The Private Traveller

View Original

Hotel Review: Palace Elisabeth, Hvar Heritage Hotel, Croatia.

The Private Traveller

Hotel Review: Palace Elisabeth, Hvar Heritage Hotel, Croatia.

Overview

Having done a lot of research about hotels in Hvar (pronounced “Whar”) I very soon homed in on the Suncani Group’s Palace Elisabeth (Heritage Hotel), right at the port. I was initially confused as to why such a stunning looking hotel wouldn’t have a very high ranking on TripAdvisor (currently 10 out of 18 hotels in Hvar, as I post this review) but very quickly it became apparent that it only re-opened as a hotel in summer 2019 after an extensive refurbishment, re-closing for the winter period and was subsequently closed for many of the recent months due to Covid-19 (only reopened in July 2020). With more (very well deserved top reviews) I’m sure this will become #1.

We had such a wonderful hotel experience here - as well as this summarised review I also plan to post another blog detailing and contrasting with our stay at the other LHW property we visited on the same trip, though very different, the equally impressive Hotel Villa Dubrovnik. The Palace Elisabeth has had such an impressive (and sympathetic) restoration that I will also be posting another piece on this, and a focus on the Suncani Group’s plans for the fantastic Hvar Beach Club (established in 1927).

I included in my recents review of Hotel Sofitel London Heathrow and Hotel Villa Dubrovnik (available here) a section on Covid-measures and so I should do the same here. The hotel had information on their website about what was in operation and special measures to take; on arrival there was an automatic hand-sanitizer dispenser and all staff were wearing face masks. We were shown to our room (just exceptionally clean, literally shining) which had a security clean seal on the door to show that no one had entered after it had been thoroughly cleaned, and when our luggage was delivered we had to take it in the corridor (which was fine, to minimise others in the room). Throughout the hotel building there were bottles of hand sanitizer in many different locations and in all areas (bar, restaurant, reception etc. all staff wore masks). There was a limited choice of treatments in the Spa and the steam room was out of action. Again we felt perfectly safe here and all necessary precautions and considerations had been made by the hotel.


Hotel website: https://www.suncanihvar.com/palace-elisabeth-hvar-heritage-hotel.html

Would I stay here again?   In a flash YES - the location was just perfect, Croatia was amazing (cleanest place I’ve ever been), the hotel was incredible with wonderful staff. Hopefully we can come back once the Hvar Beach Club refurbishment is complete for re-opening 2021.

Location

The Palace Elisabeth is situated in the old part of Hvar, steps away from the main harbour/port and this is what it overlooks. So easy to get there, we actually came from Dubrovnik on the late afternoon high-speed ferry and were met by the hotel to take our luggage as we came off the ferry. Check out the full itinerary here. Literally as you come into the port you can see the hotel, we only had to walk a few hundred yards and we were in the historic Palace hotel building. By the time we had checked in and were shown to our room on the third floor (#309) our luggage was delivered very soon after.

There is such an extensive choice of restaurants, bars and cafés on the doorstep; walk out of the hotel on the ground level (though level -1) and you are right in the main town square. Being an old Palace, and only being converted recently, it’s a really uniquely designed hotel. Level -1 (ground) is the main reception area and above that is the hotel pool (level 0) with an open-air terrace and an incredible view (but exceptionally cunningly designed so as to not be observed from the harbour below). Slightly raised in a walled part of the Palace is an outside bar/seating area then the level above (floor 1) is the restaurant (San Marco) where there is both an indoor seating area, canopied outdoor dining terrace and also a covered seating area too, and ‘The Bar’. The levels above (2 through 4) are the rooms and suites, the top floor having terraces overlooking the port.

Accommodation

Most rooms overlook the main town square and the harbour, on three levels of the building, albeit there are some Park rooms located at the rear of the building overlooking the peaceful Old Town to the rear and up towards the Spanish Fort. While all (Premium sea view) rooms seem to have a French balcony (full length patio doors open onto an area allowing one person to stand), some had bigger balconies but not many (this is the Premium room option with Balcony). There are then a number of suites, most overlooking the sea and most with balconies or terraces; many of these on the top floor of the hotel.

Ours was a Premium View with sea view on the third floor, located near the lift but it was exceptionally well-soundproofed and we didn’t hear a thing from inside the hotel. At night there was a little noise from the main square but it was very limited, but this only added to the experience of being so central. The air-conditioning was very effective, but switched itself off when you opened the balcony door, not coming back on automatically when the doors were re-closed, so just remember to switch back on. Despite the soaring temperatures outside when we were there, it was always exceptionally cool (perfectly so) inside.

It was a perfectly proportioned room but beautifully designed with excellent fittings and amenities - there was a large king-size bed (so unbelievably comfortable just to sink into), great state-of-the-art large LCD TV, and good (free) WiFi. There was a mini-bar hidden under the vanity unit, mineral water was also given complimentary and replenished daily, as were small bottles provided bedside each evening. 

