Hotel Excelsior

You know what struck me first about Hotel Excelsior? It’s that moment when you walk into the lobby and realize this isn’t just another fancy hotel trying too hard – it actually delivers on the promise. The place sits right on Frana Supila street in Ploce, which honestly is one of those addresses that sounds intimidating until you realize you’re literally a ten-minute stroll from the Old Town walls. I mean, you can see the fortress from some rooms, and the morning light hitting those ancient stones is something you don’t forget.

The staff here gets it – they’re not just going through the motions with that practiced hotel smile. During my stay, the concierge actually drew me a little map showing the back entrance to the city walls (saves you about 20 minutes of tourist crowds, especially in summer). The rooms themselves feel properly luxurious without being stuffy about it. I had a sea-view room on the fourth floor, and honestly, waking up to that view of the Adriatic with the islands dotting the horizon… well, it’s the kind of thing that makes you understand why Dubrovnik has been driving people crazy for centuries. The air conditioning actually works – and trust me, in July that’s not a given everywhere in Croatia. What I really appreciated was how quiet it stays at night despite being so close to everything. You’d think with all the restaurants and bars nearby it would be chaos, but the windows are properly soundproofed.

The breakfast situation is where they really shine though. It’s not just the usual hotel buffet nonsense – they’ve got local stuff like pršut from Istria and those incredible fig preserves that you can’t find anywhere else. The dining room overlooks the water, and if you time it right (around 8 AM before the cruise ship crowds wake up), you can actually hear the waves hitting the rocks below. Parking was surprisingly painless too – they’ve got their own garage, which in Dubrovnik is basically like finding gold. The pool area is small but perfectly positioned to catch the afternoon sun, and the poolside service doesn’t make you feel like you’re bothering them every time you want a drink. I spent most evenings just walking down to the harbor – it’s maybe three minutes downhill – where you can grab a boat to Lokrum Island or just sit with a coffee and watch the sunset paint the city walls orange. That 9.3 rating makes total sense when you add it all up – it’s not perfect (the WiFi gets spotty on the upper floors), but it’s the kind of place that makes you want to come back to Dubrovnik just to stay here again.