Hotel Splendid — Hotel in Dubrovnik

Just recently got back from a stay there which coincided with a spate of high winds and rain so have had plenty of time to come up with this review! The hotel itself is clearly old and dated and as some others have said it is in need of renovation. We stayed in a room on the third floor of the main block and as there are no lifts anywhere in the complex you have to use lots of stairs. For example, it's 54 stairs from the third floor to the hotel reception and a total of 81 to get down to the restaurant for breakfast. Make sure you are comfortable doing that or try and book a lower floor especially if you're lugging suitcases. Food in the restaurant is all buffet style. We had breakfast there but after our first evening meal decided that there had to be better food options locally as we were totally unimpressed and never went back in the evening - despite the weather at times. A 10-15 minute walk away there is a pedestrianised street with loads of restaurants and bars and if you want decent food, go there! The hotel does have a 'bar' but judging by what was on show in terms of stock, it probably doesn't get much use. Incidentally, the walk to the Lapad Sunset Beach along the road is not too bad, apart from the smell of what we suspect is a sewage processing plant part way between Hotels Splendid and Vis. What might or might not be a blessing, is that the rooms in the main block all face north. So, if you expect to sunbathe on your balcony, it's never going to work because in the morning the sun shines on one end of the building and at noon is shining on the back before setting at the other end. If the weather is hot though, that could be a good thing to keep it a little cooler! The room itself was dated too and did not appear well maintained. For example, there were two 2-pin euro plugs under the counter both of which were not properly secured to the wall. The main door into the room, required a hefty push to bend it into shape so it would close and lock. It's an old fashioned key too! The patio doors also did not seal very well so in the high winds we experienced there was a lot of draft. They do supply a Smart TV so you can access Netflix and YouTube via that, however the hotel's internet connectivity isn't anything like you would perhaps expect. Sometimes it took 10 minutes to get Netflix to start and as you can guess, buffering was quite frequent when loads of people were on the wifi during the bad weather. At times, even our mobile phones would not log on to their network. For UK, and possibly guests from other countries too, you need to know that there was no kettle for making your own teas/coffees. There was a mini bar type fridge though for keeping your water/drinks cool The hotel mentions that it is air conditioned throughout but during cold weather, the system is incapable of supplying any warmth being a 'cooling only' system. The bathroom itself was also not what we're used to, in that the shower is an 'over the bath' type. We're now more used to a shower/wet room design and they could have done that at the last refurbishment as there is a drain already installed in the floor. What made it worse was that due to a lack of maintenance, the shower head would not stay in position unless you balanced the flow of water just right. I should also mention the hair dryer in the bathroom. It was a little disturbing to see exposed mains cables attached to it. It wasn't particularly powerful with the warmth of the air or the volume so ladies, if you have long hair, be prepared to take some time. There also was no dedicated shaving mirror or electric shaver point, no soft close toilet seat and the pipework was noisy.

Would we go back? I'm sure you can work the answer to that question out...

We really enjoyed hotel Splendid. The staff were so friendly! Always saying hi and super attentive. Some bar staff at the beach bar were not the same but they weren’t bad or rude.

The rooms were lovely, the view from the balcony was amazing! The aircon could have definitely been better though, most nights I had a damp towel over me to cool me better. However, it is to be expected as it is quite old. Although the rooms were fairly old, they were clean and not tatty.

The food was excellent! Not much choice compared to a lot of hotel buffets we have been to but quality over quantity always wins! Everything we ate was delicious. However, I was ill one morning and I suspect it was the cold fish starter I ate at the buffet, as that was the only thing I ate different to my partner all day. Although it did ruin one of my holiday days, it was okay. I suspect it was due to the high Histimine content of cold fish. As I also broke out in a rash, but recovered within 24 hours. This is always a risk you take with buffets and it may be just personal to me and my bodies tolerance. As the food was excellent and I still have no complaints.

The beach is beautiful for a few hours in the morning, quiet and peaceful. However, from about 9am, children swarm the beach and splash, scream and just generally do what children do. Which is fine, such is life! I respect that this is a safe beach for locals and their children and I wouldn’t want to complain about this, I just personally prefer peace and quiet. Which unfortunately the beach is not!

Another downside of the beach is that there is no shade! The only way to get shade is to rent a chair and umbrella, which isn’t cheap like most of Dubrovnik. There are only 2 cabana beds set back behind the bar, we were lucky to get one of the 2 on our beach day as we decided to get to the beach after breakfast. This was the only free way of acquiring a bed in the shade and relative peace and quiet. The hotel could definitely benefit from more of these.

Overall, the stay was great and I believe reasonable price for the area. I enjoyed the stay despite the above slight problems.

Thank you for being so attentive and genuinely nice people, as...

We had a fantastic stay at Hotel Splendid and were very pleased with our experience. The location was ideal, with easy access to the city center just a 2-minute walk to the nearby bus stop, which costs only 2€. Additionally, a grocery store was conveniently located just an 8-minute walk away. The hotel is situated on the quieter side of the main tourist area, providing a more peaceful and relaxing atmosphere.

We traveled with a baby, and the hotel staff were extremely accommodating in arranging everything we needed for our little one. The rooms were clean, and the housekeeping staff were kind and always had a friendly smile on their faces. We particularly enjoyed the stunning views from our balcony, which offered perfect sunsets that left us in awe.

Moreover, the rooms were located on the shady side of the hotel, which prevented overheating during the day. The beach right next to the hotel was private and calm, providing a perfect spot for relaxation. We appreciated the hotel's beautiful green areas, which had plenty of plants and benches to sit and unwind.

The food served at the hotel was delicious, and we especially enjoyed the coffee at the bar. The only drawbacks we experienced were the absence of an elevator and limited options for vegetarian breakfast, but we were grateful for the soy milk option.

Overall, we highly recommend Hotel Splendid to anyone visiting Dubrovnik. The friendly and welcoming staff, clean rooms, beautiful views, and convenient location make it an excellent choice for travelers. Thank you for making our stay...