Head to Croatia’s Istria for a family-friendly holiday that will keep everyone happy

FINDING a holiday that will entertain two Minecraft-mad boys (Sam, nine, and Jake, six) as well as their exhausted parents (me and hubby James) is no mean feat.

But Istria – Croatia’s western peninsular, where the countryside meets the coast – has beaches galore and caves to explore. There’s more than enough to do for my boys to forget about their iPads. Well, for a while, at least…

Delving deep

Driving through the vineyard- and olive-grove-lined roads of Tar towards Porec, we spot a sign for the Baredine Cave near Nova Vas and decide to take a look.

Beginning our descent 60m into the ground, Sam nervously asks: “Will there be monsters?”

Thankfully not – unless you count the tiny but mesmerising translucent rare fish (that have legs!) that dwell deep in the caves.

And while there may not be any real Gruffalos, the cave offers a treasure trove of jaw-dropping stalagmites and stalactites during a 40-minute guided tour.

Moving through five chambers, our brilliant guide accurately likens some of the rocks to a surreal array of items ranging from The Rolling Stones’ tongue to the Virgin Mary.

and £4.50 for kids.

Daredevils can go even further inside thanks to a . Funnily enough, we choose not to.

Following our trip down under, we make a pit stop back on the main road to visit one of many street-side shacks offering local wine, truffles, honey and oil and walk away with a bottle of olive oil pressed from local orchards for £9.

Stomachs now grumbling, we discover the Pirate Pizza & Grill restaurant.

It looks utterly bonkers with its shark entrance and is just as crazy inside, with boat-shaped tables.

After exploring the play area, the boys tuck into margherita pizzas and I try the seafood one, £5.50, which is divine.

Horrible histories

Ah, who doesn’t love to visit somewhere people once got slaughtered just for entertainment?

The kids can’t wait to get their gladiator on at Pula’s amphitheatre, which sits majestically overlooking the town and harbour and is one of the six surviving Roman arenas in the world.

Entry costs £5 for adults, and £2.50 for kids.
We stroll through the small openings via which fighters entered to meet their fate, then buy wooden swords in the gift shop.

While we have the boys nicely bribed, we go in search of other Roman gems scattered through the town, such as Hercules’ Gate and spy some stunning floor mosaics.

Making waves

Getting my kids to go for a walk can be a chore, but throw in crashing waves, old stuff and, er, ice cream and they change their tune.

We stop off at the beautiful fishing village of Novigrad, with its ancient walls that date back to Roman times and run alongside the Adriatic Sea.

It’s great fun trying to avoid getting splashed – or not, as far as Jake is concerned – as the waves rush in beside us.

We also stumble across the pretty coloured-umbrella-lined street of Gradska Ulica, which is a brilliant photo opportunity.

Next we head to the slightly larger harbour town of Porec, which also offers a maze of streets and historic sites, like the 6th-century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Reaching the harbour, the boys stop to marvel at the posh pink hotel Villa Polesini, where Sam suddenly loses his wobbly tooth on their white gravel drive.

A part of him will always belong to Porec!

Camping it up

We stay at Camping Lanterna, which is located just outside Porec and is huge, hosting up to 9,000 guests.

We opt for a lodge complete with private decking, sunloungers and a barbecue.

Lanterna has three pools, and my boys would have happily played on the amazing water slides all day.

There’s also 3km of beach with bars to keep you fed and watered, bouncy castles, bike hire and crazy golf. And WiFi –something we forget to mention to the kids… Oops!

Seven nights cost from .