"Inspired by a sunny weather forecast, my husband and I booked a very last minute 4 night, Thursday to Monday, stay at the Royal Ariston in early March. With limited time to research hotel reviews, location and availability for our first trip to Dubrovnik, I am very pleased that we elected to stay at the Royal Ariston in the picturesque Lapad area. The breathtaking views from the hotel and grounds, and along the boardwalk and walking trails around the headland into Lapad, were a top highlight of our stay.
Due to the off-season timing of our trip, it transpired that the Ariston was the only one of the 5 Royal hotels (the Royal Blue, Neptun, Ariston, Palm and Princess) that comprise the resort, that was open. This was not apparent when I booked the trip, through British Airways Holidays, as 3 of the other hotels were showing as available to book at different price points. Happily, the Ariston truly exceeded our expectations, and we wholeheartedly recommend the hotel. The only shortcomings that come to mind are the lack of a la carte restaurant choice and entertainment in the evening, the woefully outdated gym equipment and the 2 remarkably small bathroom towels! Nevertheless the setting and grounds of the resort, the spacious room and spell-binding views from the expansive balcony more than compensated for these minor issues.
Prior to travel I found it difficult to determine, from intensive online research, if the various restaurants within walking distance of the hotel were open in March. If you’re considering a stay at the Royal Ariston during the winter season, I hope you will find it useful to know that very few local cafes and restaurants are open, especially in the evening. Levanat and the Cave Bar were open during the day (although the latter was not serving food). In the evening we found only two restaurants open in Lapad town (Sphere restaurant at the Kompas Hotel and Trinity Fusion Lounge which was fully booked both evenings of the weekend). The restaurant at Hotel More on the boardwalk was also open. During our 4 night stay we ate twice at Zoe restaurant at the Royal (hotel guests receive a discount), once at Sphere and one evening we went into Dubrovnik and ate at Dubravka just outside the old city walls.
As many other guests have stated, there is a bus stop just outside the hotel and, even in winter, the service is very frequent. Tickets can be purchased on the bus and at kiosks around the town which offer a slightly reduced price. We visited the old town during the day and separately during the evening. It seemed to us that much of the restaurant seating is external but, despite the sunny days, we found it too chilly to enjoy eating outside in the evenings even under a patio heater.
The ferry to Lokrum Island runs during winter and we enjoyed spending a couple of hours exploring the island and admiring the beautiful peacocks. From the hotel we followed the walking trail that takes you around the headland and into Lapad where we stopped for a drink before returning to the Royal along the boardwalk.
On our final day we checked out and took a taxi to Cavtat. Unfortunately the luggage storage facility at the bus station was closed. Thankfully we were permitted to leave our suitcase at the tourist office for a couple of hours whilst we strolled around the town and along the coastal path before heading to the airport after having an enjoyable late lunch at Restaurant Zino.
In summary, our last minute, under researched trip to Dubrovnik was an outstanding success not least of all because the panoramic beauty of the region was showcased by blue and sunny skies."
