Where Is The Best Place To Stay For Sonus Festival?

So, you’ve got your hands on a coveted Sonus Festival ticket. And you have also booked your flights to Croatia. Now, all you need is some on-budget and on-point accommodation.

Let’s lay out the best places to stay for Sonus based on essential factors like; proximity to the festival venue, extra activities outside the festival programming, nightlife and offsite atmosphere, and ease of getting to/from the airport.

So, without beating around the bush, let’s dive into it!

🏆 Best place to stay for Sonus Festival: Zrće Beach

The prime position for Sonus and any festival in Zrće Beach is to stay in the party town itself.

Great, problem solved then! Well, not exactly, because Zrće only has a handful of accommodation options. And depending on how much of an early bird you are reading this, other festival-goers may have already booked them.

So where should you book? Noa Glamping Resort is a 4-star property right in the mix of the action. If you think the name Noa looks familiar, that’s because it is part of the Noa nightclub group.

The stunning wooden villas are right behind Noa’s world-famous party pontoon. If you stay here, you’ll be treated to all the modern amenities you need for your festival holiday. Some of the villas feature private pools and BBQ areas.

More importantly, the atmosphere at Noa Glamping Resort is fantastic, and like-minded festival revellers surround you.

🥈 Novalja: Runner-up

The most popular accommodation option by far for the ravers attending Sonus Festival is the town of Novalja.

It’s got everything you could ever need. And while not quite the same level of party action as Zrce, it’s still got solid nightlife.

The town is out of realistic daily walking distance. If you had no other option, you could make it back on foot after a huge night. But luckily, there is a festival shuttle bus that runs between Novalja and Zrce Beach.

Taxis are infrequent in the area so getting the shuttle pass is highly recommended, especially in summer. And they are pretty expensive in comparison. Once you have the wristband, you can use it as many times as possible to make the short journey South East to the festival site.

Unfortunately, Sonus Festival is somewhat known for slapping on the extras regarding the event. So the festival shuttle bus isn’t part of your airport transfer ticket. That needs to be booked separately.

Speaking of airport transfers, the drop-off/pick-up is at Novalja Bus Station. So it’s another good reason to stay in Novalja.

Honestly, Novalja has so many accommodation choices that mentioning all of them would put you to sleep. So instead, the fully interactive accommodation map via the button below helps you filter by date, price and capacity. In addition, it’ll show you the best available options from Booking.com, Expedia and Trivago.

🥉 Gajac

If you weren’t lucky enough to get a booking in Zrće Beach, another solid option is to look at Gajac, a short taxi/long walk from the Sonus Festival venue.

Gajac has plenty of accommodation variety on offer. Mainly the town consists of holiday apartments, but there are villas and holiday homes that you book.

The benefit of staying in Gajac is that you are close to the festival site, but you can get some R&R if you need your beauty sleep. After all, what good is getting dressed up for Sonus if you look bereft of sleep?

Hostel Vagabundo is a brilliant option if you are on a budget. It’s clean, affordable, and within strolling distance of the action.

For those with a bit more dosh to spend on holiday, Villa Cesarica Novalja is somewhere that ticks all the boxes. Why? Because there are no neighbours. If you need an explanation as to why that’s a good thing, well, there are some unwanted neighbourly visits you still need to experience.

🥉 Caska

Further along the lunar-esque bay of Pag Island and within striking distance of Zrce Beach is the resort town of Caska.

Caska is popular among festival-goers due to its proximity to the action, so accommodation gets booked well in advance. However, there are several lovely apartments you can stay in if you are quick enough.

The best option would be Villafux Zrce Novalja. Yes, I know that name sounds like a porno. However, the villa has the most stunning view out over the bay, and the jacuzzi is the cherry on top at the end of the deck. This villa is the perfect location to base yourself if you have the budget.

If you are looking for Pag Island activities outside of Sonus Festival. There is a paintball at the end of the town.

If paintball sounds like a bad idea, or even a good one, you may still want more options. Then there are tour operators guiding walks nearby so you can bask in mother nature.

📌 Accommodation map

💭 Final Thoughts

If you have been one of the lucky ones to get your mitts on a Sonus ticket this year, then I have to say I’m slightly envious. Maybe next year (sigh)…

You could look into accommodation packages via Festicket. Or you could shop around and get a better deal in the above-recommended areas.

Now let’s answer that all-important question of what’s the best area to stay in for Sonus Festival? Of course, the best option is Zrće Beach, closely followed by Novalja town. But those aren’t your only options on the island of Pag. If you can’t make the Sonus dates, then check out these other banging festivals in Croatia.