If you and your children are looking for a great place to visit on a family holiday in Europe, then the Family Hotel Amarin is the perfect hotel. It has great entertainment activities for the whole family and is a great place to go with children of all ages. The Family Hotel Amarin is built on a beautiful coastline of the Istrian Peninsula just outside of Rovinj, Croatia. My family stayed at the Family Hotel Amarin in July 2024 when I was 10 and my brother James was 8. We had originally planned to stay for three nights but we loved the hotel so much that we extended our stay for one more night. Read on for my full review (and my mom’s notes as well) and why I think this is the best of the family hotels in Croatia.Â
Background
The Family Hotel Amarin is located on Val de Lesso 5, 52210 in Rovinj, Croatia. Located on the Istrian peninsula, this hotel opened in 2016 and has maintained a 4-star accommodation rating since.
The weather in Rovinj when we went in July was 69 °F – 81 °F (20.6 °C – 27.2 °C). Rovinj is most visited in the months of June, July and August when temperatures range from 66 °F – 81 °F (18.9 °C – 27.2 °C). The warmest months are July and August (69 °F – 81 °F or 20.6 °C – 27.2 °C). The temperatures average from 49.8 °F – 59 °F (9.9 °C – 15 °C) in September through May, making for a less busy but colder trip. The coldest time of the year is the month of February (40 °F – 49 °F or 4.4 °C – 9.4 °C).
The Amarin hotel offers rooms with prices starting at 126 Euros. This hotel is great for a luxury holiday with your kids, but might not be so great if you are planning on a quiet getaway. I would recommend this hotel for families with kids 3-12 years old.
Room
At the Amarin hotel, we stayed in two different spacious rooms. Our first room was a Standard Room with two extra beds. Behind Mom and Dad’s bed, as the headboard, there was a pegboard with rainbow colored pegs that kept James and me busy while Mom and Dad unpacked our stuff. There was a TV and two trundle beds that James and I slept in. The trundle beds took up a lot of space, which left us without much space to put the suitcases. Overall, the room felt small for a family of 4. Despite the size, I liked the room a lot and it had a great view of the Adriatic Sea.
Originally, we were planning to go to a different hotel in Croatia, but we liked this hotel so much that we changed our plans and stayed longer. For the unexpected extension, we were moved to another one of the many family rooms; the Amarin Suite. This room was like two rooms combined. It had another pegboard at the foot of our parents’ bed, and there were these cool white containers that contained the corresponding pegs. Like the first room, our second room also had a TV. This room was in a different part of the hotel, so our view was different. You could still see, above the trees, the Adriatic Sea but we also got to see more of the hotel grounds. Each room had a balcony; the first room’s balcony was more of a circle and the second room’s was long and thin. My mom said that the bathroom in the second room was the biggest, but they were both pretty big.
Mom’s note: The standard room + 2 trundle beds was great in that each kid had their own bed, but the room became so tight with both trundles out that it was nearly impossible to navigate. In contrast, the Amarin Suite was significantly larger, but the kids had to share a pullout couch bed, which led to a lot of fights over the blankets. It’s not at all clear why they couldn’t accommodate separate beds in the Amarin Suite.
The bathrooms in both rooms were simple but functional, with a good amount of counter space. Both rooms have spacious terraces (both of ours had a view of the water), which was a lovely touch and where we spent a lot of time.
Food & Drink
My family only went to one place to eat at the Amarin; the all-inclusive buffet. Each day, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we would head down the spiral ramp from the main lobby to the bottom floor and go to the buffet. There was a dessert section, a baby corner, some fruit and veggies and, of course, the main section of the buffet. In said “main section,” there were omelets, bacon, and fried eggs for breakfast; chicken, fries, and broccoli for lunch and I do not remember what they had for dinner but I know it was good.
(Mom’s note: the dinner buffet included a variety of hot dishes, including fish, meat, pastas, and pizza. There was an extensive salad bar at each meal, along with cold cuts and cheeses at breakfast, pastries, and fresh fruit.) These are just some of the delicious options provided for kids of any age.Â
One of my favorite features was the chocolate fountain. Only one of the days we went there did they have up a fountain of chocolate that you could dip fruit into.
A really cool thing for young children was the robot cat food tray. Let me explain. There was a robot food tray that roamed around the restaurant offering the opportunity for kids to put their dirty dishes on it. It returned to the kitchen when it became full and many kids, including my little brother, were impatient for its return. It had lights on the top of its head lit up in the shape of cat ears, hence why I called it a robot cat.
There is an outside section which my family went to when it was warm outside. You can also order drinks like speciality coffees and alcohol from your seat. Specialty drinks are not included in the all-inclusive package, but it is really easy to charge your drinks to your room by scanning the electronic bracelet that each guest wears throughout their stay.
