Isabella Island Resort, Valamar Collection

I don't often write reviews but I wanted to write my honest reflections to hopefully make people feel better who have booked. I felt quite anxious before arrival based on reviews I had read but I didn't need to worry at all. Upon arrival we were allocated a room on the third floor facing the pool. Our daughter is a tall 11 and the tiny sofa bed probably was more suited to a 3/4 year old at best. We hate complaining but my husband chatted to Reception and they were fantastic. They reallocated us to a room on the second floor at the front of the hotel which was much bigger, had a decent single sized sofa bed and a stunning view of Porec and out to sea. It was all dealt with extremely quickly and efficiently. The room itself is well equipped and the housekeeping service are great. Very friendly and always try and work around when they know you are out. The All Inclusive package isn't the most comprehensive we have had but it is fine and has catered for what we need. The breakfast food is beautiful and varied. Lunch is slightly limited. I would love to see some more healthier options. There is limited salad but I struggled finding a protein to go with it other than pork which I didn't want every day. Dinner has plenty of options. It is of a similar variety each night with some variation. The fresh fish night was definitely our favourite. All food is lovely and fresh and cooked infront of you which I like. If you are a big drinker you may find the drinks package a bit limited. For us, it is absolutely fine as my husband always likes to drink local beer and myself and my daughter were happy with the soft drink options. There are also some limited spirits included. Breakfast, lunch, a snack and dinner are included so there is food available pretty much all day from the main restaurant. If you want ice cream and snacks from other outlets you do need to pay. The hotel and grounds are absolutely immaculate. We are early risers and watched with amazement each morning as a small army thoroughly cleaned and pruned the grounds. There is even a lovely young lady who comes over a couple of times a day with a Hawk to move the seagulls away, which come part and parcel with being at the seaside. We very much enjoy chatting to her and she is extremely knowledgeable. The hotel really do think of everything to try and ensure you have a comfortable and enjoyable time. Sunbed availability goes fast as we are here in high season but we always managed to get somewhere, usually down by the beach as we love being down here. There are roped off swimming areas, with jetties to slide or jump off. They could do with the ladders being reattached as we have seen a few people cut themselves pulling up onto them. The pool is fairly small for the amount of people here but it is nice, well kept and has 2 slides which my daughter enjoys. We just prefer the laid back vibe on the beach and enjoyed watching the boats go by. The island is lovely. We enjoyed daily walks around the is

I have been coming to this hotel since before the renovation, when it was called the Fortuna and Boris was at reception, and always loved it and the island. I must have visited 10 times at least. This year it felt as if something had been lost, a different atmosphere. With the exception of the concierge, the young lady who checked at the dining room door, and the lovely lady on the sausage cooking station at breakfast, where did all the smiles and welcome chats from the staff go? Our room cleaner didn't even seem to acknowledge us. Apart from that, no complants about the beautifully kept grounds, food was great, what alcoholic drinks we could have on all inclusive was a bit confusing though. I doubt I will return but only because of my mobility. I will always love Isabella Island.

Have just booked and I’m really apprehensive as keep seeing people’s negative experiences regarding the drinks. Holidays have gotten so expensive this year and paying for a 5 star all inclusive should guarantee that you don’t have to pay for any extras whilst there and ALL drinks should be included. We went to Cape Verde last year for cheaper and literally EVERY drink you could think of was included. I’m really hoping I haven’t made a mistake by booking to come here as I don’t want to feel like I’m being ripped off when we’re there. Especially when we’ve already paid a small fortune to go there in the first place!

The first thing that I want from a holiday is friendly and happy staff, especially after driving 7 hours to reach the resort. We were met at the car park with a very serious welcome, not one smile from the check in lady. After the long drive I wanted to freshen up, ok no lock on the door of the toilet but it was dirty and the bins so full, paper was falling out on the floor. There were about 5 staff just hanging out in the office talking. Not a great first impression. We were told our luggage would be taken to the island and we would get it in 2 hours. I said we will take it ourselves, we wanted to go swimming and relax so I found this very strange. The lady was not happy that we wanted to keep our luggage and she said the boat will be very full so we might not manage to get it on. The first smile we had was from a lovely driver who took us to the port, very kind and helpful. We waited half an hour for the boat and managed to get on easily with our bags. Very friendly staff at the hotel reception, easy check in. A very standard looking room, old carpet and a trickle of a shower, not great for long hair and the worst, blocked drain. Last year we stayed at a Valamar hotel in Rabac and it was amazing so we were really disappointed that this resort is nothing like that. Here is not All-inclusive, like they say, no cocktails are included, you can buy them for over 10 euros! The pool restaurants you have to pay, you can walk 5 minutes to the restaurant and take it away but nothing like the All-inclusive in other hotels. Most disappointing thing for me is the lack of vegetarian food. Today at lunch there were only a few vegetarian side dishes and when I asked what vegetarian options they had, they were all with fish!!!!! They did offer to make me a plain tomato sauce to go with the rice or pasta. I should not have to ask for food, especially when they advise having vegetarian food! The resort is pretty and perfect for families with young children, mainly German speaking families, the children entertainment team are lovely and very motivated. Only on day 2, with another 5 ahead, let's see what happens!