The Private Traveller

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Hotel Review: Hotel Villa Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The Private Traveller

Overview

After researching which countries were accessible and not requiring a quarantine on the return to the UK, we opted for our first post-lockdown trip to be Croatia (you can check out the full itinerary here). I very quickly opted for a two-centre trip, flying to Dubrovnik with British Airways first then travelling onto Hvar by ferry. I definitely wanted to stay near to the Old Town and as unusual I my first ‘go to’ is the Leading Hotels of the World website - I quickly homed in on Hotel Villa Dubrovnik, a 55 room/suite luxury hotel overlooking the Dalmatian coast and with stunning views towards the Dubrovnik Old Town.

I’m not going to add a permanent ‘Covid’ section to my reviews but the measures a hotel or airline have put in place clearly are very important at the moment. Hotel Villa Dubrovnik was exceptional in this regard (and in many, many others too); we felt completely safe and well looked after. We had been sent guidance beforehand so knew what to expect (and it’s front and centre of their website homepage at the moment), we just hadn’t expected this to be executed so effectively yet subtly. Once we came down in the lift from the road (to a cliff side, water view oasis) we left our luggage outside reception to be sanitized and this was then promptly delivered to our room after check-in. All staff wore clear mouth/lower face visors (probably to be honest not ultra-effective but more visually reassuring) and there were automatic hand-sanitizer stations in all lifts. Only one family was to travel in the lift at a time, but with there being three (lifts) on the property we never encountered anyone else in it, or having to wait for one to be empty.

Throughout the hotel (in every location where it might be needed) there were other bottles of hand sanitizer and anti-bacterial wipes; in our room we were given face masks (only had to be worn in hotel transport to/from the Old Town and in local shops), more wipes and a bottle of sanitising liquid. Menus were available by QR code in all bars and restaurants, as well as in the room. Every aspect of the hotel was spotlessly clean and we saw complete observation of cleaning tables after use and just copious amounts of cleaning in general throughout. You can read all about the hotel’s measures here.


Hotel website: https://www.villa-dubrovnik.hr/en/

Would I stay here again?   Definitely yes; it’s not the nearest 5* hotel to the Old Town but loved the boutique nature and the views are just stunning. Service was exceptional, accommodation, food, drinks - what’s not to love. As regular readers of my reviews will know, also being part of Leading Hotels of the World has a lot of additional benefits too.

Location

The hotel was located about 30 minutes, or less traffic-dependent, from the international airport at Dubrovnik. Despite British Airways and all UK airports appearing to have successfully navigated Covid-measures, leaving the plane and into Dubrovnik international airport was a different experience altogether - you can read all about my first post-lockdown flying experience in another blog.

We were met at the airport by a hotel driver and taken straight to the hotel - such a nice arrival, you only see a designer lift entrance/wooden canopy from the street but once you descend the cliff in the lift and come out on level 4 (reception level) you instantly realise how amazing this place is. There are just incredible views from everywhere in the hotel - over the water to Lokrum Island, further down the coast and to small bathing inlets left and right; the pièce de resistance however were the interrupted views of the Dubrovnik Old Town walls.

There are free courtesy buses (7 seats) between the hotel to the nearest gates of the Old Town; these run from 3pm to 11:15pm every day (just remember at the moment, wear a mask!) departing the hotel on the hour and leaving the Old Town at quarter-past the hour. No need to book, but first-come, first-served (we never had any issues getting a place and often it was just us). The journey there takes less than 5 minutes (and is easily walkable, just dependent on the heat and time of day); taking slightly longer on the return because of one-way streets and the switchback roads. Ubers were also freely available, we used them a number of times to return if the hotel timing didn’t suit - very cheap, only about 20-30 KN (roughly £3, €3.50 or $4). We also just used Uber to take us to the (new) port for catching the late-afternoon ferry to Hvar. Please be aware, the port you leave from (within the Old Town walls) for the likes of Lokrum or other island day-cruises is not the same - there is a new larger ferry, cruise ship port on the other side of the walls.

Accommodation

We had a Premium Room - slightly larger than the entry-level Superior Room (difference is these are slightly larger and have two doors onto the balcony and twin sinks in the bathroom because of the wider room). They were stunningly appointed with a glass-walled bathroom (shower over bath), huge bed (was a twin zip and link, so together was 6’ wide) which was incredibly comfortable, a writing desk, occasional seating and also outside seating and table on the large balcony, with stunning views. Mineral water was provided daily and there was a chargeable mini-bar, tea and coffee making facilities and iron/ironing board available on request. 

There was a huge built-in wardrobe and cupboard space (initially looks not a lot because of the concealed design) and a great multi-charger for all sorts of devices on the desk. Slightly dated was the swivel TV in the centre of the room facing the bed, but equally could be turned round to watch from the other seats too. I like to connect an IPad where possible to HDMI for Netflix, this did work but was a bit quirky (maybe just due to age and technology of the TV) albeit it was a decent screen. There was WiFi throughout the hotel; we found it tended to be slightly patchy in the room and would often drop out, but I think this was just a quirk of location as it worked well in other places, and was decent speed.

