Meneghetti Wine Hotel and Winery - Relais & Chateaux

One of our favorite hotels we maybe stayed at across the world. The hotel is obviously not cheap but when we think about staying in our own little villa with a private pool, it’s hard to not think the price would be double if you were across the border in Italy. The kids slept down below and had plenty of room although obviously there was not a door which would have been ideal. Having their own bathroom downstairs though it worked quite well. They loved the private pool so much that we never went to the main pool. The dinner we had at the hotel was one of the best we had in Croatia. We didn’t eat there a second time as we had lunch at the hotel once too and the menu is a bit limited. Breakfast was good with a nice basket of bread, meat and cheese. We also did a wine tasting at the winery which we enjoyed. The masseuse was intense but I enjoyed the hard pressure. We would also say Pula is worth the trip as we enjoyed spending half a day or so there. The only complaint is that they weren’t the most thorough cleaners. They could have maybe run a vacuum when they did their daily cleaning. You would just expect this in this caliber of the hotel.

Staff is great, and we had lovely rooms. One of them had a fireplace, which the staff was super helpful in lighting whenever we needed it. Spa was great, including amazing massages. I personally didn’t love the restaurant, which I was surprised by since the chef is quite renowned. It was very good, just not amazing enough to justify the price. We ate in Rovinj other nights and had better meals that were cheaper. I also am not the biggest fan of their wine, but I think that’s more personal preference. We used the bikes a couple of days, which was great. The staff who helped with the bikes weren’t particularly warm or apologetic when they forgot to tell us one of entrances to the property, which many signs will point you to, was closed after we had biked around to it for several kilometers. But otherwise the staff were great. Overall, I’d come back again in the winter and think it’s a nice property with nice people.

I highly recommend to all people who decide to go visit this place to see in what conditions do their workers live and how much they pay them. Their workers live in extremely inhumane conditions. They live in containers full of mold in every corner and they have a hole into which the hornets enter. Is it realistic that worker are being humiliated like this???

We spent one week at this amazing hotel and winery. From the moment we entered through the charming gates and down the tree-lined path that leads to the hotel, we were very impressed. The staff are exceptional in their service and thoughtfulness. We never had to ask for anything twice and they went above and beyond to ensure a wonderful experience was had by all of us. A true 5 star experience. The food was beyond delicious and I will be dreaming about the fresh breads, olive oils, gourmet dinners (which deserve a Michelin rating in my opinion) and breakfasts. The beach bar and pool areas are luxurious and well kept. And the wine tasting was superb. The rooms and villas are beautifully decorated and very charming. We will definitely be back to enjoy this hotel again.

We had such high hopes for this trip, given the massive cost, and the past reviews and website blurb. But...I don't know who writes the reviews before, but it was absolutely nothing like what was sold. We're pretty well travelled, and have been around the block on all standards of location and trip types. I'll try and keep this short, because I could really go on, but aside from 1 or 2 staff members, who were pretty ice (new, I think), the vibe here is that of being just another mark. Stand by to be fleeced, and treated pretty crappily by a team that is argumentative, passive aggressive, inattentive, and constantly badgering for tips. I would suggest saving your money and disappointment, and going on a cheap all inclusive trip to Ibiza, Lanzarote, or Turkey or somewhere. All the old classic grift tricks, of selling tap water as bottled, recommendations only to places where they are clearly getting a cut, trying to rip us off with the transport by putting it on a clock at 10 cents a second (yes...you heard right...a euro every 1.5 minutes), right up to the last, where they claimed at checkout that we hadn't paid, and demanded the payment again full. After 40 minutes of endless calls, being talked to like criminals, and basically trying to wear us down to pay again, we finally got away. This is not a high end resort. This is not within a million miles of a high end resort. I gave 2 stars because Croatia and Istria itself is beautiful, and I definitely recommend it, but not in this place.