Haven’t been in Dubrovnik for almost 20 years (yeah, I couldn’t believe myself either), I decided that I could spend a few days in December exploring the city that I last visited when I was still in Elementary school. Back then I wasn’t even interested about all the culture and history this city has to provide. Luckily now, it’s a whole different story. Having bought the ticket, I found the last days of the year to be the perfect dates for my five day getaway. All that I needed to find was accommodation. Definitely not an easy choice when it comes to a city with so many great hotels and most of them being five stars. The best thing about it; the prices were low in this time of the year. After a few days of browsing and comparing I decided to go with the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens.
Situated 11 km from the historic Old town of Dubrovnik, it’s a perfect location if you want to get out from all the buzz and noisy streets. A shuttle bus to the city centre is provided for the hotel tourist a few times a day.
THE ROOM
My room was a Double room with a sea view. Situated on the second floor, that is actually situated below the reception. A little messed up when you first get into the hotel and start using the elevator, but not a big deal overall. The room was very nice. All decorated in sea colours and modern design.
It also had a big balcony which was a plus since the temperature was pretty warm for a December so you could actually be outside, lay down on a sun chair or just have a drink. The room amenities were pretty much standard; TV, mini bar, small work desk, a closet and a comfy double size bed. More than enough for me.
The thing I really liked was the big bathroom with a walk-in shower. I like walk-in showers even more than a bathtub since I use the shower a lot more, rarely taking a bath. The thing I didn’t like about the bathroom was that I found some tiles to be broken or unfinished and one could easily cut on them on the floor if not wearing slippers. Well, that’s when wellness slippers came in handy.
THE HOTEL
The hotel itself was nice. Everything was nicely decorated and what’s more important, everything was clean. I’m not the type of person who goes to the hotel wellness that much, but I did spend an afternoon after my gym workout, swimming in the pool, relaxing in the jacuzzi and even tried some saunas. Not my type of fun really but had a great time. The wellness is a pretty big one, with a large swimming pool, one jacuzzi that get can get easily crowded and many saunas. There is also a relax zone and a tepidarium with stone lounge chairs. As I said, I’m not an expert when it comes to wellness but I enjoyed this one very much. I also noticed some showers in the wellness broken or not working, so again, small things that needs to be fixed.
The hotel bar is cool and it has a big terrace looking over the Elafiti islands. Having a drink on the terrace while watching the sun setting down between the islands was definitely one of the highlights of my stay here. The sunsets here are pretty much spectacular.
THE FOOD
Probably the most important segment for me when staying somewhere. I chose the half board option with the hotel being away from the city and knowing I had to have at least three big meals in the day (one being a lunch that I had to pay extra). The breakfast was great. Really great. Lot of options. I was having scrambled eggs with bacon every morning. Orange or apple juice. Maybe some salami and cheese. Always some fruits; especially tangerines since they’re my favourite fruits and the ones from south Dalmatia are literally the best ones. And of course, the pancakes with nutella. Since the weather was nice, you could even have a breakfast on the terrace with a sea view. That was a nice December experience especially when one comes from a part of the country where minus degrees temperatures are a winter’s everyday.
So, the breakfast was great but to be honest, I wasn’t that impressed with the dinner. I mean, I literally can eat everything so I’m not really the type of person that is too picky about anything, especially the food, but there was even a night I returned to my room hungry. Not saying that every night was like that; there were evenings when dinner was good, but somehow the overall feeling was that it was lacking the variety of food. Or just not being on the level where it should have been. Or maybe I picked the wrong time for visit, since in Summer, well in the main season, it’s probably a different story. Anyways, you know I’m a big foodie so that’s why I look at it from a different perspective and probably care too much about it. But if you ask me, I’d rather give up the wellness just to have a better menu. Yeah, that’s exactly how much I love to eat. :D
THE RESORT & OVERALL FEELING
The surroundings of the hotel are amazing. The whole resort is very large. Well, the hotel itself is a pretty big one and there are also other residences near the hotel with not just appartments but shops, markets, hair dresser and pretty much everything you need for being home away from home. But the nature here and the pebble beaches in front of the hotel are what is really worth coming here for. I can only imagine how great it must be to head down to the beach on a hot summer day and take a swim in this clear blue sea. If you’re not the one who is crazy about beaches there are also three pools around, many walk trails, sports center, beach bars and even a night club. So, it definitely feels like being in a town of it’s own. And don’t forget about the views. The views here are nothing but spectacular. They probably get even better when Summer comes around.
Speaking of which, everything gets better in Summer. I kinda think that I should have stayed in this hotel in summertime just to experience to the fullest everything it has to offer. There are some little things I mentioned that I think need to be fixed, but nevertheless the Radisson Blu Dubrovnik still is an amazing hotel. Those seeking a perfect but kinda peaceful summer vacation, relaxed atmosphere, gorgeous scenery and home away from home accommodation, should look no further.
More photos about the Old town of Dubrovnik you can find in my photolog post here.
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