Anantara Adriatic Istria Resort sits at Savudrija, on the western tip of the Istrian peninsula, around 300 metres from the Adriatic and a short walk from the course. The course itself – Golf Adriatic, designated PGA National Croatia in 2023 – was the first 18-hole layout in Istria and remains the draw for most visiting golfers. Designed by Austrian architects Diethard Fahrenleitner and Barbara Eisserer, winners of the Austrian Golf Art Landscape Award, it’s a par-72 parkland course measuring 6,360 metres, laid out across vineyards, olive groves and gentle coastal terrain. The hole names – Vineyard, Seaview, Olive Tree, Romanic Church – tell you what you’re playing through. Wind off the sea adds bite, and the bunkering rewards thinking over brute distance. It’s open year-round.

Off the course, the 186-key resort runs three restaurants – including the beachfront Kanova for Istrian and Mediterranean fine dining, plus Pizzeria Olea – alongside four bars, the 3,000 sqm Carolea Spa, indoor and outdoor pools, and a private serviced beach. Rooms face either countryside or sea, with views stretching to Slovenia, Italy and the Alps on a clear day. Istria is a proper food region (truffles, prosciutto, Malvazija whites, olive oil), and you’re well-placed for day trips: Piran across the Slovenian border, Rovinj down the coast, and the Roman amphitheatre at Pula roughly an hour’s drive south.