Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik

We recommend the Imperial to couples in their forties and older who want the comfort of an international chain (bedding, Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service) in a building with soul. It is the address for those who avoid the overly design-led boutique hotels of Lapad and prefer to sleep in the old town without sacrificing the spa and pool. Families find their place here (connecting rooms, generous buffet breakfast), yet the clientele remains predominantly adult, couples on city breaks or business travellers combining Split and Dubrovnik.

The building dates from 1897, built to welcome the Austro-Hungarian aristocracy on Adriatic holiday. Three-storey ochre façade, wrought-iron balconies, grand Carrara marble staircase serving the noble floors. Interiors renovated in 2005 by Hilton: original mouldings and parquet preserved, sober contemporary furniture (light wood, ecru linen, buttoned headboards), travertine bathrooms. Rooms between 28 and 45 m², ceiling height 3.20 m, period sash windows.

The Vapore restaurant serves honest Dalmatian cuisine: grilled Adriatic fish, squid ink risotto, lamb peka cooked under a bell, vegetables from the Gruž market. Generous buffet breakfast (local charcuterie, Pag cheeses, house pastries, egg station) served on the panoramic terrace on fine days. Cocktail bar in the lobby, Croatian wine list (Plavac Mali, Pošip, Malvazija), service until midnight. No starred table, yet irreproachable produce and a view that compensates.

The hotel stands fifty metres from the Pile Gate, western entrance to the fortified old town, allowing access to the Stradun without crossing the crowd that gathers before the ramparts. Cathedral of the Assumption eight minutes on foot, Fort Lovrijenac thirteen, Mount Srđ cable car twenty. Bus stop line 1A in front of the hotel (airport 25 minutes, 40 kunas), taxi rank on the square. The neighbourhood turns residential after 8 pm, calm despite the proximity of the tourist centre, with two fine grocers and a bakery in the adjacent street.