Podstine Hotel

We went in early October and were given a complimentary upgrade to a sea-view room. It was spacious, beautifully furnished, spotless, and the Adriatic looked stunning first thing each morning. Hotel Podstine’s calm setting and thoughtful service made the visit memorable. Both meals were a real plus. The breakfast buffet had plenty of fresh, high-quality choices, from local pastries to dishes made to order. Dinner was just as impressive, with tasty, well-prepared food featuring local ingredients. The staff were warm, attentive, and professional. A gem in Hvar, and one I’d recommend to anyone visiting the island.

Choose your room carefully if a sea view matters to you. Those rooms seem to offer the best combination of privacy and scenery. The hotel is well equipped, with plenty of outdoor spots to enjoy its seafront setting, good access to the bay for safe swimming, and lots of sunbeds. Staff were pleasant and helpful. Breakfast was decent, indoors or outside. We didn’t try the restaurant, since we wanted to sample the many places in beautiful Hvar town. It’s a 20-25 minute walk, with something for everyone, and the nearest restaurant is only 5-8 minutes away. The hotel itself is fine, in a quiet location with stunning sea views.

The restaurant was a bit slow with the food, my only complaint. Otherwise, the bay setting and views were excellent, and breakfast was very good. I’d stay here again. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the port along a beautiful seaside path.

I’m writing this for anyone sensitive to mold. If you don’t have asthma or allergies, I imagine this could be a great place to stay. The views were breathtaking and the staff friendly. My friend was only mildly affected, but my time in Hvar was miserable because of the room. Within a few hours of arriving, I was coughing, wheezing, had a headache, and couldn’t breathe through my nose. I thought it might be the island’s natural flora and fauna, took allergy medicine and Sudafed, and barely slept. The next day, away from the hotel, my symptoms improved. When I returned that evening, they came back within about 10 minutes and were worse. My friend developed similar, milder symptoms too. I became sure something in the room was causing it, put on an N95 mask, and still couldn’t sleep. The next morning I found significant water damage in two places on the ceiling and what I’m fairly certain was black mold. I showed photos to the front desk and explained that I have asthma and was having trouble breathing. They said they could move us in a few hours, then asked me to pack quickly so they could prepare the room for the next guest. I was surprised and disturbed that they might put other guests in a room where they knew there was a mold problem that had made someone sick. It made me wonder if they knew about it when we checked in. The replacement room was mostly better, but there was still black mold in the shower. I appreciate that they moved us, but for a four-star hotel the experience was extremely disappointing, and I was sick throughout my time in Hvar. When we asked about a partial refund, they refused, saying they had given us two room “upgrades.” The first was a room with water damage and black mold on or in the ceiling. The second “upgrade” was a room with less mold.