Sol Aurora, Umag

My wife and I spent a couple of weeks at the Sol Aurora, Umag, in June 2007.
We have been to several places around Europe, e.g. The Baleriks, Spain, Italy, but fancied something a little different. Not being a fan of flying, I usually look for places within a 3 hr flight from Leeds/Bradford, Croatia is only 2hr 20mins away, so seemed ideal.
Umag itself is a very nice smallish town, with a small port, located to the north of Croatia, on the coast of the Adriatic, only a few miles from the boarder with Serbia. The locals are very friendly, the weather is similar to northern Spain, and with Croatia not being in the Euro, prices are very reasonable.
The Sol Aurora Hotel is a 4 star, situated just north of the town of Umag, almost directly on the beach, wel, I say beach, it is actually a concrete sun terrace, but there are plenty of beaches within a couple of minutes walk.
The hotel vas very clean and tidy, the staff were very friendly and helpful, and spoke good English. The half board food was above average, and was distinctly better than I have had preiously in Menorca or mainland Spain. Still the usual self service buffet for breakfast and dinner, but of a higher than average quality.
Our room was of a good size, complete with mini bar, balcony, TV, air-con etc.
The hotel boasts a large garden area, complete with snack bar, drinks bar, and good sized pool. There is an outside entertainments stage, which regularly hosted the usual evening entertainment.
There is a high speed boat that regularly leaves Umag for Venice, an hour or so across the Adriatic, a genuine must do.
Being close to Italy, there is a definate Italian influence to Umag, from the fantastic ice creams and pizzas, to the relaxed style of the locals.
If you are looking for the 'Brits On The P**s' type holiday, go to Benidorm, if you want a little more style, and a reminder of how Spain was twenty years ago, you will love Croatia.