May 14, 2008

Europe | Croatia | Dubrovnik

Balkan Agonistes

By Mark Jolly

How Croatia got its groove back.

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Never mind that 40 percent of the rooms in Dubrovnik are still closed over a decade after Croatia’s war of independence. Never mind that Istria’s first five-star — the Kempinski Hotel Adriatic — is delayed until December. And never mind that the nation as a whole is now the most expensive in the Balkans. Croatia, where you can still get a coffee for a dollar, is poised for a bumper summer.

Over the past year alone, the island of Hvar — known as the hedonistic heart of the Dalmation coast — has chalked up its first inductees into both Small Luxury Hotels (Riva Hotel) and Leading Hotels of the World (Hotel Adriana). And tomorrow, Amfora Hotel reopens after a top-to-bottom revamp. A 10-minute walk from the historic center of Hvar city, the hillside resort has been reconceived with split-level pools and stone cabanas that overlook a pebble beach.

Meanwhile, Dubrovnik — which was just anointed by the Telegraph of London as one of the most stylish cities in the Med — is gearing up for the June 1 reopening of Hotel Excelsior. Following makeovers at the Dubrovnik Palace (a landmark spa resort built into the cliffs), and last year’s Hotel Bellevue (crowned by the Sunday Times of London as one of Europe’s coolest new hotels), the Excelsior will once again offer views from its piano bar of the restored UNESCO Heritage town. You could do a lot worse than make it your base during the 59th Dubrovnik Summer Festival, July 10 to August 25.