Boutique Hotel Vela Vrata

Just outside the main gate (Vela vrata) to Buzet's hilltop Old Town is this outstanding new hotel, a medium-sized affair occupying a handsome historic building. It's certainly an eminently comfortable place to stay, with green-shuttered windows, views of the Mirna valley, big bathrooms, and deep mattresses that exude a sense of calm and relaxation. The interior design is a tongue-in-cheek mix of traditional and contemporary – many of the furnishings are playfully tacky without stretching the boundaries of taste too far. The ground-floor restaurant showcases the local, truffle-dominated culinary traditions to good effect, and there's a predictably good choice of Istrian wines.