Hotel Sunny Dubrovnik by Valamar - All Inclusive

The food was the best I've experienced, with a huge variety and pots of tea available at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The pool area had fantastic views, and housekeeping came every day to change towels. Our room didn't get any sun during the day, though that was only a small niggle for me. The hotel was spotless, and the staff were amazing and pleasant, always nodding and acknowledging us as they passed. We're just back from a fantastic trip to Croatia, made even better by staying at Sunny Dubrovnik by Valamar. I'd definitely recommend it and return. I think it deserves more than its 3-star rating.

We liked the lovely pool, with plenty of sun loungers and a bar, and the buffet offered a good choice of dishes. The hotel is away from the old city's hustle and bustle. There's a nearby bus stop for getting into the old town, and a return ticket costs just over €3.00.

Sunny Dubrovnik was a comfortable, friendly place to stay, with everything we needed, and I think it earns its 3-star-plus rating. The staff were pleasant, friendly, and always happy to help. Our room was clean, comfortable, and nicely presented. The bathroom was a little narrow, with a tight space between the toilet and shower. The floor was somewhat slippery, so we put down a towel for grip, but it was manageable. Dinner was especially good, with tasty food and plenty of choice. The menu changed every night, which made trying new dishes fun, even though some were better than others. The pool area was lovely and well kept. The water was pretty cold, as pools usually are, but it was still a nice place to relax. It's a great hotel to use as a base for days out in Dubrovnik.

The pool itself was really good, though at busy times it was hard to swim properly among the floaters, groups throwing balls around, and kids jumping in. After 4:30pm was better for swimming. The issue for us was that the hotel now seemed to be the low quality Sunny, much to its detriment. We had previously spent four days here on a coach trip, when it was the Club, a modest 3-star with adequate food. We came back by mistake. If the hotel suits other guests, that's fine, but we wanted some quiet, varied food cooked well, and fewer youths and young children. The Club had been like that, so the mistake was ours. The food was simply awful to our taste, though others may feel differently. It was cold, boring, and bland, with tough meat that was burnt, overcooked, or undercooked. Croissants were burnt, the yogurt watery, and the same milk puddings appeared every lunch and dinner. Breakfast had a limited continental selection and only three kinds of hard cheese, unchanged each day. There was no ice cream despite it being a family hotel, vegetables were poorly cooked, and salads had little variety. Pizza and tough grilled meat appeared every lunch and dinner. The wine and beer on tap were awful, and many soups were hot water with a stock cube. The bed slid away from the wall when sitting up, and the room felt cramped with a sofa bed in it. There was a deck chair on the balcony, which was useless for older or larger people and seemed quite dangerous for children. We found the room cleaner overly helpful. Most of the front desk staff looked sloppy to us, in jeans, trainers, and T-shirts, even less smart than old-style holiday camp staff. We didn't find them especially helpful, friendly, or respectful. We reported seven local youths climbing the fence to reception. When I returned an hour later, the receptionist had done nothing, and three hours later the youths were still using the outdoor facilities. We were told the pool team had been informed, but they clearly chose to do nothing, and reception hadn't checked. I think this happens a lot, based on previous comments, and the hotel turns a blind eye. There was no soundproofing. The lounge was painfully noisy, with guests shouting and the sound bouncing off the walls. Staff also shouted to each other instead of going closer and speaking normally. The dining rooms had the same problem. Families naturally made a lot of noise, and at its worst the volume was painful and made conversation across the table difficult. The lounge was small for a hotel of this size and had mostly hard furniture, not made for relaxing. Waiting there from our 10am checkout until the airport coach pickup at 3:30pm was horrible. There were no kettles in the rooms, but the lounge had coffee and hot water machines, with no hot chocolate. They weren't convenient and didn't dispense regular coffee, only espresso and milky coffee variations. Two soft drink machines just mixed concentrate and water, and the drinks tasted awful. Most guests were families, with lots of unsupervised kids enthusiastically doing what kids do. We've had two ourselves. There were very few senior citizens and a few couples, mostly under their mid-thirties. Quite a few youth groups dominated the lounge and dining area when they came for meals together. Imagine twenty people queuing for three pieces of grilled meat and a whole pizza each. It was soul destroying when they came in, so we avoided those times. The hotel also seemed to cater for school groups at lunchtime. If you're a family or young couple wanting more comfort, good quality food, and smart, trained staff, look elsewhere, for example in Spain. If you're senior citizens like us, avoid this hotel.