"My husband and I chose Villa Orabelle to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary, and I can say without hesitation it was the perfect choice.
Villa Orabelle is an intimate property of around 19 rooms, and that smaller scale is precisely its charm. We booked a Superior Double with Sea View, and it more than lived up to its name. Our balcony view was simply breathtaking. The hotel sits on a small peninsula, so the panorama sweeps around on both sides, allowing for mesmerising views of the Croatian coastline. I could have spent hours out there, just watching the light change over the water.
Arrival was smooth and genuinely warm. The reception team greeted us with real enthusiasm, talked us through everything we needed, suggested day trips, and mentioned that both Uber and local taxis were available for getting around Dubrovnik. As it happened, we used Uber on our first couple of trips into town, so we had a good sense of the fare before we tried a city taxi on one occasion and found it came to two and a half times the price. So if you're staying here, our advice would be to stick to Uber because they're cheaper and they came quickly every time. The driveway to Villa Orabelle is a little narrow so we tended to get picked up and dropped off at the neighbouring Rixos hotel entrance which was much easier for the cars to navigate.
Breakfast was exceptional, with table service, attentive and friendly staff, and food that genuinely impressed. We also dined one evening at the hotel's restaurant, Nebula, which overlooks the sea from the same wonderful vantage point. My husband declared it the best meal of the trip, and the quality fully justified that.
The location of Villa Orabelle is ideal for exploring. Dubrovnik's Old Town is just a four-minute Uber ride away and we always asked to be dropped at the Pile Gate. The Old Town is truly spectacular, the kind of place everyone should see at least once. A word of warning though: wear sensible shoes. The stone steps throughout the city, and especially on the famous city walls walk, can be a bit slippery. The walls themselves offer views unlike anything I've seen before, and we loved ducking into the little bars along the route for a cold drink to cool down. The only slight dampener is the sheer volume of cruise ship day-trippers, which can make the old town feel overwhelmed. They dock early and leave late but you can ask Google ahead of your trip which ones are coming in if you want to try and truly organise your time there.
For our second full day, we headed in the opposite direction, taking a five-minute Uber to Lapad Beach, and this turned out to be an unexpected highlight of the whole trip. A beautiful promenade hugs the shoreline, with steps leading down to flat rocks perfect for sunbathing and swimming. There are ladders into the sea, it felt very safe, and the water was wonderfully refreshing. The main road in the opposite direction is lined with bars and restaurants, and we had a lovely lunch at Pino's Fun and Dine. We even picked up Croatia football kits for our two boys back home. Lapad is a gem, so don't overlook it.
We would return to Villa Orabelle without a second thought, and we would return to Dubrovnik. For a romantic, special-occasion stay with beautiful views, genuine hospitality, and an ideal base for exploring, it's a well-deserved 5 stars and simply couldn't have been better."
