Boban Luxury Suites — Hotel in Grad Split

First of all, I don’t think the owners know what the word luxury means. After two weeks in Croatia, me and my girlfriend decided to spend the last night of our trip at Boban Luxury Suites. Intrigued by the pictures, we went in with an open mind but quickly realized our mistake. ||The reception is as luxurious as a moldy sandwich, and the customer service is lukewarm at best. We received the room 10 (4th floor) and after a ride in the sketchiest elevator in Europe we reached the 3rd floor - and had to walk the last stairs. All of a sudden the luxury has transcended into a Berlin-esque graffiti-vibe and the search for luxury reached a new low. ||Now we step into the room. It was the tackiest room, I’ve ever witnessed and it felt more like an Eastern European adult movie set than anything remotely luxury. I went to put on the TV as I always do when I enter a hotel room and was absolutely shocked to see that the last guests adult content binge was left on as soon as you turned on the TV. Indeed quite fitting to the overall sketchiness of the room. Look, me and my partner are not prudes - and we don’t mind a free spirit. BUT the adult content together with the sub par cleanliness of the room made it all feel a bit too much. Lime scale everywhere in the bathroom, the tv remotes looked hazardous and the books in the bookshelf hadn’t been dusted since the opening in the 70s. There were even trash from the last guests in the bathroom - yuck! The room had a jacuzzi but I almost got an UTI just looking at it. Imagine bringing in a black light in there! But speaking of light, the only light in the bathroom were some colorful disco lights. Sure, it creates an ambiance- but not a good one. Oh, also it was IMPOSSIBLE to find something to watch on TV - no channels had any signal (yes, the ghetto looking satellite box was turned on). ||There where rips and tears in the curtains and I constantly kept thinking that I’ve been transported to an alternate universe where Boban is considered luxury. ||We woke up and left Boban Luxury Suites faster than The Flash. Didn’t even look at the breakfast - because - if the rooms ain’t clean - imagine the kitchen. ||I read the good reviews here and again I feel like I’m in an alternate universe. ||The very relaxed dude at reception checked us out and he didn’t even ask how our stay was - I think he knows what I was going to say…. ||Just across the road from Boban is the hotel and spa Marvie which is excellent. Spend your money there. ||Boban, sorry, but this was one of the worst hotels...

We booked the Junior Suite a few weeks before our stay. As I was travelling with a female friend, I specifically messaged the property requesting for a twin bed at the time of booking as I told them we were not a couple. They acknowledged and said that the Junior Suite with the twin beds would be reserved for us, and not the one with the double bed.

On arrival, we found that we had been given the Junior Suite with the double bed and an extra roll-away bed, which was tiny and comfortable only for a child. We were advised by Antonette (receptionist) that the other twin bed Junior Suite had been given to another traveller who arrived the day before. I asked how they could do this given my specific request and their acknowledgement of the twin bed room being reserved for me at the time of booking - their response was that this is how the reservations work at their hotel... this was the last thing I expected to hear from a hotel which had high ratings hence my reason to book them. I asked them to speak to their manager/owner Mr. Boban - she spoke to him, and his response was that if we didn't like the room, we can look for accommodation somewhere else. Talk about being professional! The owner and Antonette both had condescending attitude and this was very unwelcome - I have stayed at many hotels and this is the first time I have seen unprofessional staff at a highly rated hotel. I am beginning to wonder if the reviews are fake.

They said that normally they charge 35 euros for the roll-away bed but in this case they weren't charging anything. How is this a freebie for us when we booked the twin bed room to start off with - I don't see the logic!

These guys are not at all professional and don't understand the hospitality industry. If only they had offered a token of goodwill gesture (even a small thing like a free dessert or a small discount) and acknowledged their mistake instead of being arrogant, we would have been OK to adjust for 1 night without a...

We stayed for a week in early October, and had a great time. First of all, the reception staff were really good - friendly, helpful, seemed genuinely interested in what we were doing, and if they could help etc. Excellent. |We were on floor 3 (room 2) which meant we had a great view over the roofs with the sea in the distance. The balcony was small but big enough for a couple of seats and a table, and it had the sun from dawn until dusk. The room itself was nice - really large bed, and as it was a fairly big room, plenty of space for two people to walk around and not get in each others way! Fridge and safe were both included at no extra charge. |Breakfast was nice - plenty to fill us up and serving until 11am meant there was no rush. |Location wise, we found it ideal. Being in the old city would be nice, but this is only a short walk away (20 mins?) and could be either along the beach (paved path the whole way) or was a simple straight road down through the town. We did get a few Ubers which cost 5.50 each way. We're happy as long as we're in easy reach of the action. The beaches are a 5-10 minutes walk - depending on your preference for sand/pebbles/rocks, you can just walk along the path until you find a spot you like as there's a bit of everything. Shops and bars along the seafront too, so that's good if you need anything. |The swimming pool area was quiet and relaxing - plenty of sun during the day, and although the pool itself was cold, it was really nice once you're in! |Although it's only a few minutes walk to quite lively shops/cafes/bars, the hotel was just off a quiet street and felt really calm considering how close everything was. |Overall we were really pleased with our choice, no complaints at all (we did have a noisy air con unit outside on the wall, but this was sorted the same day as we mentioned it - again, great work from the staff!) If we find ourselves in Split again, then I would be more than happy...