- Croatia Holidays
- Dubrovnik
- Royal Blue Hotel
Opening its doors in spring 2017, the Royal Blue Hotel is the newest gem of the Importanne Hotels & Resort. Steps away from the Adriatic Sea and the nicest boardwalk in Dubrovnik, its ideal seafront location and lavish amenities make it an excellent choice for both holidaymakers and business guests. All 81 rooms are luxuriously decorated and equipped with high end facilities. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property. Complimentary parking is available on-site. The Old Town of Dubrovnik is 4 km away and it's easily reachable using a frequent bus service. Dubrovnik Airport is 25 km away. Guests are welcome to enjoy two outdoor pools and also have the pleasure of observing the most spectacular panoramic views of the Adriatic Sea and the nearby reefs.
Positives: The location and views are absolutely stunning.
The pools are nice although the sun beds are typically taken by 8am even though many guests were not seen all day. This is an unfortunate ‘norm’ of European destinations.
Negatives: This is definitely not a 5 star hotel. The service at this hotel is well below par and certainly not akin to a 5 star hotel. A tiny reception desk with only one member of staff hence quite a wait to check in.
The service in the vista restaurant was terribly slow. Seemed like they had employed a bunch of students with no prior experience. Expect to wait a very long time for a drink, especially at breakfast. The breakfast buffet was ok but the hot food was not hot, it’s left out from 7.30 and isn’t checked for temperature.
We did visit the Bono Bistro in another part of the resort (ground floor of Royal Palm and Royal Princess) for an evening dinner and the service here was top notch hence I do believe the bad service is isolated to the Royal Blue.
The room is fine size-wise but the air con is not effective enough and we were too hot at night. We reported this to reception but it did not improve. Only one old style USB plug in the room which did not work, a 5 star hotel should be equipped with new USB C outlets. The bathroom did not have a fan and hence was too hot and the steam took hours to clear.
I wouldn’t stay at this particular hotel again.
It’s a lovely hotel with plenty of amenities. It’s mostly clean, but is let down by a little wear and tear. For example, the chair in our room must have had candle wax spilled on it at some point and it looked like it had a few burn marks and our curtain was full of holes. These things did not detract from the holiday, but is something they should look to replace. The location is beautiful and a lovely walk along the front gets you to restaurants, however I would thoroughly recommended going into Dubrovnik old town. A taxi was only about €10 and it’s well worth it. There are several access points to the sea and it is all very well laid out. We were also on the ground floor and our balcony was above the laundry room where it would appear that the tumble dryers were on all day therefore we were unable to use the balcony due to the heat of that. I did ask to move room but the hotel was full.
The rooms are big and spacious. The bathroom we are struggling with, it’s a high bath you have to climb In to to get a shower, if you’re young it’s easy if not so young then it’s tricky. Not what you’d expect from a 5* hotel, no smart tv either. We asked for a sea view, and paid for one, we have got partial sea view but mainly a noisy street view, so it’s not ideal for sitting out with noisy motorbikes and cars passing.
We had a very nice stay at the RB that was very adequate for the 5 nights we stayed there. Yes, could easily pick small faults but overall the good things outweighed any negativity.
The one slight concern was the shower in bath. It was quite a step to get in and out although there was two bar handles which were a bit more assuring and helpful in staying safe.
Would I recommend - yes based on our stay.
I wouldn't normally write a review but this is my exception to advise others before booking this hotel, as it certainly isn't a 5 star hotel. We stayed here because of the rating and the location as that cannot be faulted, as we stayed at the Valamar Aggossi 4 star (two hotels along from the Royal Blue) 2 years back and thought we would try the next level. things to be aware of, the first of which caused me to have a meting with the hotel manager about the rest of the issues. Around 2:30pm every day, the local kids pool hop down the 4 hotels in this chain and on the day I complained they had taken over the kids pool by the sea meaning all the little ones had to leave. The pool attendants and security did nothing and it took me to get them out to allow other family's to enjoy what they had booked. This happens daily where they rampage though the 4 pools and even the indoor spa pool. I know kids will be kids but it really gets out of hand and not good when you have paid so much for the experience. The breakfast buffet is awful. There is a very small selection of warm yoghurt and stale pastries, nothing is in a fridge counter and all meats cheese etc have to be ordered off a menu and you don't have the chance to pick and choose like a normal buffet. The sea area pool attendants informed everyone that to order a drink etc and book it to your room there is a 2 euro fee per transaction, where as if you paid by cash there was no charge. I questioned the manager on this and he was extremely shocked as this is not the policy, and what was happening is that certain members were clearly pocketing the cash ....this was sorted immediately. The pool area (floor tiles) at the royal blue weren't cleaned for the 11 days were were there, it was disgusting, plus random metal/concrete bollards sat rusting next to the pool, go knows why they were there. When you get to your room you are given 1 bottle of water for your stay...not one daily as you would expect especially in a star 5 hotel !! Please be aware there is no walk in shower, just a very high bath with a shower head. the baths are also sloped and extremely slippy as my wife found out as she fell getting out ....note the hight to get out is 2ft, which some younger or older people will struggle with. The bedroom carpets were fifthly and large chunks missing out of the skirtings as well as ours being water damaged and mouldy around the patio door. Holes in the curtains, which someone had tried to fil in and disguise with silver spray paint !!!. If this hotel was badged as 'small and friendly' then I suppose it would be ok, but there is no way this is 5 star and I would rate it 3 star at best. As I say I wouldn't normally write a review but I really fell people should know this and think about it when booking such a potentially expensive holiday. I have attached some pics - if booked then you were warned ! I would STRONGLY RECOMMEND the Valamar Aggossi instead.