If you are looking to not have to wait for water, then you can go to one of the two tables with drink dispensers. The drink dispensers had water, orange juice, apple juice, and a multi-vitamin juice which I thought was peculiar. The touch screens showed the drink options in English, German, French and some languages whose flags I do not know.
Mom’s note: There is a fancier restaurant on property open for lunch and dinner that you can elect to use your all-inclusive package for one night during your stay. There is live music on some evenings which adds to the ambience. In addition to these restaurants, there is a beachfront casual restaurant good for coffee and light snacks. We relaxed here with an iced latte one day and enjoyed a respite from the sun (not included in the package).
Spa
If you are looking for easy access to great spa treatments, then the Amarin hotel is the perfect place for you. They have kid-friendly facial, body, nail and massage treatments. The Amarin’s thermal spa zone also includes a steam bath, relaxing showers, and a relaxation zone in which you can enjoy a variety of teas and fresh water. In the wellness center, there is a gym open to kids and adults with state-of-the-art cardiovascular exercise equipment and professional staff to help you decide the right exercise for you. The thermal zone is the only part of the spa and wellness zone that has an age restriction (16+). The treatments (facial, body, nail and massage) come at an extra price but use of the gym is free.
Pools
There are multiple pools at the Family Hotel Amarin. My favorite was one of the outdoor pools, but there are also 3 indoor pools and two other outdoor pools that I didn’t end up going to. The outdoor swimming pool I went to was super cool because it had a water slide which I went down over 50 times and a lazy river. They also had aqua aerobics in the outdoor family pool.
The other two outdoor pools were an adult pool and and a baby pool complete with sprinklers. The adult pool overlooks the children’s pool but is close to it so older children could be in the children’s pool (which was less than 2 feet deep) while the adults were in the adult pool. The children’s indoor pool is as skinny as a lazy river but is in the shape of a line instead of a loop. The end of the children’s pool is circular and has slides and toys. There are two other indoor pools: the adult pool equipped with hydro-massage effects and the baby pool for the youngest guests.
Beach
The pebble beach is one important factor that makes this hotel one of the best kid-friendly hotels in Croatia. Stretching more than a kilometer, this beach is made up of pebbles, rocks and concrete sunbathing decks with lounge chairs. Whether bathing in the sun or cooling off in the shade, the beach is a great choice for a day of fun. I never ended up going to the beach, but my parents went when my brother and I were in the kids club. They said it was awesome and that they had a great time.
Mom’s note: This is not a sandy, lay-on-the-beach kind of vibe…you will do well to bring water shoes or sandals with straps to navigate the pebbles comfortably. The beach does have a ton of outdoor activities, including sand volleyball. There is a beach hut where hotel guests can check out stand up paddleboards, kayaks, and other water equipment. Some equipment is available for free and some requires a rental fee. Additionally, there are huge blow-up floating water park structures that looked so fun for kids who are proficient swimmers.
There were several rows of beach chairs, but they were in high demand and difficult to get. Plan to stake out a spot early in the day in high season, or get creative with where you set up for the day. We, and several other families, grabbed spots on the ground away further out from the main area but with great water access and unobstructed views of Old Town Rovinj across the water.
Kid’s Club
One reason that the Family Hotel Amarin is one of the best family hotels in Croatia is because it has some amazing kids clubs. The kids clubs are open every day from 9:00am to 1:00pm and then reopen at 2:00pm and stay open until 8:00pm.
There are four different kids clubs at the Family Hotel Amarin for kids from zero to seventeen; the baby club for kids 0-3, the mini club for kids 3-7, the junior club for kids 7-12, and the teens club for kids 12-17.
When my family went there, my brother and I were both in the junior club. Every day, kids club advisors would announce that there was a scheduled activity which we could choose to participate in. You cannot leave the kids club without a parent or guardian unless whoever drops you off gives the caretakers permission to let the child leave without the parent being there to pick them up. This is only possible for kids ages 7 and up.
There was a juice dispenser and bathrooms outside of the kids clubs. There was also another one of the pegboards and some pipes that you could roll cars down on the way in.
Attached to the kids club area was a gaming room. Our parents had to fill out a form telling the game room instructor that we were in the 16+ age range to allow us to play games that included blood, which I thought was a little unnecessary. I didn’t like the game room that much; to me, the games in the kids club were more fun. I made friends with two kids in the kids club, one of which I played a heated game of Risk with. The other kid happened to be doing a tennis club on Friday that I was also doing and so we became good friends. Through the kids club, you can sign up for different sports programs like football (soccer), tennis, gymnastics, dance, sewing, sailing, guitar, piano, and drone flight. I liked the kids club a lot, but it would have been kind of boring had there not been other kids there.
