Apartments Villa Ankora

Look, I’ve stayed in a lot of places around Dubrovnik, and Apartments Villa Ankora honestly surprised me in the best way. You know how sometimes you book a place and cross your fingers it’ll be decent? Well, this wasn’t one of those times. The moment I walked up to the building on Ivana Mažuranića – which, by the way, is this perfectly quiet residential street that most tourists never find – I could tell someone actually cared about this place. The apartments have that crisp, modern feel without being sterile, and the owner (I think his name was Marko?) met me personally at check-in. That’s becoming pretty rare these days.

What really got me was the location, though I mean, you’re literally a 10-minute walk from Pile Gate, but you’re tucked away from all the cruise ship chaos. In the mornings, I’d grab coffee from this little bakery around the corner – locals only, no tourist prices – and actually hear birds instead of tour guides with megaphones. The apartment itself was spacious, which is saying something for Dubrovnik where most places feel like glorified closets. Full kitchen, proper balcony, air conditioning that actually works (trust me, you’ll need it in summer), and honestly the Wi-Fi was faster than what I have at home. The only tiny complaint? The shower pressure could be better, but honestly, after walking the city walls in July heat, I wasn’t too picky.

Here’s what I really appreciated – and this is something you only notice when you’ve done the tourist apartment thing before – everything just worked. The keypad entry meant no awkward key exchanges, there was actually enough hot water for two people to shower, and someone had thought to stock the kitchen with basics like oil and salt. Small stuff, but it matters when you’re trying to save money by cooking breakfast instead of paying €15 for eggs Benedict in the Old Town. Plus, and this is key if you’re visiting in peak season, the street is quiet enough that you can actually sleep with the windows open. I stayed there in August (yeah, I know, rookie mistake timing-wise) and still got decent rest, which is more than I can say for that place I tried near Stradun last year. The 9.1 rating makes total sense – it’s not trying to be fancy, just really, really good at being what it is.