Dubrovnik President Valamar Collection Hotel

The location and the idea of what the hotel intends is beautiful. However, certain aspects of the implementation are making the experience less what it purports to be (and for the price, needs to deliver).

Pros:

• Location. On the beach, with stunning sea view balcony rooms, private beach which takes away all the hassle of getting to and from the beach (towels, chairs, umbrellas, all provided). Abouf 15-30 mins of a cab drive to the Old City and with lots of restaurants within 15-20 mins walk either through an olive tree park of a pine lined promenade along the cliffs with stunning view.
• Breakfast - great selection of almost anything you can think of that constitutes breakfast food. We didn't try the buffet dinner, but that's also offerred.
• Other dining options - Bar with live music in the evening, restaurant overlooking the beach, fine dining option. Similar food can be also ordered via 24 hour room service.
• For kids - pool is 1.35m deep, but small kids can use floaties (also sold in the little store on site), and enjoy. There is also a kids center "Maro World" within 5-7 mins walking through the olive lined path (outside the hotel) which is free for the hotel guests.
• Diving and other watersports on site. We didn't use it, but the center for rental is at the ebach itself, which is convenient.

Cons:

• The hotel is in need of major renovation. While it seems that certain areas have been updated, it does not give the vibe of the 5 star resort it positions (and prices) itself as. Chafed and outdated furniture and fixtures in the room are not what one would expect. It's not too bad or dangerous in any way, but noticeable. In addition, the corridors, and especially the 0 floor leading to the beach, quite literally stink. If I had to guess, the ventilation system is outdated and it's the combination of damp air and kitchen odors that causes it. In addition, one out of the 3 elevators was out of service the entire time of our stay, and the buttons for calling the other 2 kept not reacting (on top of frequent crowding of the elevators).
• Service. Everyone is extremely nice, however, there were too many instances of sloppiness, and while each of those is not a big deal, all this together in one stay did not align with the idea of 5 stars: - Cleaning - Our bedding was not changed at all through a 10 day stay. At one point, the bath towels replacement was missing and I had to call twice to get them. Another time, the water glasses were taken and not replaced (I never bothered to ask because I didn't need them, but nevertheless). On a different day face towels were missing (again, since the medium and large were there, I never said anything).
  • Advice on sightseeing - I found out about the Maro world and the nearby restaurants and shops only on the 7th day of the stay, even though I specifically asked about activities for kids. I travel a lot and typically when you check in and especially if you ask, I would expect the concierge to tell me all about the surrounding options (definitely ones belonging to the hotel). The only things I was offered were a few boat rental and rides and one type of city sightseeing, which we never used, and ended up doing the research myself (thanks, AI).

This is our second year in a row staying at this hotel, and they have once again proven why they deserve all 5 stars. The entire hotel is exceptionally clean, and the beach is perfectly tidy and well maintained. The food is simply outstanding there is more than enough variety, meaning even the pickiest eaters can enjoy premium dishes every day. I must especially highlight the V Level, which is a story of its own and truly provides a special, next-level holiday experience. The entire staff is top-notch, incredibly polite, and welcoming. We had some minor issues, let's call them small misunderstandings at first, but as soon as we pointed them out, they addressed the problem instantly and resolved it. They went above and beyond to help us, which only proves their high level of professionalism. Everything was absolutely brilliant (top-notch), and we will definitely be back again!