Dubrovnik - recommendations please

[Ashara]

Hi

Friend has booked us cheap flights to Dubrovnik in October and now we need to look at accommodation. Ideally we need a hotel close to the centre, not too expensive although doesn't need to be the cheapest. Would love a spa / swimming pool. Also, any recommendations for sightseeing must-do's and restaurants / bars? Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't stay in Central Dubrovnik. Horrendously busy and actually not that convenient for that beautiful water. I would think about staying on the outskirts.. Milini or even Cavtat and travel in to Dubrovnik the odd day. Best of both worlds then as DB is beautiful but very full on and not terribly restful.

Thanks NotNowNoreen. It hadn’t occurred to us not to stay in the centre. Do you know what transport is like if we stayed further out? Don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere, made that mistake in Greece!

Cavtat is beautiful with a few restaurants and shops. You can travel into the Dubrovnik by bus or boat.

I loved staying in the centre of Dubrovnik, but it was a few years ago and I think it might have grown even busier since then. We visited in the summer and it was great to just wander straight into the centre from our apartment.

The cable cars are amazing for views and we enjoyed walking the walls surrounding the city. We also travelled to some of the islands. We went to the ice bar and a lovely place called D’Vino Wine Bar where you could enjoy wine tasting and food to go with the wine selection. We wanted to do the blue cave tour, but didn’t get chance unfortunately.

I would definitely go back - it was one of the best places I’ve ever visited.

We stayed in the Valamar Lacroma and I think it would be perfect for you. It has a lovely outdoor pool and indoor one and amazing breakfast buffet. It's a little out of town but you can get an uber to the city gates for around £8 takes 10 minutes,or there is a bus which takes longer ( also get an uber to and from the airport cheaper than hotel organised cabs).

Thanks everyone - food for thought!

I stayed in Cavtat last September. It's a beautiful small town with plenty of restaurants and bars. We were there for four days, spent two days in caveat swimming in the sea and relaxing.
One of the other days we took a small ferry to Dubrovnik, this works well as some of the days we were there Dubrovnik had 6 cruise ships docked which would have made the town overwhelmingly busy. As it was we could find out the cruise timetable and work around it so Dubrovnik was relatively quiet on the day we visited.
On the last day we went by boat to Lokrum island which was beautiful and peaceful.
I highly recommend this approach, gives you some chance of avoiding the crowds. We stayed in Villa Lukas which was low key but the service was brilliant, they even gave us free airport transfers.

We had an airbnb inside the city walls and loved it. Best things we did:

The bar up the cable car
Buza Bar
Lokram island

Cavtat is a beautiful place. Easy bus or boat to Dubrovnik.
Have also stayed in Lapad and used local bus, very easy.

No recommendation of accommodation - but we booked a 1/2 day canoe from the old harbour and it was AMAZING!! Best part of a fabulous holiday. Booked through tripadvisor.