Hotel Villa Dubrovnik

The way Dubrovnik has exploded onto the international travel scene, you might expect to see a massive amount of brand-new development. More cheering is the sight of some characterful old faces getting a bit of a makeover — old faces like the Hotel Villa Dubrovnik, long a fixture on the Croatian seaside, surveying the old city and the waters of the Adriatic from its late-modernist cliffside perch, in what's possibly Dubrovnik’s prime location.

After an extensive renovation it’s still got plenty of personality — there’s no chance you’ll mistake it for some faceless new build. Still intact too is the Villa Dubrovnik’s notoriously mellow atmosphere. What’s improved is almost entirely a matter of the physical facilities, including the addition of an indoor-outdoor swimming pool, and the rooms are looking crisper and sharper than ever, their slightly retro earth-toned look subtly updated for a new century. Add a private jacuzzi out on the terrace in each of the suites and executive rooms, and it’s not exactly a hard sell.

It’s still no mega-resort, and that’s obviously very much to its credit. It does, however, have a small spa, as well as a Mediterranean restaurant, an al fresco café, and a pair of lounges, one in the library and one on the roof.