Some holidays come with an itinerary. Others begin with coffee beside your own pool and a decision about the day that can wait until after breakfast. At Taria Resort in Istria, that freedom is a big part of the appeal.
Located on the Lanterna peninsula between Poreč and Novigrad, Taria Resort combines the privacy of a holiday villa with some of the comforts we usually associate with a boutique hotel. It is the kind of place that works particularly well when you want Istria nearby, but do not necessarily want to spend every hour exploring it.
The resort has 23 contemporary Mediterranean-style villas, designed for groups of up to six or eight guests. Each comes with a private heated pool, garden, terrace and fully equipped kitchen, so staying here feels much closer to having your own temporary home than a traditional hotel room.
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The luxury is having nowhere you need to be
What we like about this style of stay is that the day does not have to begin with a schedule.
You can have breakfast outside, spend the morning beside the pool and decide at noon that you are not going anywhere after all. Or you can head towards the coast, spend a few hours exploring and return for a slower afternoon.
Taria also offers wellness and fitness facilities, concierge services and shared spaces around the resort. The wider offer includes an à la carte restaurant and rooftop bar, which means you do not necessarily need to leave every evening in search of somewhere to eat or have a drink.
For us, that balance is much more interesting than a resort designed to keep you inside its gates.
Istria starts almost immediately outside the resort
Taria sits only a few minutes from the sea and works well as a base for exploring western Istria. Poreč and Novigrad are nearby, while inland Istria opens up towards small towns, vineyards, olive groves and increasingly good food experiences.
You could easily spend one day by the sea and the next driving inland without needing an ambitious itinerary. That is one of Istria’s biggest advantages: distances are relatively manageable, so a slow morning does not mean losing the rest of the day.
We would particularly use Taria as a base rather than treating the resort itself as the entire destination.
Go for lunch somewhere you did not plan. Stop at a winery. Buy local olive oil. Drive through a village simply because the road looks interesting.
Then come back to your own pool.
This kind of stay may be even better outside peak summer
Summer is the obvious time to think about an Istrian villa with a pool, but we would actually be tempted by late spring or early autumn.
The temperatures are more comfortable for walking, cycling and exploring inland Istria, while wineries, restaurants and local food become a bigger part of the trip. A wellness session also feels considerably more appealing after a cooler day outside than during the hottest part of August.
It also changes the pace of the destination.
Instead of trying to fit beaches, restaurants and sightseeing into a packed summer day, you can allow Istria to become the reason for travelling rather than simply the backdrop to a pool holiday.
Our kind of luxury
Luxury travel is often described through things we can count: bigger rooms, more facilities, more courses at dinner.
We increasingly think it is something simpler.
It is waking up and deciding what you feel like doing that day.
At Taria, that might mean exploring Istria in the morning, returning for a few hours beside your private pool and ending the evening with dinner and wine. It might also mean doing almost nothing at all.
And sometimes that is exactly what a holiday should allow.
Mindful Vacation tip
If you are staying for several nights, leave at least one entire day without plans.
Istria will still be there tomorrow.
Having your own villa and pool is much more enjoyable when you actually give yourself enough time to use them.