All rooms and most suites were situated in two sea-facing buildings (Villa East and Villa West) - we were in Villa West which probably had the better views as nearer (with completely unobstructed views, certainly from the 3rd floor) to the Old Town. Villa Kolin Suites were at the back of these main buildings, pictures do look exceptional and they do have outside terraces and private jacuzzi, but sea views wouldn’t be anything as good as from the main buildings. As well as the Superior and Premium rooms, there were also Deluxe and Executive. Suite-wise there were 6 categories from Standard through to the Royal Suite (which I think must be room 216 with a wrap-around balcony and jacuzzi on the deck). Suite 316 above also looked exceptional with the twin-aspect balcony; but really all rooms were great; you wouldn’t be disappointed with any here. These two corner suites were clearly the WOW suites.

Our room was fully serviced twice a day; it was easy to select the service button as we left for breakfast and by the time we came back afterwards everything had been restored and cleaned to perfection. The same going out in the evening, we would come back to find the room serviced and with a full turndown. The standard of cleaning was exceptional, as it was throughout the entire property.

Food & Drink

There are two restaurants, the first is Pjerin is on level 1 adjacent to the Library Bar where breakfast is served  in the hotel (daily 7-11am) but also lunch (1-4pm) and dinner (7-11pm). As well as the beautiful inside dining room the doors all open onto a terrace area too, with the stunning views of Lokrum Island and Dubrovnik Old Town. The second is a more informal bistro style (Al Fresco Giardino), only open air and just on the lower level in front of Pjerin, open for lunch only - you could select lunch through from both a bistro or restaurant menu.

We had breakfast each morning outside on the Pjerin terrace, not sure if this would normally have been part buffet-style but certainly with Covid-precautions (which the hotel excelled at) everything was selectable from a menu. The hotel speciality seemed to be Eggs Julia, a different take on Eggs Benedict where the ham was replaced with smoked salmon. Not for the vegetarian (though there was loads of choice for me too) but ‘Mrs’ ThePrivateTraveller enjoyed that on more than one morning.

We also had lunch on the Giardino terrace a few times, this too was excellent - great choice of food, very well made and presented, with great service to boot. Did I mention the stunning views from here too? On each night, we always ate out in the Old Town (a couple of great recommendations below) so didn’t get the chance to have dinner in Pjerin but being Michelin-recommended (and our experiences of breakfasts and lunches) I can’t imagine this would be anything but excellent too. Before going out though, we generally would go up to the rooftop Prosciutto and Wine bar to see the sunset behind Dubrovnik Old Town - this wasn’t just wine (and as a vegetarian, Prosciutto wasn’t essential!); there was a huge selection of other drinks and cocktails. Best for us was a specific gin menu, huge choice of different gins to try with different accompanying tonics, or the hotel had already selected a choice of gin cocktails all perfectly blended with just the right mixer and accompaniments for each gin.

Facilities & Service

As well as the hotel being able to organise local excursions, or private boat trips right from the hotel dock; there are lots of things to do if you want, or just to chill with those exceptional views. There is a large indoor pool (very cool I must say, temperature-wise I mean, though cool design too) with doors that all open onto a sun-deck. Here there are also inside loungers (air-conditioned) with wooden canopy beds and normal loungers/umbrellas on the adjacent terrace. Also on the “beach” deck (accessed from level 0 of the hotel down a painted white tunnel through the rocks) there are lots of loungers and umbrellas, with access by steps into the water. 

One of my favourite places was the Villa Spa, this is spread across four levels - on the first level you have the pool, showers and ladies/gents WC’s (all beautifully appointed and spotlessly clean), the level above a large gym (not widely used, but had to be booked for the moment due to Covid restrictions). On a level above that is a large wellness area with both sauna and steam rooms (check availability due to restrictions), relaxation beds, showers and where you would have body treatments. The top level (level 3 of the main West building) - aptly positioned near to our room (#314) is the main Spa entrance. Here there are private male and female changing rooms/lockers, a nail salon and various treatment rooms; again all beautifully appointed and spotlessly clean and superbly maintained. I always like to try different treatments when away and one that caught my eye immediately was a 60 minute Warm Bamboo Massage (850kn - about £100; $135 or €115). Ratko was my therapist and the treatment (a combination of massage by hand and warmed bamboo sticks of varying depths and lengths, with oil) was just wonderful. This being the first massage since lock-down (so probably for over 5 months) it was so needed, and it was executed so well. It actually made me realise that spas and treatments like this deserve a section of their own on ThePrivateTraveller website, rather than just being included within a hotel review. Watch this space for developments on the website soon.

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

  • Very minor, but have mentioned before in other hotels - would have preferred a walk-in shower rather than a shower over the bath (I realise this is just a personal preference and lots would prefer the bath).

  • The WC and bidet were at the end of the bathroom, slightly separate but not really private to the bathroom. There was space, I would have put on a frosted glass door to make this usable separate to the bathroom area.

  • Seems like a universal hotel issue but was annoying to see so many sun loungers and canopies (both down at the “beach” and next to the pool) “reserved” from very early morning with an array of paraphernalia, with no one sitting there for hours on end.

ThePrivateTraveller’s absolute highlights:

  • The choice of gin cocktails at the roof terrace bar - stunning views, and did I mention the gin?!

  • The views from the room were just amazing - right across to Lokrum Island, the Old Town walls and the sea to boot.

  • The Villa Spa was incredible and had the most amazing treatment by Ratko, really highly recommended.

  • Staff were just exceptional - from being met on arrival through to departure, always incredibly friendly and welcoming, but all at an appropriately social distance!

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