"TA never lets you do half measures so let's just say I rate the hotel 4.5, which I have rounded up!
Lots to love about this hotel. Beautiful, peaceful location, which once you have visited Dubrovnik, you will absolutely appreciate. The bay location is idyllic, and that first morning swim at 7am in pristine water - to die for! A late afternoon dip is also an absolute pleasure and a welcome relief from the (very) warm temperatures. The public areas of the hotel are well maintained and rooms are comfortable with beautiful sea/mountain views. Venturing around the bay the view back to the hotel with the mountains behind is so uplifting.
Food in the hotel is fine. Breakfast is repetitive but pastries, fruit, yoghurt, prosecco - you know I think I will cope! Hot options for those who want them. Dinner seemed to be on a one-week rotation and that's fine - quality meat, fish, veggie options so perfectly tasty and reasonable.
Drinks in the hotel are on the expensive side but I just brought my water bottle to dinner to avoid bottled water and no-one had an issue with that, nor with constructing a lunch sandwich at breakfast. Choice of drinks and location to drink was all good. If you need to find an alternative then two small local supermarkets, three decent and immediate local restaurants and three/four local bars provide excellent and not unreasonable alternatives.
If you are expecting the amenities associated with a centre like Dubrovnik then you will be disappointed but we could rent SUPs, kayaks, bikes, a basketball(which was actually no charge) and tennis equipment through the hotel. This was all we needed. It was quite refreshing that evening entertainment was relatively limited. It fitted well with the ambiance of the hotel, which was very much rest and relaxation. The biggest annoyance was when a group started singing along with the pianist and disrupted the relaxed vibe.
Although being here does limit the scope of some trips (we didn't use the buses but they clearly function pretty well, if not especially often) we still made it to Mostar, Korcula, Ston, Dubrovnik (go here on a Wed/Fri when fewer cruise ships to ruin the town) and a boat excursion out to the Elaphiti islands. Being north of Dubrovnik gave us the advantage of last to board trips north and first to depart.
Biggest highlight for me was the hiking opportunities around the village. I was able to do some great walks in and around the mountains (avoiding large rocky paths where possible - risk of snakes!) and this has given me some amazing memories. The TI office has a useful QR code to scan walking and cycling routes onto Google Maps - so useful for exploring off the beaten track. A nice shout out too to the Heritage House and Rector's Palace in Slano - both offering a nice insight into local history.
So why 4.5? For me this was a 5* hotel with one huge exception. The spa was quite frankly way out of sync with everything else. Tired, most of it out of order, and in major need of improvement (as was the gym to some extent). Treatments I understand were fine but a small sauna and murderous and noisy steam room aside all you have is a jacuzzi (not working), an 'experience' shower (which is great if your idea of an experience is light drizzle in northern England with jungle sound effects), heated beds (which don't heat up) and a somewhat lax attitude to refreshing the spa towels meaning many people leave them lying around and making the small area look even more shabby. I think the spa may be outsourced to another company but seriously - the hotel could do so much better.
But hey, that was the half point and it doesn't detract too much from the rest of the stay for me - I go home relaxed and recharged.
A final mention to the hotel staff - bar, pool, rooms, restaurant - they are a great team, friendly and helpful and they genuinely look like they enjoy their work - this is so important for the ambience of the hotel and they really helped make the holiday. Hvala!"
