Hotel Kompas Dubrovnik

Fantastic view ! And what a value - high end, modern and on a beautiful little blue water bay. Go for a swim, rent a JetSki; walk to many restaurants and bars, or take a 10 min uber to old town. The breakfast is really good - The best breakfast anywhere on our 7 days on Croatia !

We arrived at the hotel over 2 hours before the standard check in time and our room was available for us immediately. Reception is on the top floor (level 10), level with the local road, with a magnificent view over Lapad bay and out to sea. We had a deluxe twin room on the 10th floor with lovely bay view and balcony, which had iron chairs but not comfortable. Breakfast (from 06.30>10.30) is served to you from a buffet in the Sphere dining room on level 0. Dinner (from 19.00>22.00) is served to you at your table from a set 3 course menu with about 8 choices of each course, the same each day, or if over 30 are dining overall then a wider selection of food is served to you from the dining room. You can eat your meals outside on the large ground floor terrace area overlooking the bay. Watch out for mosquitoes and wasps though. Live music is on the level 0 terrace each evening from 19.30 until about 21.00. The Zenith rooftop bar on the 10th floor (next to reception) has stunning views of the bay, including sunsets. However a beer is 56kn, but happy hour at that bar and the Sphere bar on level 0 has 30% off beers & cocktails from 17.00>19.00. Local lager is Ozujsko and nice local dry white wine is Grasevina. Hotel has 600ml lager for 44kn and 150ml wine for 44kn. You can get these drinks and also Staroprama and other wines at the local Tommy supermarket about 10 mins walk, turning left out of the hotel at level 0 and turn right at the tennis courts, the store is on the left. You can get a bottle of Grasvina for 22kn, 4 x 500ml cans Staroprama for 38kn, 6 x 500ml cans Ozujsko for 46kn, 7 litre bottle of water for 12kn. There is also a smaller local shop 5 mins walk, turning right outside the hotel at reception level. The pool and sunbathing area is situated on level 1. Have to be early to secure a sunbed. Free sunbeds & umbrellas are reserved with blue towels for hotel guests in a designated area on pebbly Sunset Beach outside the hotel. 80 beds are available in the summer months, 50 at the start of September, reducing to 30 by mid-September, although the hotel will rent more for guests if there is a need. Can ask for more towels from the hotel employee who is based on the beach all day. A problem can be that hotel key cards should be inspected whilst guests are on the beds, but they are not and non-guests can easily use the beds. The cost of 2 beds & an umbrella for others on the beach is 170kn. Face masks currently have to be worn around the hotel, on public transport, taxis and in shops. The currency exchange rate at hotel reception is very similar to the best you can obtain in the UK. Turning left out of the hotel at level 0 immediately there is a pedestrianised strip of bars and restaurants, with cheaper drinks prices, eg 500ml beer for 30kn. Live football is shown at quite a few places. Turning right out of the hotel at level 0 there is a lovely purpose-built coastal path with amazing views around the Babin Kuk peninsula past a collection of Royal & Valamar chain of hotels. You have to go around the back of the Valamar President hotel though to continue along the coastal path around the northern edge past Copacabana beach, ending at Gruz harbour where cruise ships and yachts etc are docked. It is about 25 mins walk from there back to the hotel. Get bus number 6 (or 4) to Dubrovnik old town every 15 mins from the bus stop to the right at the mini roundabout at the top end of the bars/restaurants pedestrianised strip. 12kn for ticket each way from news kiosks, or 15kn purchased on the bus. Can do a lovely walk to the old town in about 50 mins. Local taxi is 130kn, but uber is a lot cheaper. If you carry on a few minutes from the bus stop (past the Tommy sign) and turn left at the traffic lights, and 10 mins downhill you arrive at the Gruz port & marina area. You can get bus number 10 to Cavtat (near the airport), which sets off on the hour from Ante Starcevica and takes about 45 mins. Pay 25kn on the bus each way. Buses return every hour all through the day and evening. Get off the bus just before Gruz harbour when returning. We would certainly recommend a holiday to Croatia and especially the Lapad Bay area and Hotel Kompas!