Hotel Epidaurus Reviews

Location Excellent location with stunning views across the bay to Dubrovnik. Cavtat (pronounced Savtat) is a lovely place to go for a stroll and people watch especially the harbour area where the big yachts are moored. We did not use the local restaurants as we stayed all inclusive but thy all looked very temting and about the same price as the UK. The walk around the peninsular fron the small harbour to the main harbour is well worth the effort. There are plenty of places where you can get boats to Dubrovnik at a cost of about Kn 80 (£8.80) return. well worth it. Hotel The hotel gives the impression of being a little old from the outside but is very nice on the inside, with a large airy reception area, we had a family room which was a good size with a good bathroom.Our only dissapointments were a double bed for our son and daughter which was never going to work (they put in an extra single bed in straight away) and our sea view which although had views of the sea had no balcony, we had wrongly assumed that sea view = balcony but alas not. Don't see the use of a sea view without a balcony from which you can enjoy it. The room was very wll serviced on a daily basis with clean towels and linen, We were in E Block on the top floor but this was not easilly accessible by the lifts so it was a bit of a treck all the time. The Hotel provides a safety deposit box facility in the reception area free of charge. This is in a secure room and the staff double lock the boxes at night for extra security. The majority of guests at this hotel are not British,this was not a problem for us but not so good for our Teenagers, there are plenty of teenagers but for some reason not Brits, If you take older children they should be prepared to mix with other nationalitys which ours did,after a few days, if they are not willing to mix this is probably not a good choice for you. Food We found the food to be very Good. Entertainment They daytime entertainment programme was always on time and led by enthusiastic staff, if you wanted to join in you could but there was no pressure to do so, In the evening it was very low key compared to other Iberostar Hotels, they tried hard but it not very good. Overall We had a very nice holiday it a good hotel and the location is excellent.If you are the kind of family who likes lots of British company and good evening entertainment think hard about this. But if this does not bother you We would certainly recommend this Hotel.

Flight out and back (Manchester)with GB Airways an absolute pleasure - on time, pleasant cabin staff, free meal and drink - flying like it used to be!

Painless transfer from the airport to the hotel (20 mins).

Initial impression of the hotel was not good because it looks run down and you can't appreciate the location as you arrive by road. Check-in was a bit of a scrum with several coaches turning up at around the same time but the staff were pleasant enough and efficient.

The rooms were smaller than expected, basic and on the second floor so the sea view was dominated by the roof of the floor below. I tried to get a higher floor (as I'd requested on booking) but to no avail as the hotel was full. However, throughout the 2 weeks the rooms were cleaned well and the air con worked efficiently.

The location of the hotel is great, with a small pebble beach and a short walk into Cavtat. In August sunloungers were at a premium so get up early to get hold of one when they dish them out ... my wife and I got up early - I went for a run into Cavtat and around the peninsular (recommended) and she got the sunloungers and administered first aid when I returned!

The food was plentiful and (contrary to some reports) varied if you were prepared to try different things. The barbecued meat/fish available on an evening was a highlight. The pizza bar was where we usually ate lunch as the pizzas were made to order (if you're prepared to wait), salad was available and you could eat al fresco on tables outside the bar.

Our children made several friends and there were activities organised for them (particularly the 11 year old) but there was no pressure to join in if they didn't want to.

The evening entertainment was not to our liking although one show at the sister hotel (Albatros) was good. We enjoyed walking into Cavtat of an evening where there were bars and things to see around the harbour at night.

The free watersports were limited (as usual in the Med compared to the Caribbean!) the motorised activites were fun and not too expensive. We would not recommend the diving from the watersports centre because of the poor supervision and first aid support we witnessed. Although a friend we made out there said the diving was OK provided you knew what you were doing.

