Apartments in Croatia
The very thought of sea, beach, vacation and holidays often brings to mind the idea of
private accommodation, which
in Croatia refers to the
apartments,
studio apartments,
rooms,
holiday houses and
camps (
according to the Law on Catering Services, NN 138/06, Article 28). The interesting fact is that, in the last couple of years, the number of foreign and Croatian guests choosing this type of accommodation has risen both at the
Croatian Adriatic and in the
continental part of Croatia. Statistical data from 2010 reveal that Croatia had 1.633.000 overnight stays of the foreign guests in the apartments and studio apartments, and 239.000 overnight stays of the Croatian guests (
Tourism Institute, 2010). That is not surprising considering the
price versus quality ratio of the overnight stays in private apartments in Croatia.
Apartments are classified into 2 Star, 3 Star, 4 Star and the luxurious 5 Star categories. Studio apartments are categorized differently. There are 2 Star, 3 Star and 4 Star Studio apartments, the 4 Star ones being the most equipped (
Law on Catering Services, Regulations on Classification and Categorization of Objects Offering Catering Services in the Household, internally clarified text of the Regulation 88/07, 58/08 i 45/09). The attractiveness of accommodation in private apartments and Studio apartments in Croatia is in the high quality service provided by the hosts who, year by year, invest a lot of effort to raise the quality of accommodation. This is obvious in this year’s greater number of
3 Star and
4 Star apartments compared to their number in 2009, as well as the greater number of
3 Star Studio apartments (
National Institute for Statistics, 2011). The
apartments by the sea, chosen mostly by the families with children looking for a
peaceful family vacation, are still very desirable. Nevertheless, there is an ever greater demand for accommodation in private apartments and studio apartments in the bigger cities at the
Adriatic Sea, mostly by the young who wish to relax at the beach and still stay close to the events that give
vacation in Croatia an urban touch – providing the relaxation at the beaches, cafes and restaurants along the coast, as well as the wild night life and partying all night long.
Accommodation type
Although the
beach apartments at the
Adriatic Sea are still the most popular, the apartments in the big coastal cities are becoming more popular every day. This is obvious in the example of the city of
Zadar that had 1.012.153 overnight stays in 2010 (
National Institute for Statistics, 2011). By the October 2011 there were 88% foreign guests and 12% Croatian tourists. At the moment, the greatest number of tourists are the foreign ones (
The Ministry of Tourism, Tourist traffic in October and the first ten months of 2011). This is not surprising, especially if we consider the beauty of
Croatian coast and the prices which are more than affordable compared to the other tourist destinations. Although the price plays a big role in the accommodation choice, it is not crucial. Quite important are the
closeness of the sea,
the well equipped accommodation facilities,
the closeness of recreational and sports facilities, town centre, shops and restaurants. Many guests decide to spend their
vacation in private apartments at the
Adriatic Sea because they feel welcome by our friendly hosts. In today’s times of hurry, people like to spend both winter and summer holidays at a place that feels like home, therefore they turn to the family atmosphere of the
private accommodation in Croatia provided by the owners in the apartments, rooms or beautiful weekend houses by the sea. It is not rare that the guests make friends with their hosts and stay in touch even after they return home. Concerning the nationality of foreign guests, the tourists that come often and stay long are mostly the European guests from Slovenia, Germany, Italy, Austria, Poland, Netherlands, France, Russia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and lately Great Britain, Japan, China... (
Institute for Tourism, 2010).
Top regions in Croatia
The most popular tourist region at this moment in Croatia is
Istria, followed by Primorsko-Goranska County (and to everyone’s surprise not some Dalmatian County). It is made up of
Kvarner, Lika and
Gorski Kotar, and its tourist offer attracts world guests during
summer holiday in Croatia and Croatian guests during winter holidays. The
tourism in Continental Croatia is becoming more popular every day, and this region has had a significant rise of the overnight stays in 2010. offering a completely different holiday (
The Ministry of Tourism, Tourist traffic in October and the first ten months of 2011) during which you can visit numerous cities and enjoy their breathtaking cultural and historical heritage, irresistible cuisine, and numerous sports and recreational possibilities. Also, some of the
finest spas, which are of the same standard as the top quality spas in Europe, are situated in the
Continental Croatia. In these areas of Croatia the special emphasis is placed on the
private accommodation, particularly
apartments,
studio apartments,
rooms, and
farmhouses, especially in
Slavonia and
Baranja regions whose potentials as the destination of
country tourism and ecological ethno-tourism have recently been discovered. It is no surprise that in these regions of Croatia, the
private accommodation in apartments, studio apartments, farmhouses and weekend houses was given preference from the very beginning.
The future guests of Croatia, the ones visiting
Adriatic, as well as those visiting
Mountainous and
Continental Croatia are expected to follow this trend and make
reservations for the
private accommodation facilities. In order to spend their time here the best possible way and to have an
unforgettable vacation, the friendly hosts of one of the apartments or studio apartments in Croatia will make sure to provide the beautiful and unforgettable dream
holidays to all – the
families with children visiting Croatia because of its
beaches and beautiful
Adriatic coast; the young couples enjoying the romantic moments of
wellness spa treatments; the elderly enjoying peace and relaxed atmosphere of Croatian
islands; or the young looking for fun and crazy night life.