"Location: This hotel is in a decent location. Walkable to Cassablanca Beach. There is a bus also which takes you right into the City Centre for €2.50 each way per person. We didn’t venture out of the hotel apart from going into Lapad and Old Town. Apparently there is however, a steak restaurant near the hotel if you get bored of the all inclusive buffet.
Atmosphere: There was a good atmosphere around the hotel area. The pool atmosphere was good, with music playing not too loudy at the pool bar. We were never left without a sun lounger and we are not morning people. There were 2 days we had to wait until mid day to get loungers however staff were more than happy for you to sit in the pool bar wet which is great. We were able to just ditch our belongings and then come back to them once we got out the pool. The guests were very friendly, chatty and gave a good vibe.
Rooms: We booked a Superior Room with Balancy through Love Holiday’s however, when we checked in, were given a room on the basement level with no balcany but instead a shared terrace with other guests. The lights in the room did not work nor did the phone. It also didn’t help that the terrace was right opposite the restaurant so if you decided to sit outside, everyone sat in the restaurant could see you. We did contact Reception who informed us they had over booked the rooms, however, were able to move us into a more appropriate room almost immediately so can’t fault them on that. The rooms were spotless and cleaned daily. The air con wasn’t the strongest, however, did get quite cool after leaving it on for a period of time. The room we stayed in had a lot of storage space, plenty for my partner’s and my own clothes. There were 2 chairs and a table on the balacony, although some guests informed us they only had one chair in theirs. We didn’t experience this problem. There were plenty sockets in the room. The safe in the room was free of charge and there was a hairdryer available for you to use in one of the drawers. The beds were comfortable and the curtains were black out which were amazing.
Food: The food at the buffet was decent although not much choice. The food after a few days tasted very similar however for my fussy partner, they had pizza, pasta and potatoes every day. We did go for food one evening at Polksa in the Old Town and this was loveky. We also went for lunch at Peppers in Lapad which was the best food we ate the whole holiday. Frozen Strawberry Daquiri’s also for those who like them.
Drinks: The all inclusive drinks were amazing. They had the basic cocktails you could want including Aperol and Hugo Spritz, Mojito, Sex on The Beach etc. They did have others however you had to pay for them. The soft drinks were basic. Very flat and warm, although the waiter at the pool bar was lovely and would give out cups of ice which helped.
Supermarket: There was a supermarket on site however avoid! It is very expensive. We paid €13 for a pack of lays and 1 bar of Milka. There is a mini market just a short walk away. Come out of the hotel reception and turn right and go up the stairs. Go past the other Valamar hotel and turn right and there are a few mini marts and and irish pub.
Pool: The pool was the perfect temperature although there are steps in them. Be careful when entering the pool if not enterinf by the obvious way. The steps in the pool are very slippy and i near killed myself twice. The pool is right next to the kids pool and although we were aware it was not an adult’s only hotel when we booked it, it was very very noisy around the pool. Not very relaxing. Kids jumping in the deeper pool. Positive however was that you were allowed to take lilo’s and rings into the pool.
Beach: Please don’t be fooled by Love Holiday’s photo of the beach. We didn’t read all of the reviews and were under the impression the beach was part of the hotel. It is not. You will be asked to pay €100 for 2 sunloungers and an umbrella for the day. You can lie on the sand (rocks) for free however it wasn’t worth it.
Entertainment: There was none. There was one day where they did pool games but that was it. I don’t know if we missed a trick but there was nothing on although advertised. They did have the England game for the World Cup on in the Lobby Bar although limited seats and only 1 small TV. The outdoor terrace didn’t play music in the evening. Only positive was that the bar still served all inclusive drinks until 23:00. My partner and I spent an hour there every night playing games and then went to bed.
Overall: We paid £1000 each for a week all inclusive. Although Croatia itself is absolutely stunning, we would not return to this hotel. The food after a while got boring, the noise at the pool was far from relaxing, limited entertainment and the whole room change was stressful. The staff were friendly, but for the amount of money we spent, we could have found a much nicer, more relaxing hotel for less. If you are a family, the kids club looked absolutely amazing! For couples, be prepared for a lot of noise, screaming, bland food and overpriced shops."
