Perfectly placed for a seaside holiday, Hotel Excelsior Dubrovniks offers a choice of both rocky and sandy beaches. Admire the hotel’s interior, combining historic architecture with modernist concrete interiors and colour pops, before making a beeline for one of the hotel’s three restaurants.

Built into a hillside on the island of Rovinj, this innovative architectural feat combines minimalist black and white facades with bold, design-forward interiors. Bedrooms have glass walls with views over Rovinj’s Lone bay or of surrounding woodlands. Drag your eyes away from the view to laze on nearby beaches or terrace pools.

Spend mornings sunbathing on Villa Dubrovnik’s private rocky beach and afternoons in Villa Spa testing out the hotel’s “diamond bed”, a treatment using light, colour sound and scents to stimulate the senses. Come nightfall, head to Pjerin restaurant for elegant recipes served with a view of the sea, before browsing the hotel’s library to find tomorrow’s beach read.

In the sleepy, seaside town of Sutivan, Hotel Lemongarden lies amid gardens of Mediterranean trees and flowers. Once you’ve explored the lush greenery – sipping on homemade lemonade, of course – take a dip in the heated outdoor pool or head straight for the spa, complete with a steam room and Finnish sauna. While many come to the island of Brač for Croatia’s most famous beach – the Zlatni Rat – guests at Hotel Lemongarden laze on the hotel’s private stretch, a 3,000 sq ft white sand bay hidden from view by a pine forest.

This stylish, adults-only haven is also found on Brač. Set in the harbour town of car-free Supetar, it’s the perfect springboard for meandering around the town’s historic lanes and ancient port, stopping at quaint cafés and bars as you go. Spend afternoons lounging on pebble beaches before retiring to Hotel Osam’s rooftop bar for a well-deserved cocktail.

Perfectly placed between secluded beaches and the walled, medieval old town of Korčula, Hotel Liburna is the ideal island retreat. Rent a moped from the hotel to explore the vineyards, olive groves and small villages dotted throughout Korčula, before cooling down at the hotel’s pool bar with a cold glass of Posip (the island’s most popular white wine). In the evening, dine on the terrace overlooking the Old Town and the nearby islands, and make a toast to yourself for booking such an idyllic holiday.

In the sheltered Babin Kuk bay on the Lapad peninsula, this hotel feels completely remote despite being a short drive away from Croatia’s capital. Each room has a balcony with a sea view, ideal for watching the sunset over the Elaphiti islands. Spend days snorkelling in the bay, lazing on the hotel’s palm-fringed pebbled beach or renting jet skis from the Abyss Diving Centre.

A true fairy-tale retreat, this hotel is set inside a restored 300-year-old castle. The only hotel on the island of Šolta, this is the place to enjoy a quiet escape surrounded by nothing but vineyards and olive groves. Fill your time with trips to the hammam, visits to the tiny harbour of Maslinica and dips in the sea.

This romantic retreat earned its reputation in 1936, when King Edward VIII whisked Wallis Simpson to Rab. While today you’re unlikely to find Will and Kate wandering round the hotel, it is set inside the subtropical Komrcar Park, where hours can be spent exploring the many different botanical species. Afterwards, drift down to one of sandy bays nearby the hotel.

This waterside hotel is shaking up the Croatian hotel scene. Nestled in its own sheltered bay (the sunsets are next level) Maslina mixes mindfulness design with thoughtful, sustainable touches – think Brac island stone, local wood and century-old olive trees that were preserved and incorporated into the landscaping – while each of the 50 rooms look across pine-scattered rock-and-pebble coves. Elsewhere you’ll find two pools, a knock-out spa, a library stocked with artsy books and a handful of wooden bicycles for you to explore nearby Stari Grad – popular with the yachting set for its seafood eateries. Don’t miss dining on French chef Serge Gouloumès’ locavore tasting menu, most of which has been plucked from the garden.