All the instructors at the kids club spoke proficient English, and many of the kids spoke English well as a second language. It was easy for us to communicate with the staff and other kids, even though we only speak English.
Other Fun Activities
On Fridays, after the kids club, I had tennis on one of the hotel’s tennis courts. At first, I thought that it would be too advanced for me, but there were kids of all skill levels and it was fairly basic. On other days, after I left the kids club, I went outside and rode around on one of many scooters and bikes that were parked outside the kids club. I thought that we would have to rent them out, but all we had to do was tell the people at the kids club check-in desk that we were going to take one outside and they said yes.
On the main floor, right inside the doors, there is a blue climbing area which is super cool because it has an awesome view and it is 3 levels tall. It has netting on the second and third stories and a slide-like area from the second to third floor. I played different types of tag and made a ton of new friends, one of whom brought his ball in and we threw it around. There were also chairs for adults to sit in.
At the Family Hotel Amarin, there are many playgrounds on the property and all of them were fun to play on. One outdoor playground has a spiderweb-like climbing net and some rubber strips woven tightly together that were in a little hole and made for a great trampoline. There was also a kids gym that I never actually used, but it looked really cool. Outside the kids club, there were two ping pong tables; I beat my dad on one of them!
What’s Included
Your stay at the Family Hotel Amarin includes almost everything with a full board meal plan. There is free private parking under the pine trees in case you rent a car, free wifi and all of the food at the restaurants that you go to is included. Everything in the wellness and spa zone, except for the treatments, is complimentary. The kids club and all of the entertainment programmes are included in the price of your room.
Mom’s note: It was incredibly convenient to have everything included in our stay, and to have to the ability to pay up for specialty drinks or snacks with the wave of our electronic bracelets. The technology prevents kids from charging things to the rooms while still allowing adults to charge.
Overall Impressions
Mom’s note: I don’t consider this to be a truly “luxury” property, but I do still highly recommend it. I would call it a solid 3.5-4 star property, and the price reflects that quality level. The room furnishings are sufficient but very basic. The hallways need a full renovation, with stained carpets and a distinctly “hospital” feel. The food is plentiful and good, but very casual (this could be a plus or minus depending on what you’re looking for).
It is a large and busy property – we stayed in July 2024 and it was fully booked during our stay. That means a lot of kids to play with, but also a lot of people in the dining rooms, the beach, and at the pools. Quiet and relaxing this hotel is not, but that’s not really why you come here. You come here because it is the single best kid-focused hotel I have found worldwide…I was so impressed that kids were thought of first in basically every space and experience.
This is not a hotel where kids are welcome. This is a hotel built around kids, with a lot of amenities and offerings for the adults that bring them. Our kids (ages 8 and 10) quickly became confident navigating the property, and the plentiful staff and security features made us as adults feel comfortable letting them have some independence. The fact that their bracelets also acted as their room keys gave us further confidence that they could always get back into the room if needed.
It was interesting that our family unanimously agreed to extend our stay…we adults are usually looking for higher-end hotels, but the fact that the kids were so engaged and having so much fun made it super fun for us as well. Never underestimate the power of a happy kid on a family vacation 🙂
Getting There
My family took a big trip around Europe, and Rovinj was one of the middle destinations. We came on a 3 hour ferry ride from Venice and then drove 15 minutes to the hotel. Most people would probably fly to Rovinj, landing at the closest airport Pula (PUY) which is 18.86 miles (30.36 kilometers) from the Family Hotel Amarin. The next closest airport is Portorož airport which is 29.27 miles (47.1 kilometers) away from the Family Hotel Amarin.
Mom’s note: The ferry was very convenient from Venice, but quite inconvenient upon arrival. If you come in by ferry, know that the old town streets shut down in the evenings. It becomes a charming pedestrian zone, but if you’ve got suitcases, it is a gauntlet of cobblestones and quite a long walk to where you can pick up a car service. Though we had arranged a car through the hotel prior to our arrival, we could not find the driver, had a difficult time communicating with him, and had no understanding that we would be walking a solid 10 minutes with our bags to meet up with the driver.
Conclusion
We loved our stay, and if you are looking for one of the best kid-friendly luxury hotels in Croatia, then the Family Hotel Amarin is a really good choice. With the close proximity of the surrounding islands, this hotel is in a prime location if you want to take a quick visit to a peaceful island and be back in a couple of hours. For anyone with kids looking for sports activities, an amazing kids club, delicious meals, and great views, this hotel is for you.
