Istria, Croatia -> not so worth it

Having never been to Croatia, I was excited to drive down to the Istrian peninsula, after a few days of trekking in the Julian Alps in Slovenia. Touted as a hidden gem, I was expecting wild turquoise beaches, rolling hills with vineyards, and authentic towns without a touristy feel. But Istria feels like a bit of a rundown vacation destination for locals, with lots of ugly vacation apartments, boring inauthentic family focused entertainment like a dinopark and aqua park, and uninspiring touristic food. Needless to say, I don't recommend Istria, it is not worth the effort. We were there for a total of 2 nights, in late September. the weather was warm, but at times a bit cloudy. If you do find yourself in Istria, here are a few things I do recommend:

Rovinj

Undoubtedly, you will visit Rovinj. A colorful old town, similar to many such towns in Europe.

I recommend you try the ice cream at Ombra - Laboratorio Del Gelato. I am not really an ice cream person, and I thought it was good quality, with interesting flavors.

Stay:

We stayed at Della Croce, a super cute, renovated cozy B&B that I highly recommend. The village it is in is also a very nice experience - it's an old medieval village and has a nice atmosphere. There is also a local brewery, Kampanjola - we liked the beer. They serve it at a local pub.

Beach:

We swam in the city beach in Rovinj. It's cute but nothing more, and hard to find a shady spot. We also drove down to Beach Plovanije in Premantura. It's nothing really special, I've seen much better beaches in Greece and Italy. There are too many pinetrees in the park, which for me take away from the Mediterranean vibe. There are loads of mini jellyfish in the water, but that was suprizingly fun. They are harmless, and it feels like swimming in Boba tea.

If this was helpful to you, I'd love to hear it.