A trip to Dubrovinik is a MUST, we used a bus as the sea was rough on the (only) cloudy day that we had. I would have preferred the boat trip if it had been available. Looked around the old town (on the city wall)and had an excellent meal in a restaurant near the harbour (not as expensive as I thought - approx £110 for 5 incl 2 decent bottles of wine, beer and softies for the kids).

In summary, (despite what appears to be a catalogue of criticisms above) we got a very relaxing holiday at an excellent price (All inclusive comes into its own with our three children!). Cavtat is a lovely location and the hotel provided a basic but clean base with good food, beer and friendly staff.

Having taken holidays in Greece in recent years Croatia was a bit of an unknown.We weren't disappointed. Arrival, baggage reclaim and tranfers were all effortless and very swift. Hotel Epidaurus is a short transfer from the airport, about 15 mins. Although it is near the airport you are not bothered by any aircraft noise etc.The reception was very professional, efficient. Rooms are very clean and were maintained throughout the week. Only criticism of the room was the shower was a bit small and you had to be a contortionist to shave in the wash hand basin due to the glass shelf over it.

The restaurant and the food were excellent. The food was hot, when it was supposed to be, and salads kept chilled. Again it was cleaned during the time it was open and at the end of the sitting.The staff in the restaurant were particularly helpful and friendly and appeared to enjoy their work.

The ";animation"; team (entertainment) worked tirlessly throughout the day organising activities for all ages but there was no pressure to join in. Brits were certainly in the minority at the resort which had a mixture of Eastern European, German and French visitors but this was fine as English was the most commonly spoken language. Beach was pebbly and had plenty of sun loungers. Water beautifully clean, warm and safe from jetskis boats etc. Cavtat village is small but interesting. The watersports centre on the beach offered a wide range of acitivities at reasonable prices.
Cavtat village is a short walk away, 15-20 mins and is quite interesting.

There are serveral boats offering a taxi service into Dubrovnik and all cost 80Kuna, about £8 return. Takes about 45mins and is worth doing. A local bus costs £2 each way and takes 50mins.
There are no night clubs in the hotel, or in Cavtat although we didn't go looking for them. Entertainment is low key in the evening but is enjoyable.

Recommend you give this resort a go you won't be disappointed, we would certainly go back again.

We expected more from an Iberostar Hotel, so were disappointed with this dated and rather shabby, but clean, property. To say the hotel is on the beach is not a lie, but the beach is just a patch of rocky ground where the sea meets land and it is tiny! The resort of Cavtat is a pleasant 15 minute walk away and Dubrovnik is about 45 minutes by boat.

The food in the hotel is good - plenty of choice and variety. The staff are friendly and helpful, but there are not that many of them. If the evening entertainment was held outside, then the inside bar was not open meaning you had to drink out of plastic cups - understandabe in the daytime when people are using the pool, but not in the evening.

Overall, not an unpleasant holiday, but for the money we paid for a week it was not value for money.

After having read the excellent reviews of this hotel and resort I felt very disappointed to discover that neither lived up to expectations.

Hotel Epidaurus-
Good Points
Location, views and general cleanliness.
Entertainment for children.

Bad Points
Below average quality of food. Lots of fried meat and nondescript pasta and salads. (Vegetarians - don't even think about it!!)
Loud music around the pool and sunbathing areas during the day and evening.
Lack of space and sun beds in sunbathing areas.
Attitude of staff. i.e. Not very friendly/courteous/welcoming/helpful.

Cavtat resort-
Good Points
Picturesque harbour area.
Beautiful views of coastal area.
Pretty back streets for wandering around.
Clear clean cold water for swimming.
Interesting mausoleum area on top of hill for photo opportunities.
Regular boat service to Dubrovnik (fascinating city, lots of history, amazing views from city walls and good selection of restaurants)

Bad Point
Below average quality of food in restaurants with similar price tag to Britain.

If you have kids that need entertained and don't mind eating the same sort of pale and uninteresting food everyday then this hotel would be ideal, but I would have to say that 1 week was enough for myself and my husband.