"Hotel Admiral, Croatia — Our Experience
Disappointing aspects:
● Not a 5-star experience: Unfortunately, based on our stay, we would not consider this a 5-star hotel.
● Staff & welcome: We did not find the reception staff particularly friendly or welcoming. They often appeared tired and overworked, and there was no welcome drink on arrival.
● Air conditioning: The air conditioning was not adequate for the size of the rooms. Our rooms were boiling hot when we arrived, which was very uncomfortable.
● Rooms: Although our connecting rooms were spacious, they were extremely dark. We had heavy metal shutters on the windows, which were necessary to keep the sun out but made the rooms even darker. Not all hotel rooms had these shutters however. It made it very difficult to get out onto the small balcony.
● Drinking water: There was no complimentary bottled water available. We were told that the bathroom tap water was perfectly safe to drink. We also found that we could not get tap water with dinner, meaning you should budget around €5 per meal for water. We asked to have our Stanley bottles refilled regularly, which the hotel manager, Branca Music, said would be fine.
● Breakfast: Breakfast was very basic and, for a hotel advertised as 5-star, we found it disappointing (see photo).
● Teaspoons were missing at least every other day. There were no teapot lids.
● There was very little fresh fruit; melon seemed to be the main option, with much of the other fruit being tinned.
● The bacon looked particularly unappetising. Pancakes were cold every morning and were not kept warm. Overall, I struggled to find much that I actually wanted to eat.
● Dinner: The evening meals were very repetitive and much of the food was overcooked. I always found something to eat, but I cannot say I particularly enjoyed the meals. The food was basic and there were no sauces.
● Desserts: There was a strudel every evening, but no custard or cream to accompany it, which made it dry. There was also no ice cream available dinner which again felt inconsistent with a 5-star rating.
● Mini fridge: The fridge was completely full of drinks when we arrived, making it difficult to empty enough space to store our own purchased water. By day two, the fridge had stopped working. The mini-bar prices were also exorbitantly expensive, particularly compared with other hotels we have stayed in.
● Language barrier: Most of the waiting staff in the dining areas did not speak good English, which sometimes made communication difficult.
● Swimming pools: Both swimming pools are saltwater rather than freshwater, something we were not made aware of before our stay. On several occasions, children were swimming in the pool late at night. We reported this to reception. Interestingly, the pool was not lit at night.
● Gym: The gym equipment was very poor, with missing weights and broken machines. This again did not feel in keeping with a 5-star hotel (see photo).
● Beach access: We noticed people who were not staying at the hotel using the beach and beach bar. We later discovered that public access to beaches is permitted in Croatia. The gates were left open, so the beach did not feel particularly exclusive to hotel guests.
● Paddleboard hire: Paddleboard hire was not particularly obvious and could have been better signposted.
● Local supermarket: We found the staff at the local Studenac supermarket extremely rude.
● Prices: In our opinion, Croatia was considerably more expensive than other European destinations we have visited, so it is worth budgeting accordingly.
✅ The positives:
● Excellent location: The hotel’s location directly on the beach is excellent, with plenty of sunbeds and parasols available throughout the day.
● Peaceful surroundings: The location is lovely and quiet, which made it a relaxing place to stay.
● Cleanliness: The hotel, grounds and rooms were spotlessly clean and well maintained.
● Housekeeping: Room service and housekeeping were excellent. Our rooms were cleaned by the time we returned from breakfast each morning.
● Service when things went wrong: We cannot fault the hotel’s response to specific requests. The fridge repair, ironing board and additional pillows were all brought to our room very quickly.
● Local amenities: The local restaurants and two mini marts were adequate for basic needs.
● Games room: The games room was great and the pool was free to use.
● Dining out: We would highly recommend eating at Kolarin, just a two-minute walk from the hotel. The seafood risotto I had was the best meal of the holiday and was considerably better than the food we experienced at the hotel.
● Spa: We did not use the spa facilities.
We would stay here again for the location but on a room only or B&B basis.
📝 Management response
We raised all of our concerns with Branca Music, the General Manager, who listened to our feedback and took our comments on board. However, we were told that other guests had not complained about these issues."
