chemist Giovanni Rainis – today rebuilt as boutique hotel and spa Palazzo Rainis. This refined stay is a deftly dosed prescription for upscale R&R by the sea. All that’s good about its past has been conserved – stately proportions, ornate balconies, towering pines in the grounds that were built around. Its balconied rooms, most with sea views, are a soothing tonic; its destination restaurant, a triumph of Istrian cuisine you should take twice daily. A location close to town, on a coastline of feted Istrian beaches, means Villa Rainis and its Novigrad setting have great chemistry, too.
Facilities
Rooms
16, including four suites.
Checkout
11am. Earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
More Details
Rates include a buffet breakfast,. Guests in Villa Deluxe Rooms, Villa Deluxe Junior Suites – Bel Etage, Villa Deluxe Suites – Bel Etage and Villa Premium Suites, will also receive free private spa access and a wine and cheese tasting once per stay.
Also
May we alert your attention to room service hours: coffee and pastries on your balcony accompanied by a gentle sea breeze is the simplest of breakfast upgrades.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Pool, spa, gym. In rooms: free WiFi, satellite HD TV, minibar, free tea, coffee and free bottled water, local botanical bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Superior suites offer excellent value with generous living space and broad balconies. Although interiors are equally calm and contemporary across all buildings, the allure of staying in the main villa is hard to resist: first-floor suites have stately proportions and elegant arched windows framing sea views, but it’s the top-floor Premium Suite that has stolen our hearts – a tucked-away charmer with serene sea views from its balcony under the eaves.
Poolside
In front of the hotel, flanked by superior rooms and suites, the chlorinated pool (unheated) is open from 10am until 6pm.
Spa
In the basement of Palazzo Rainis, a tucked-away spa is a sleekly dressed den of saunas, ice-bucket showers, a treatment room, relaxation area and a Jacuzzi, plus a small gym.
Packing Tips
Casual, loose-fitting threads for wafting around Novigrad; nautical stripes and deck shoes for yacht adventures.
Also
Sadly the hotel is not wheelchair accessible.
Children
This upscale coastal stay is an adults-only hotel.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Pine-shaded tables on the terrace are the most sought-after.
Dress Code
What would Beth Harmon wear? Channel tailored separates, pleats and retro prints to bring a little Queen’s Gambit flair to the chequerboard dining room at Chemistry.
Hotel Restaurant
With room for only 30 diners and a gourmet menu, Chemistry at Palazzo Rainis is something of a hot ticket. In a 50s-cool dining room of chequered floor tiles, peacock green walls and brushed nickel details, dine on Istrian cuisine with Mediterranean and French influences thrown in: championing local, seasonal ingredients and at Chemistry you can expect the same with added kitchen alchemy: ingredients such as tartufi and wild asparagus are reimagined with more than a nod to the science of cooking.
Hotel Bar
Named in deference to Venetian chemist Rainis, the villa’s original owner, Potions bar is at the heart of the restaurant, allowing guests to move seamlessly from apéritifs to dinner; curvaceous velvet sofas at one end of the restaurant are the place to linger over cocktails or sample your way through the Istrian and Croatian wine list – with additional high stools at the bar.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served, 7am–11am; lunch between noon and 3pm; dinner, from 7pm–10pm.
Room Service
A tale of two menus, breakfast can be ordered to your room between 7am and 11am; from noon, a dedicated menu of Istrian-influenced dishes is available until 7pm.
Planes
Pula (50 minutes by road) and Trieste in Italy (80 minutes away) are the nearest international airports to Palazzo Rainis; Slovenia’s Ljubljana Airport is less than two hours away, too. The hotel can arrange private airport transfers (€130–€460 each way).
Trains
Istria is not known for its rail infrastructure. Trieste in Italy is the nearest train station with good connections, still an 80-minute drive from the hotel: Pula train station is less well connected and routes from Zadar, Dubrovnik and Zagreb often involve lengthy stints on buses as well as rail travel.
Automobiles
The hotel is a car-free zone with a private car park 200 metres from the hotel, which has charging points for electric vehicles.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Town does not preclude beach in the scenic port of Novigrad: shingled gems such as Plaža Maestral, south of the old town, and City Beach, alongside the town walls, are bathing spots in easy reach. Further along the coast, popular Plaža Pineta is a broad, pine-fringed stretch of pale pebbles lapped by turquoise shallows. The hotel can arrange a day trip by yacht to explore the pristine blue-and-green beauty of the Brijuni National Park (off the coast of Pula). The Roman amphitheatre in Pula has Colosseum-like grandeur and is yours to visit on a full-day private guided tour of Istrian towns and sights. Join a truffle hunter in the woods on a quest for the famed fungi and feast on your finds for lunch. The picturesque fishing port of Rovinj and seductive summer resort Poreč, which has lauded beaches and a charming old town, should also be on your Istrian checklist.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
