Crvena Luka Hotel & Resort

Beautiful hotel, spacious and clean rooms. A dream place but pay attention to breakfasts. These are charged in a funny way... we had a room for 5 people (5 young adults) for 4 days with an adult who stayed only 2 days. Despite the Check our hotel olive us to pay breakfasts for this 5 person the 2 days he was no longer there!! A great first despite travels around the world. The explanation: breakfasts would be charged per room and not per person. So room for 5 = 5 breakfasts. Namely!

The hotel is right by the beach. There's parking space at the entrance of the hotel. It is far from other bussinesses so no options to walk outside the resort for shopping or food. We stayed there by the end of April and it was pretty quiet, there did not seem to be many guests. Our room was modern, spacious and there was plenty of light. It had two separate spaces: one with the main bed (and no TV) and a small living room where the sofa had been turned into a bed for our kid. It had a balcony with views to the resort. The mattress was sturdy and comfortable. Sofa bed was not too bad for a sofa bed. The room had a mini fridge though no microwave. The bathroom had a shower and some toiletries. The TV had limited options of channels though there were channels in different languages. One of the reasons we chose this hotel was the indoor pool and our son enjoyed it but the water was quite cold (it was the end of April). Probably because of this there was no one else besides us. The hotel has plenty of ammenities and a private beach but it was very quiet. We had booked dining and breakfast with our stay and this was perhaps the most disappointing aspect of our experience. Diner was a buffet with limited options and not very tasty international fare. Drinks were not included and we were charged 6€ for a 75cl bottle of water! The same goes for breakfast: limited options and quality. Maybe it is different in high season when the hotel is packed.

With the resort situated around a pretty bay with pine trees lining the waterline and a view over the islets in the Adriatic sea, you could probably pick a worse place to stay. On arrival, you find a large private parking with a barrier and guard. Once you are in, the efficient and friendly reception is right at the end of the car park (use the online check-in to save time). After check-in you will be allowed to drive to your building to unload your luggage, but you will have to park your car at the car park. The rooms are in various buildings across the resort; the hotel building are near the car park, the apartments further into the bay. The hotel buildings have lifts to the rooms on the upper floors. My room (a “superior” room – nothing else was left…) was very large; I was also offered a free bottle of wine – so far, so good. Unfortunately, I had paid for a sea side view room; as I found, that makes no sense – there is no view of the sea to be had in any of the rooms, as the pine trees block the view from all buildings. There were three large wardrobes, so no lack of space to put my clothes; seating was a bit more of an issue, as the chairs were old ones that had only been given a new fabric, but no (much-needed…) overhaul. The bathroom was reasonably sized for one person (a bit crammed for two or more); I had no hot water (!), but was told that was an exception (and offered no refund whatsoever…). The WiFi worked without any issues; I found no way of switching off the air-conditioning (apart from switching off electricity by pulling the card, or opening the balcony door). Apart from the usual stone terraces, there is actually a small beach with fine pebbles (or very rough sand, depending on the point of view); the water is very shallow, so kid-friendly (less suited for serious swimming – you have to walk out far before you can). As a guest, you have free use of beach sunbeds and umbrellas; not sure how full the resort was (well, dinner was packed), but I had no issue finding a place for me. Dinner can be had only at the restaurant (the bistro closes at 18.30 h), with a buffet; you get the usual mass-production fare, with hefty prices – if you have a car, you should consider one of the good restaurants nearby (better quality at lower prices). The beds are good; unfortunately, only one pillow type is offered (and only one large duvet instead of two for the double bed). Apart from a small slit at the bottom, the curtains allow you to fully darken your room (if you close the bathroom door, if has a window like my room…) – except for the lit light switches everywhere in the room, which provide an unwanted ‘night light’. Apart from some birds, it was absolutely quiet at night. The breakfast buffet had the usual limited choice and quality; don’t arrive too late – your choice might be even more limited.