The bathroom was beautifully designed - a great combination of traditional fittings and marble walls, yet with a modern influence of slate-grey mosaic tiles on the heated floor and a huge glass-walled walk-in rain shower. Guerlain toiletries (shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and body lotion) were replenished daily. Clearly everything was very new, and (through exceptional cleaning) all was gleaming.

Food & Drink

The hotel only has one restaurant, San Marco, but was beautifully designed and presented (as was everything it has to be said across this whole hotel). There was an indoor seating area but it also a large canopied outside terrace (complete with chandeliers) where we had breakfast each morning. As well as this, there was the inside Bar, but also had lots of outdoor terrace space on this level and the pool level below for indoor/outdoor lounge seating, and open space above the City Lodge/Loggia which is currently under renovation, but unfortunately not under hotel control so the project is taking longer.

Breakfast was just exceptional (and included within our hotel rate) - food choice, service, location, quality and presentation - an amazing start to each day not least with having that stunning view across the City Square and to the harbour behind. There was a choice of Classics (like Avocado Toast or Lox and Cheese), Eggs (everything from omelettes to Eggs Benedict, or choose your own, any style), Batters (Belgian Waffles or what I had a couple of times - Brioche French Toast with nutella mousse and banana slices, wow!), and a whole array of Bloody Mary choices. Not to mention all the Juice Blends (Green Clean and Beach Ready were personal favourites), any tea or coffee you could think of; combined with bread baskets and the offer of plain, filled or chocolate croissants for afterwards. There was clearly a lot of fresh produce available on Hvar, so locally sourced and a ‘farm-to-table’ philosophy was important for the chefs, hence everything tasting so exceptional. We’ve made up for the over-indulgence when back home, but this was just an amazing start to the day.

We never had dinner in the hotel (was so good just to walk out the door and in minutes you had an incredible on-the-doorstep choice of great bars and restaurants - check out some of my favourites below) but did have both lunches and room-service. Lunch could be served in the restaurant or on any of the outside terraces, or we had lunch one day pool-side. Again, service was wonderful and nothing could be faulted. See below regarding their nearby Beach Club (you could charge anything back to the hotel) - food and drinks here were of the same outstanding quality.

Facilities & Service

There was an incredible pool deck - the pool was indoor but there was a wall of doors opening onto a terrace so it had the best of both worlds by being partially shaded whilst in the pool but you could sit out in the sun too with amazing views over the harbour. The whole design of the hotel (and the majestic restoration) had all been done so well. If this is of interest, you can read much more about this in later blog posts.

Next to the pool were changing rooms, showers and toilets with private lockers - also used for access to the adjacent Spa and Gym. With Covid restrictions in place, there was a more limited choice of treatments so no facials or body care treatments for the moment, but there was a choice of customized massage available for either 60 or 90 minutes. You were able to choose your preference of massage type (from relaxation through to deep tissue) and a massage oil from Kos-Paris - I opted for deep tissue with Orange Blossom oil. I plan to start writing some male-spa specific blog posts so if this is of interest, please check out my Lifestyle page or find me on Instagram @this.mans.journal - I’d love to hear what you think.

There was a gym downstairs in the hotel, this was where the historic nature of the hotel restoration really came to the fore as it had been built around the original Palace Well. The well top was clearly visible on one of the outside patios (beautifully restored with a natural wood cover now), but the depth of the well was more obvious with its bricked shaft going floor to ceiling through the centre of the gym. There was a good choice of Technogym treadmills, stair-climbing and cycling machines (all brand new and pristine); as well as free-weights and yoga mats - towels and mineral water provided. Due again to Covid, the gym had to be pre-booked for use either personally, or by one household at a time; to allow for it to be fully cleaned and sanitised between uses.

I’ll write about the Hvar Beach Club much more in later posts, but this historic legend (established 1927) was due to be refurbished this year but has been delayed because of recent worldwide events. Until the refurb takes place, hotel guests are offered complimentary access, this is located just a short walk along the harbourside and coastline in the next bay. We went there for a day and had such a great time - there were perfectly socially-distanced loungers and parasols on the lower platform and out on wooden decks across the water, a restaurant was available for lunch and drinks (open 12noon-6pm), the beach club itself open daily from 11am-7pm. This is such a great additional offering for the hotel.

ThePrivateTraveller’s top tips (any areas for improvement?):

  • I think I can honestly say nothing material here - everything was so exceptional.

  • One very minor point - if you’re a light sensitive sleeper (like me) bring an eye mask. The curtains block out any light but all light switches had a tiny ‘night-light’ illumination dot that was visible when the room is dark.

ThePrivateTraveller’s absolute highlights:

  • Location, location, location - what to say, other than absolutely perfect.

  • One of those hotels that are instantly memorable, only backed up further once you stay longer and meet more staff - we had the amazing opportunity to meet for cocktails and canapés one evening with the Hotel Manager, the Suncani Group’s Director of Luxury and their Marketing & Communications Specialist - more on this in future blogs.

  • The historic building, but loved the modern and quirky design twists and influences.

  • People (and yacht) watching at the harbourside bars.

Useful website links:

See this gallery in the original post