Croatia Hotels

Morena&Sabina apartments: Alone house, pleasant quiet place

by katamorgana

A great place for relax. Nice owners, clean accomodation, well equipped kitchen. Unbelievable fresh air.

Hotel Jezero: A Blast from the Past

by wise23girl

The Hotel still has the atmosphere of the former Socialist Regime. The staff rarely smile in this large sprawling building with dormitory style rooms. Well our room was a bit like that...chilly and small. To be fair the heaters were off but the coolness was a little late in the year.

Some luckier folk on the upper floor had rooms more like apartments...must have been for the important Soviet officials.

The hotel is still run by the government....wages are paid regardless of performance and this may account for the attitude problem.

We were told it was the best of the three hotels in the park.

And there was an internet modem in our room.

But to visit the lakes it is the place to stay and it really was OK.

There are three sections for accommodation....red, green , and blue which are indicated by coloured lights. We wondered what was in the red light section!

Food was OK. Fish the first night quite good. Coffee yuk for my taste.

Twin beds a little firm but we slept.

Think the cost was reasonable but we were on a tour and all prepaid.

We never did explore the rest of the hotels many rooms and floors.

Apartments Laguna Bellevue: Comfortable apartments

by Tanechka

Hotel Dubrovnik: Perfect location

by YolandaC

The location is perfect. Perched on the corner of Trg bana Jelacica, within walking distance of the Old town, numerous restaurants, cafes, pubs, the market and tram.
Hearty breakfast is included in the rate and served in the resturant downstairs. Great selection of both cold and hot items.
Rooms are basic but clean and comfortable. Some rooms face the square.
Service is brisk and to the point. Very Croatian.

Fantastic location.

Batosic B&B: Cozy B&B overlooking the sea

by Ingeborga

Serge and Annette are delightful hosts. They greeted us when we arrived late at night, helped us with our bags and explained where all the good restaurants and diners are, especially the ones where the locals eat. Serge runs a boating business and can take you fishing or even scuba diving if you like.

Large rooms, with ceiling fans, a very cozy bathroom. Huge balcony. Daily housekeeping.

Skiper Rezidencija: Perfect family hotel

by arneallan

This is a really nice resort with rooms from 35 m2 to 500m2.

Perfect for a holiday with your family.

Most of the rooms/villas has nice view to the adriatic sea.

Poolarea has alot of water games for the kids and a poolfront bar for the adults.

The resort is guarded 24 hrs so the area is safe.

The restaurant should have a star in michelin guide.....

Private beach.

Zephyrus: As good as it gets

by TheWanderingCamel

A lovingly restored and beautifully apponted house in Veli Varos has become the superb Zephyrus B&B. A glowing report here on VT sent me checking their website and making a booking - and everything both the review and their publicity promised was delivered. From the moment we stepped inside the door to a warm welcome from the young Australian couple running the place to the moment we said goodbye at the airport we just loved everything about it.

Stylish, spotless and well fitted rooms with everything needed for a relaxed and comfortable stay were just the beginning. With a sunny courtyard where breakfast is served, access on to two streets for easy coming and going and rooftop views of the old houses all around, no more than 5 minutes walk from the busy Riva and yet quiet and peaceful in itself, it was just what we wanted and, having become regular visitors to Split, we'll certainly be staying again.

Apartments "Fascination": Can you keep a secret?

by TheWanderingCamel

I'm really not sure that I want to spread the word about this little Dubrovnik apartment too far and wide - it could mean I might find it booked next time I want to stay there! It's not big, it's not luxurious, it hasn't got a view - in fact, calling it an apartment is really a misnomer - it's nothing more than a awkwardly shaped long narrow room with a tiny bathroom and a little "kitchen" nook in one corner, simply furnished and basically equipped. It's very clean and quiet and its location, within the walls of Dubrovnik, about half way betweent the Pile Gate and the main square, up a steep flight of steps and just two streets over from the Stradun is no better or worse than many similar rooms in Dubrovnik.

So what makes this apartment so different from all the others?

Take a look at the photo here. Do you see the square of green right in the middle? That's the vine-hung and bougainvillia-bright terrace of the family compound that includes this little apartment in one of its houses. Look at the photo again and you'll realise how special this is - in fact, the owners say no other house within the walls has such a large garden and no other holiday apartment can offer anything comparable.

