Hôtel Croatia Cavtat 5

Not a great welcome upon arrival, plenty of staff milling about but you have to go to them they do not come to you, the aircon in the room is set at 23 degrees (this is heat not cold air) you have to ask at reception to get it turned down and then they only set at 20 so again you have to keep asking. There was only 1 Buggy Cart in Operation and sometimes this was not operational and when you call the number (Reception give you) they growl at you as if you are a nuisance and come up with some excuse for not running. The Piano Bar staff are very good at short measuring you and sometimes your lucky to get a smile (Exception Mato) Pool Towel shortage and Sun Bed shortage at the hotel pool, you have to be early to get a Sunbed at the platform by the sea too. No daily towel change in the room unless you ask at the again not so friendly staff at reception. After 1 weeks stay we did not get clean sheets either. Toiletries not re-filled in the bathrooms. Watch your final bill as we had a number of snacks/drinks added to ours of which absolutely none were taken.

We stayed at Hotel Croatia on the recommendation of a friend who has stayed there twice before. On arrival, we were greeted by Ana at reception who was helpful and polite. We had a wait until we could check in but Ana suggested things to do in the meantime such an exploring the hotel and surrounding area, drinks in the piano bar and where to leave our luggage. During our stay, it was our wedding anniversary and, on checking into our room, we found a complimentary bottle of fizz waiting for us on ice. Such a kind gesture. Our room was a superior sea view room with a balcony overlooking the sea and rocks. It was perfection. Waking up to the sounds of the waves each day and sitting on the balcony was so calming and peaceful. The room was spotlessly clean. The only criticism we found was that the pillows were extremely soft and not supportive. Also cups and glasses were not always changed and we had to call room service to do this, although it was mostly done immediately. We stayed half board and enjoyed eating alfresco. The menu was varied and we found something we enjoyed each time. The chefs make use of the abundance of fish from the Adriatic. The waiting staff were quiet and efficient but we found that if we chatted to them, they were happy to engage. It was nice to see the chefs in the dining room, preparing the food so it was fresh. We also used the piano bar for drinks in the evening and occasionally for lunch (club sandwich-yum!) and received great service from Ros. Each evening there is a local performer/band which was enjoyable. There was a conference on during our stay but this did not disrupt our experience at all. The hotel is closed for the Winter season, so it’s understandable that they have to make the most of the Summer season. The hotel literally sparkles, but it’s not surprising as the cleaning staff are constantly working, all of them were keen to say hello and smiled. Both the indoor and outdoor pools were salt water and very cold. I don’t think either were heated but we still managed some swims. NB. No lifeguards on duty, though my son is a lifeguard and swim teacher. We mostly walked into the town, including up the steep incline on return but the buggy service runs very frequently and swiftly. Cavtat is a beautiful place. We walked round the peninsula every day, up to the mausoleum using the quaint backstreets and found wonderful Škatulica for souvenirs and local produce. We travelled to Dubrovnik by bus for 4€ each. Reading a recent very negative review, I fail to see how this person can have stayed at the same hotel as us at the same time as our experience was the complete opposite. We would return here without hesitation.

The rooms with seaview are nice. Disappointing was the thing that we booked seaview and we knew seaview from the week before when we stayed there but when we came back the Madame at the reception on fridayevening last week wanted toplay with us some joke and gave us first the room with view to Cavtat then an old suite and after the next complaining we got the room that we booked for 450 Euro! Per night! The Madame from the reception sent us to 3 different rooms. Itwaslike a playing with us in a 5Star hotel. But I have to say that the view from the seaview room is breath takening nice. The final room was new and perfect. The older woman at the reception was not nice but the room and baggage boys were helpful and nice. The dinner costs 35 Euro per Person and is not worth it. And not much different meals. Better no dinner and eat in Cavtat. Also breakfast is disgusting. Little Croissants from the mashine. The eggs are too long cooked. The pool is too cold for children. The playground has many defect playtools and our daughter was injured because of the unscecured playground. It is a nice place for staying in Cavtat but you should learn in Service and hospitality from Companies like Valamar in Dubrovnik.

Expensive, soulless hotel with no atmosphere what so ever. Breakfast was fine but you can't really go wrong with breakfast. We only booked bed and breakfast and glad we didn't go half board as we had read reviews it wasn't worth the cost and food was bland.. so we eat out in the harbour every night but met others who were half board and the agreed food options were repetitive and not particularly good. We were not given and welcome what so ever just told we couldn't check in until 2pm and were sent away by a very matter of fact Receptionist who wasn't at all friendly, didn't even smile, not a great first impression! We had an issue with our room and asked to move and to be fair Anna from Reception arranged a room change rapidly and seamlessly. All in all we wouldn't chose to stay here if we visited Cavtat again.

This Hotel is a must if you are staying in Cavtat, the staff are very friendly, it is clean and very spacious, the food is great we could not fault it, we had a special birthday during our stay and all 3 rooms were welcomed with a bottle of Prosecco and a birthday cake left in the room on the day, there is a free buggy to ferry the guests to and fro from the sea front, if you don’t fancy walking the hill or climbing the steps. We were made to feel very welcome all through our stay, the only thing I could say is there is an extra charge if you want a sea view so please check on this when booking if a sea view is important to you. Would I stay at Hotel Croatia again, 100% yes 😊