If you’re looking for your next city break or a week in the sun – I have you covered!
It feels good writing a travel blog again. It’s been more than two years since our last holiday abroad so a week in Dubrovnik, Croatia was very long anticipated and needed. It’s a country we had been thinking of visiting for around 3 or 4 years now. And we are so glad we paid a visit this summer!
So now we are back home, here’s what we thought! Grab a cuppa it’s a long post…
We visited Dubrovnik in Croatia most popularly known for its mention in Game of Thrones. I must admit I’d never really seen the series. But if you have, there is plenty of guides and hotspots to visit! It’s a place where you could spend a weekend exploring and sightseeing. But it’s also a perfect place for a relaxing week’s holiday.
Where we stayed in Dubrovnik
We stayed at the Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President through TUI. For a 5-star hotel, it is everything you would expect and more. Definitely the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in so far.
On arrival, we were greeted with a complimentary prosecco and wet towel… Well, the luxury just didn’t stop! Every night we were greeted with chocolates and even our room was decorated with roses on our arrival.
It has a gorgeous infinity pool and the whole area was just very chill. They also have a private beach which was just gorgeous with waiter service for food and drinks. Just look at the view we had of the sunset every night!
We were half board and the breakfast and evening food were lovely. Couldn’t fault it all so would definitely recommend it! The hotel is around 10-15 minutes drive from the city walls by taxi. Or you can get a shuttle bus directly outside the hotel too which was really reasonable.
Top tip – if you’re going to be travelling around a lot and need taxis. Get Ubers! Use the app on your phone and it will arrive instantly. We saved a fortune using Uber throughout our journey. An average trip to our hotel was around 24 Kunas and only 6-8 with Uber. So definitely worth remembering!
What we did in Dubrovnik city
Where do I start? There’s so much to do here. There really is something for everyone. I’ll go through our week itinerary here and what I’d personally recommend.
So we arrived on Thursday early afternoon with an early morning flight. We dropped our bags down in the room and headed straight around the pool. On the first day, I had the most delicious steak salad and I ended up getting it again before we went home as it was that delicious! We drank lots of Aperols and just spent the evening just sussing out our hotel. Getting our bearings really. We had our evening meal on the veranda watching the sunset and the huge cruises going by.
Very romantic and just kickstarted our holiday perfectly!
Friday
So on Friday we got up had breakfast and headed straight into Dubrovnik old town. This was a very jam-packed day and we got lots of exploring done.
We entered the medieval walls through the Pile Gate entrance. With ice cream of course! We wandered all around the city walls looking at all the souvenir shops and sussing the best places to eat. We ended up doing the city wall tour which cost us around ￡20/25 each but was worth it. It takes around an hour and a half but the views of the sea and old town are gorgeous! We got lots of lovely photos.
We also visited all the Game of Thrones hotspots such as the ‘walk of shame’ Jesuit Steps. With another Aperol! After our walk around the full city walls and the port, we headed over to this little hidden gem. If there’s one place to visit in the old town it’s here!
Add Buzza Bar to your itinerary! This is a hidden bar on the outside of the walls and is a must-visit. You can easily find it on Google maps. You’ll arrive at a small doorway and as you walk through you will enter a small bar with the best sea views. Plus a great sunbathing spot. You can then venture down the steps and jump into the sea.
Saturday
We thought we needed a rest day after miles of walking around the old town. So we spent the day around our hotel’s beach. Then the night, we visited Panorama restuarant. Another must-visit place!
Enjoy the city views from above at this 360 restaurant. Grab the cable cart to the top and trust me the views are spectacular! If you can I’d recommend going for sunset! We watched the sun setting on the cable cart and got some gorgeous photos.
the food was absolutely gorgeous and everything you’d expect for an al-a-carte restaurant. Just look at those views at night too!
Sunday
On this day we decided to go on a boat trip! It was well worth the money. It was a half a day trip visiting the blue caves. We paid around ￡40 each for this which we thought was really reasonable. You got lunch and could help yourself to drinks.
It was a little out of my comfort zone at certain points exploring the caves as it got a little tight here and there. and you had to swim under to get into the entrances. what a day though! We took our waterproof case and got such great footage. Take a look at my Reel below! Afterwards, we went back to another Buzza Bar (there’s two really close to each other) to sunbathe and chill.
We headed back to our hotel to get ready and have our evening meal. We decided to see what the nightlife is like in Old Town and headed around the bars. Of course, we stayed in an Irish pub for quite a while! Then we went to Club Revelin. Honestly? It was ok if you wanted to dance and enjoy a DJ. We found it was quite expensive to get in (over ￡30 for two tickets) and the drink prices. There wasn’t an artist on either otherwise we’d understand. Plus the outside rooftop area is apparently really good if you go when there are famous DJs on. We stayed out really late though and enjoyed it but I don’t think I’d rush back.
Monday
We decided to go to Banje Beach this day to chill. It was a laid-back beach club that turns into a nightclub at night. We got a bed each and the food and drink weren’t very cheap. After a few hours, we realised we should have probably just stayed at our hotel beach. I obviously wasn’t expecting Ocean Beach vibes or anything but I expected more atmosphere throughout the day.
You can just take your own towels if you want to keep it budget-friendly. After the full day there we went for a pizza at Baltazar and headed home. Tip – if you love an Indian try Incredible India! We had a lovely curry there too.
Tuesday and Wednesday
The last two days of our holiday! On Tuesday we kept it relaxed with a day at the pool and then drinks in Old town. But on Wednesday we topped our final day with a sunset cruise on a pirate boat. You can’t miss this boat! It’s docked at the main port and you’ll see it sailing everywhere.
We went on it for a couple of hours and the food and drink were lovely! You had a two-course meal, an arrival prosecco. And the drink onboard was cheap too! Gorgeous views of Dubrovnik lit up at night. I’d definitely recommend this excursion towards the end of the holiday to top it off.
Overall thoughts on Dubrovnik
We had a gorgeous week away! I’d 100% recommend Dubrovnik to anyone. I feel there is something for couples and families. Plenty of excursions and plenty to see. The food throughout the holiday was lovely. The locals were really friendly too. I will say to take plenty of spending money as it was a little dearer than we thought. We read reviews and vlogs before and they mentioned it’s more expensive than other places in Europe. The rate went up while we were out there too so we ended up getting more. So be prepared.
Definitely book ahead for trips and tickets so you make the most of it… We sure will return one day.