The terrace is huge. Spread over different levels, a beautiful stone arch divides the entrance level from the larger inner areas. The apartment's windows open onto this first area where loungers and chairs around a large table are the perfect place to start the day with an al fresco breakfast, spread out a feast of local ham, cheese, tomatoes and fruit for a lazy lunch break, to sit and relax with a book and a bottle of wine when the day is done. Guests are welcome to make themselves at home anywhere in the garden that takes their fancy - maybe you'll find the outer wall with its view over the Franciscan church to the mountain behind the city does it for you.

The stone flags of the terrace hide the secret to maintaining this green oasis - a 16th century cistern that keeps the garden lush and green throughout Dubrovnik's long hot summer. That charming old well isn't just there as a pretty garden feature.

Hotel Niko: ZZZZing in Zadar

by TheWanderingCamel

Thanks are due to fellow VTer, JLBG, for the recommendation of Zadar's Niko Hotel.
Although 2009 saw the opening of the first (and VERY expensive) hotel within the ancient walls of Zadar, his review of the hotel and the promise of one of Zadar's best restaurants, was the prompt that had us booking a room for the one night we were to spend in the city. Next time we'll make it longer.

A huge room with a wonderfully comfortable bed and spotless bathroom, the balcony with a view across the harbour to the walls and spires of the old city and very welcoming and friendly staff in both the hotel and the restaurant (it's a family enterprise)were just the start. Dinner was excellent, and the restaurant's wide terrace was the perfect place to spend the first part of the evening before taking a bottle of wine out onto the room's balcony to enjoy the view and a chat about the day's doings for another hour or so. Breakfast next morning was fantastic, just about the best we've had anywhere in Croatia - a great start to the day.

Typically of Croatian hotels of this size, rooms are on the two floors above the restaurant, there is no lift but the staff were quick to grab our bags and carry them up for us. The red, cream and gold decor is a bit formal for such a lovely waterside setting for my personal taste but the comfort of the room makes that a minor niggle.

Arriving by car it took us little while to locate the hotel as the sign is set back from the road in the car park. The receptionist gave us very clear instructions for driving back into the city and, most importantly, where to park - like many of Croatia's walled cities, cars are no-no within the walls and parking near the main gates is nigh-on impossible.

Hotel Ostrea: Oysters anyone?

by TheWanderingCamel

We detoured off the Split-Dubrovnik road to visit Ston, a walled town about 60km north of Dubrovnik on the Peljesac Peninsula famed for its long history of salt production and its miles of city walls - far longer than those of Dubrovnik. They're still producing salt at Ston but the area is more famed these days for the oysters of nearby Mali Ston. We'd already had lunch and it was too early for dinner so, on our first visit, we decided the oysters would have to wait but we would return another year and stay at one of the two small hotels sitting by the small harbour - it all looked so peaceful and a million miles from the tourist hordes of Dubrovnik.

What a good decision! Our choice, the Hotel Ostrea. proved to be every bit as charming as it appeared at that first sighting. A family-run hotel with just 9 rooms and one suite, it has been the family home of the owners for generations and so fits perfectly into the surrounding townscape of old stone buildings that occupy the lower slope of the high hill between Ston and Mali Ston. The whole town is a listed monument and the Kralj family pride themselves on the way their hotel and restaurant has added to the amenities of the of the town - people travel for miles to eat at the renowned restaurant - without in any way intruding on the harmonious ensemble.

Being on the top floor - once the attics of the house, our corner room did have rather a low ceiling but it was big, extremely comfortable and well furnished with a delightful view over the harbourfront from the green-shuttered windows.

Dinner in the Kapetanova kuca (the Captain's house) restaurant - also owned by the Kralj family - was as good as we had anticipated it would be and when it began to pour with rain just as we were leaving, the sheltering umbrella proffered by the maitre d' was just what we needed for the quick dash back to the hotel's cosy lounge. We were glad of the hotel's thick stone walls as the rain turned into a savage storm later that night and delighted to wake to a bright sunny morning and to find a copious breakfast served in the downstairs hotel restaurant - both were just what we needed to set ourselves up for walking the walls of Ston before a little later in the day.

2011 update - we stayed at the Ostrea again in June this year, just for one night. Another delicious meal, the same comfortable room, breakfast under the arches of the large loggia this time - how nice to find everything just as charming and the welcome just as warm as our first visit.