Kamara Dubrovnik

The location is handy, within a reasonable walk of both Grad, the old city, and Gruz port, where ferries go to the nearby Elephiti islands, Kolocep, Lopud, and Sipan. Still, I found the stay disappointing. Our room was spacious but felt a bit dirty, with dirty curtains and water-damaged walls. Sheets weren't changed daily, which felt like a real problem in the heat when you're sweating constantly. There was no in-room safe, and the bathroom had no fan. It was economical and well placed, but if I return to Dubrovnik, I'd probably pay more for nearby Hotel Bellevue, which looks nicer and has a pool and good beach access.

The electronic door system was a hassle every time we came and went, and the doors themselves didn't open or close smoothly. The batteries were dead when we arrived, so we waited an hour before someone came to give us access. There was no reception, cleaning or lift, and the entrance and corridors smelled of toilets. The sheets were dirty, the fridge didn't work, and the AC directly above the bed made us sick each night. With it off, the room was too hot in summer. It cost far too much for what it was. I can't recommend anything about this place. Avoid it unless your budget leaves you no other option.

For €170 a night, I found the room a cheek. The carpet had melon seeds in the middle of it, along with crumbling plaster, and the room was poorly cleaned. The bathroom needs renovation too. Its only light is a small ceiling lamp, so getting ready at the mirror before sunrise is difficult. The hot water runs out after one person's shower, leaving the second person with cold water or a wait of over an hour for the weak boiler to reheat. There are just two outlets in the whole room: one low down on the wrong side of the bathroom, impossible for using a razor at the mirror, and one by the entrance. There's no outlet for the floor lamp, so its cable has to cross the room to a cheap do-it-yourself table with a triple socket hanging underneath. Charging two phones means giving up the bedside lamps and turning on the main light by the door, which wakes everyone. They might have called it three or four stars, maybe 20 years ago, or in their imagination. At present, I'd give it one or two at most.

When we got back to our room around 10 pm after checking in at about 4 and going out to see the Old Town, there was a strong septic smell. It seemed to be coming from the bathroom and didn't seem normal or healthy. We tried calling the hotel four times, emailed asking urgently for help and went down to the desk, but there was nobody there. They'd said desk hours were 8 am to 10 pm, and we thought they'd answer if something went wrong. They didn't. With an early flight and no other option, we left the windows and doors open overnight and got only a few hours of restless sleep. We were very glad to leave. Problems can happen, but the hotel's response, or total lack of one, was unacceptable. Twelve hours later, well into our travel day, nobody had contacted us. We had to call them ourselves, and they said it had been a busy morning with checkouts. The hotel has nine rooms, so that explanation didn't sit well. When we asked for a refund, they sent a message saying they'd checked the room at 8 am and later and found no smell, that the building and installations were new, and that no other guests had complained. They suggested it might have been temporary, caused by pressure. That was insulting. They hadn't helped when we reached out, and then they didn't believe us. If they'd responded that evening instead of checking after the room had aired out for hours, they might have smelled the same stench. We were left without help or options and had to sleep in a gross room. How a hotel handles a problem matters, and I found Kamara Dubrovnik badly lacking. I'd avoid it.