Villa Vanilla with Heated Pool

We ended up cancelling and finding somewhere else after a really unpleasant argument. We'd booked the ground-floor apartment beside the pool months ahead, but on arrival they handed us keys to an upstairs unit with a small balcony. It was larger, sure, but it wasn't the place we'd chosen or paid for. The owner said another guest had been moved into our apartment and didn't want to switch back, and expected us to accept that. When we objected, she got angry and rude. We only got our money back by cancelling the booking. The property itself seemed okay, but I wouldn't recommend Villa Vanilla because of how the owner treated us. The day before we arrived in Zadar by bus, I messaged to ask about getting in a few hours early. She replied six hours later to say the apartment was ready. When we got there she wasn't present, and another woman helped us, but gave us the wrong keys.

The pool was such a peaceful spot, with no noise beyond nature, and we even met the tortoises wandering freely through the lovely garden. Our apartment had a sea view and three balconies, great for sitting and watching the day go by. We stayed two weeks in the beautiful two-bedroom apartment, which was cleaned to a very high standard every day by Diane. She was lovely and always cheerful at work. Vesna, the owner, was friendly and took time for a chat. She arranged taxis and offered us lifts to Zadar old town when we were heading out. Really relaxing place to stay. A vending machine for drinks and crisps near the pool might be useful.

The biggest letdown was finding out about roughly 35 euros in cleaning, sanitation, and city tax charges for a five-night visit. The fees weren't very clear beforehand, and discovering them at the end spoiled things, especially since we'd said we didn't need cleaning on three of the four days. That felt cheeky. The apartments look smart and are clean, but they had none of the basics for self-catering: we had to buy oil, salt, pepper, foil, and cling film. A few euros' worth of supplies would make the place feel more like home. For a longer stay, the internet is also a problem. When it works, it's fine, but around 30-40% of the time there's barely any connection. Free European roaming would help, otherwise getting online yourself could cost a lot. They need to replace a modem. It's a nice group of apartments in a quiet part of Zadar, with a clean, refreshing pool and a lovely family running it.

We had a great time and would happily return. The apartment was comfortable and very clean, and everyone at this family-run place was friendly and quick to help.