Spotlight On Dubrovnik

Last week I was lucky enough to visit Dubrovnik with a stay at the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, courtesy of Mason Rose. See below for my report on the city as a destination, and the site visit for the hotel:

Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is located on the South coast of Croatia, across the Adriatic Sea from Italy, and is a very old and charming city, so much so it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The idyllic city feels like it should be in a Disney movie, surrounded by walls, between the mountains and sea, full of restaurants, cafes, shops, churches and museums.

The temperature in May was in the mid-20’s, while June/July/August (peak season) is even hotter, and the flight is roughly 2 hours and 20 minutes from the UK, and the city is 1 hour ahead of the UK. Croatia is currently a member of the EU (easy for travelling) but not currently in the Euro, instead they use the Croatian Kuna (HRK), which currently works out very roughly to 10 HRK = 1 GBP. From a cost point of view the city is slightly cheaper than the UK, for instance a dinner for two with cocktails right by the harbour in the old city comes out cheaper than Pizza Express in the UK. In terms of costs the peak season is very busy and rates reflect this, but April/May and September/October could be ideal as rates are a little lower, the city is less crowded, and the weather is still very pleasant.

The airport is modern, and is about a 30 minute drive from the city, but frankly you don’t mind the drive as the view from the taxi is mountains and sea.

Most of the hotels are located outside the old city, but buses and taxis are frequent and cheap, so you can enjoy the perfect mix of a quiet hotel but within easy reach of the old city. I would say that Dubrovnik is close to what you would think of for a European city, in that there is history around every corner, and part of the fun is just mooching round soaking up the atmosphere, people-watching, sipping ice coffees and enjoying the Italian-ish cuisine (my favourite part!)

USP’s

• The old city
• The atmosphere
• The sea
• Competitive alternative to Italy or Spain

Hotel Dubrovnik Palace 

The Hotel Palace Dubrovnik is a large purpose-built hotel in the Lapad district of Dubrovnik, and is built onto a hill-side with the entire hotel enjoying sea-views. The hotel’s reception is based on the 9th floor, with meeting rooms above, while the bedrooms, restaurants, bars, swimming pools and private beach are located below. The hotel has a wealth of options of guests, including indoor and outdoor pools, and a private beach. There are three restaurants on-site, one serving Mediterranean a la carte, one serving world cuisine buffet, and the last serving a health-themed menu. The hotel is large and spacious, and on every floor an effort has been made to really maximise the sea view, which is stunning. The hotel faces the Croatian coastline and the Adriatic, with small islands, lighthouses, and ships going to and fro. The meeting space is light and airy, and is self-contained with a dedicated private entrance if required. The hotel can also offer a VIP private beach for private dinners, which would be amazing, and which have a discreet kitchen for timely food service.

The hotel is about a 45 minute walk from the old historic city centre of Dubrovnik, however the hotel is at one end of a bus line running directly to the city centre. Also the hotel has plenty of space for coaches and taxis for private groups and transfers.