Hotel Mondo

Breakfast was what mattered most to me while I was in Split for a training course, and it was excellent: plentiful, varied and satisfying. The shower had great water pressure, and free parking was a nice extra. I didn’t really need to worry about the distance to the city centre, the location or the view. A very pleasant stay.

I was charged €20 for the mini bar, and the menu prices weren’t taxed. It came to €62 for three small beers and a bottle of water, and a taxi cost €50 for a 4 km drive. What a rip-off. I think this kind of thing only happens in third world countries, and I’ve never seen such a scam. I can understand if the whole country is feeding itself by ripping off tourists, but still, I won’t travel to the Balkans again. Book at your own risk.

The food and service were excellent, and the hotel was clean and quiet. It’s relatively new, with a large free car park and a big supermarket nearby. I didn’t try the spa facilities, including the pool, sauna and gym. The downside is that it’s quite isolated, with an uninteresting view, about 1.8 km or a 25-minute walk from the old town. I think the hotel mainly caters to group tours. It worked well for us as a base for exploring central Dalmatia and beyond with a rental car, and the price-quality ratio was very good.

The spa is just one tiny room with a massage table. The location is awful, noisy and close to both the highway and railway tracks. The view from the window could be a perfect scene for Orwell's 1984. Honestly, I don’t know how this place got four stars.