Dalmatia, Croatia · 5 Hotels Listed · Old Town · Ploce · Lapad · Orasac
Dubrovnik
The Pearl of the Adriatic. A UNESCO-listed Old Town, dramatic clifftop hotels, and the most refined luxury hotel scene in Croatia.
The Pearl of the Adriatic. A UNESCO-listed Old Town, dramatic clifftop hotels, and the most refined luxury hotel scene in Croatia.
The best hotels in Dubrovnik cluster just outside the Old Town walls and along the Lapad peninsula. For walkable Old Town luxury, book Hotel Excelsior or clifftop Villa Dubrovnik; for pools, beaches, and space, choose Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Rixos Premium, or Sun Gardens.
Ranked by our overall editorial score. Every hotel independently reviewed and web-verified for 2026.
"On the Ploce shore since 1913, 158 rooms and suites a short walk from the Old Town walls."
"A 56-room Leading Hotels of the World clifftop retreat, with a private boat to the Old Town."
"On the Lapad peninsula, a large resort where every room faces the sea, with pools and a spa."
"A 310-room seaside resort on the Lapad coast, with a private beach, a big spa, and a casino."
"A Dalmatian-village resort in Orasac with three freshwater pools, a pebble beach, and residences."
For a honeymoon, book Villa Dubrovnik: a 56-room Leading Hotels of the World property on a clifftop in Sveti Jakov, reopened after a Studio Arthur Casas redesign, where nearly every room has a balcony over the Adriatic and a private boat runs guests to the Old Town. Its Villa Spa has an indoor pool and a sundeck, and the Pjerin restaurant looks straight at the walls.
The historic alternative is Hotel Excelsior, whose Ploce position puts you within a short walk of the Old Town gate while still delivering sea views, a spa, and direct access to the water. Both are romantic; the Villa is the more secluded, the Excelsior the more convenient.
All Honeymoon Hotels →Families are better served on the Lapad peninsula and in Orasac, where the resorts have the space, pools, and beaches that the Old Town cannot offer. Hotel Dubrovnik Palace sits on a wooded headland with sea-facing rooms and multiple outdoor pools, while Sun Gardens Dubrovnik in Orasac is built like a Dalmatian village around three freshwater pools, a pebble beach, and family-sized residences.
Both connect to the Old Town by shuttle, bus, or taxi rather than on foot, which is the trade every Lapad and Orasac hotel asks you to make: you swap a walkable-to-the-walls location for room to spread out, a proper beach, and a calmer base at the end of a sightseeing day.
All Family Hotels →Our order weighs location, rooms, service, and the quality of the sea-and-Old-Town setting. The top two win on proximity and exclusivity; the resort trio wins on space, pools, and beaches. Read each review for the full verdict, honest cons, and who each hotel suits.
A five-star landmark open since 1913, 158 rooms and suites on the Ploce shore, a short walk from the Old Town walls with direct sea access and a spa.
A 56-room Leading Hotels of the World clifftop retreat with a private boat to the Old Town and the Pjerin restaurant. The most exclusive stay in the city.
A large sea-facing resort on the wooded Lapad peninsula, where every room looks at the water and the outdoor pools step down toward it. The family-luxury pick.
A 310-room resort on the Lapad coast with a private beach, the 2,000-square-metre Anjana Spa, and the city's only casino. A short walk from the Old Town.
A village-style resort northwest of the city with three freshwater pools, a pebble beach, a spa, and residences. The most self-contained base, a short drive from the walls.
Aim for late May to June or September to early October. Those shoulder months are warm enough to swim and sightsee but skip the July and August crush, when cruise arrivals, heat, and Old Town crowds all peak together. Spring and early autumn also bring noticeably lower room rates at every hotel on this list, so you get the walls, the swims, and the sunsets with more room to breathe and more value.
Pick your area by how much you want to walk to the walls. Ploce, just east of the Old Town, is home to the Excelsior and the most convenient luxury base. Sveti Jakov, a little further along the same coast, holds clifftop Villa Dubrovnik. The Lapad and Babin Kuk peninsula, west of the centre, is the resort belt, with Dubrovnik Palace and Rixos Premium and their pools and beaches. Orasac, northwest of the city, is where Sun Gardens spreads out as a self-contained village. Staying inside the walls is atmospheric but noisy, hot, and short on parking.
In high season, budget roughly 300 to 400 euros a night for the Lapad resorts, 500 euros and up at the Excelsior beside the Old Town, and 700 euros and up at Villa Dubrovnik. Sun Gardens starts a little lower, from around 300 euros. Shoulder-season rates drop well below these numbers, which is the single strongest argument for a June or September trip rather than one in high summer.
Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) is about a 25 to 40 minute drive from the hotels depending on which coast you are on. From Ploce and Sveti Jakov you can walk or take a short boat or taxi to the Old Town; from Lapad and Orasac you will rely on hotel shuttles, buses, or taxis. The Old Town itself is pedestrian-only and steep in places, so pack comfortable shoes for the walls and the stairs.
For July and August, reserve three to four months ahead, as the sea-view and suite categories at every property sell through first. Villa Dubrovnik, with only 56 rooms, is the quickest to fill and closes over winter, so it needs the most lead time. Check cancellation terms when you book, since the top hotels typically want changes 30 days out in peak season.
Dubrovnik's honest trade-off is that none of its finest hotels sit inside the Old Town walls, so if a room with a window onto the medieval streets is the dream, you will want a small guesthouse rather than a five-star hotel, and you should expect noise and no parking. Budget travelers will also find the peak-season rates steep; a shoulder-season visit, or a base in nearby Cavtat, stretches the money further while keeping Dubrovnik within easy reach.
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