Right at the top of the Old City Walls, the magical vine-shaded terrace of Lady Pi-Pi offers drinks, sandwiches and an open grill far from the madding crowd with a great view of the Old Town's rooftops.

Vl. Dinko Minjkovic
Peline
Dubrovnik, Croatia
+385 9 709 8644

bit.ly/7SEkho

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Tiny five table establishment in Dubrovnik's Old Town serves up fantastic grilled meat. Great location for people-watching.

Getaldiceva 10 (Old Town)

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Start with lovely bread baked on site, follow with an artfully made but simple fish broth and house salad.

Then make the tough choice of either whole-grilled local fish, or meat traditionally slow cooked in a cast-iron pot, sitting on coals and covered with hot ash. (Slow cooked meat needs to be ordered in advance)

Go with a group so you can sample it all.

Iva Dulcica 39, Babin Kuk
20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
+385 20 448 351

(Follow directions to the President hotel resort. The restaurant is part of the accompanying low-rise retail complex)

bit.ly/76RwdZ

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Delicious seafood salads and platters. On the pricier side, but comes with a great view of yachts. (The restaurant, though situated at the yacht club, is open to the public)

Well fitted for a romantic dinner out.

Ivana Zajca 2 (at the yacht club)
20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
+385 20 435 933

www.yc-orsan.hr/

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Fantastically fresh mussels, delicious risotto. Good quality, generous portions, very fair price

Great people-watching location. Situated at the old fish market, where day-expedition boats now set out.

More details and photos here
bit.ly/76RwdZ

Gorica Sv. Vlaha 77
20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
+385 20 324747

Google map: tinyurl.com/ycuc28r

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A cheap, friendly pavement restaurant near the city centre that serves fantastic black squid risotto and oysters.

Gunduliceva poljana 8

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My wife and stayed in Dubrovnik last September (2008) for 2 weeks, and rather than stay in a hotel we followed a recommendation by a good friend of ours and rented an apartment. The main advantage to us was the possibility to stay within the walls of the old town. The hotels are all outside the walls (except for the over-priced 5 star Pucic Palace). We booked Darija Apartments direct with the owner, and I can honestly say that it was a seamless experience. We felt well looked after, but there was none of the intrusiveness you get with a hotel - a nice balance. The apartment itself was perfect; clean, modern decor, comfortable, all the facilities you could want, and a fair price. All in all it was a great holiday made all the better by a great accommodation choice. One potential problem though: We've recommended it to so many of our friends you might not find availability ;-)

www.apartments-dubrovnik.com

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The most scenic train journey ever taken had to be Ploce on the Croatian coast, east to Sarajevo. Riding the dated German train, rolling through tunnels in the mountain side by the river, the mind wanders to the recent scars of war. A magical journey, made all the more special on arriving in Sarajevo to the sights and sounds of the East.

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Great hostel in Dubrovnik Old Town. Best location on the Pile Bay: 20m from the beach and only 80m from the historical street Placa. They offer both shared and private rooms.
Marco, the owner, also offers luxury apartments in the city center of Dubrovnik.
We had a family apartment for five which was spotlessly clean, secure, with all amenities.
The staff is very helpful and extremely hospitable.
We had the best recommendations for restaurants, things to do and they also helped us with car rental.
We would definitely stay again the next holiday.

Od Tabakarije 19
20000 Dubrovnik
+385 (0) 91 739 75 45
www.hostelsdubrovnik.com
hosteldubrovnik@yahoo.com

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Dubrovnik B&B is a small place (five rooms and one apartment only) in the perfect location in Dubrovnik. Just outside of the old city gate of Ploce. Owner is friendly and the rooms are very clean.

www.dubrovnikbedandbreakfast.com/

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Zaton is a village in southern Croatia, located on the coast of the eponymous bay, on the Dubrovnik Riviera, 8 km northwest of Dubrovnik, next to the village of Orašac. Chief occupations are farming, viticulture, olive growing and tourism. Zaton is located on the main road (M2, E65).

Zaton has several fine restaurants. It offers possibilities for watersports. An interesting walk uphill to the village of Podbrezje is highly recommended (4.5 km), to visit Mociljska Cave with stalactites and stalagmites.

www.dubrovnik-apartments-bb.com/

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Croatian design team Gharani Strok designed the interiors for the recently opened five-star Hotel Bellevue.

The hotel itself is like something from an old James Bond film with its lift to the private beach below built into the rock face.

The cocktails served in Vapor's bar are something quite special. The terrace is split in two with Vapor on one side and the other side being home to one of the best restaurants in Dubrovnik. The terrace has a wonderful view out over the Adriatic where you can sip your cocktail while watching a whole variety of craft from tall Pirates of The Caribbean ships to little island-hopping taxis moving in and out of Dubrovnik harbour framed by a glorious sunset.

The Adriatic's most friendly barman made us the perfect Vodka Martinis and told us tales of having to fight in the Balkan war and then finding work on a cruise ship where he learned the art of perfect mixing. My boyfriend and I spent a magical evening sipping amazing cocktails and watching the moonlight dance over the Adriatic. Bliss!

Hotel Bellevue - Pera Cingrije 7, 20000 Dubrovnik, Croatia
T +385 20 330 000 F +385 20 330 100
www.hotel-bellevue.hr

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Lovely restaurant in the heart of the walled city serving excellent fish and seafood dishes.

www.esculap-teo.hr/restaurant_proto.html

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Mjlet is an island 1 1/2 hours from Dubrovnik by ferry. The majority of the island is uninhabited, and it hosts a large national park.

I recommend it for 1) Its walking trails. You could walk for days and never take the same trail twice, and 2) Its beauty. The blues and greens of the trees, sky, and water are more vibrant than you'll find elsewhere.

Trip report and photos: shallowmusings.typepad.com/travel_musings/

Here's the national park website:

www.np-mljet.hr/

Arrive at Graz Harbor around 7:15 am to catch a ferry. The ferry is less than $20, entrance into the park is $20. Debark at the second port. Buy a map or you'll get lost. There's a hotel on the island (accessible from the port by bus) but I didn't stay there (and I regret it). The Mali Raj food was overpriced and underquality: hold out for the restaurant at the monastary.

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Anja, the hostess, is sweet. It's great value: kitchen, cable, balcony with view for $100 a night, stunning view with balcony. Perfect location: 204 steps away from Old Town.

Visit the Hotel Panorama website here: www.panorama-dubrovnik.net/

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You don't have to be a resident to visit the terrace bar at the Hotel Excelsior, which has a fantastic view of the Old Town and is blessed with afternoon sunshine.

hotel-excelsior.hr

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My first night in Croatia we stayed in a motel. After that we travelled without reservations. In Stari Grad on Hvar we met a man and his daughter and accepted their offer to see one of two apartments they had for rent. We stayed there for seven days.

In Dubrovnik we spent two nights in a private home with a shared bath. On the second day we sat in a cafe within the city walls and had a beer and talked to a waiter. His cousin had an apartment for rent. We viewed it and moved in the next day and stayed six days.

These two apartments cost us about £30 a night in September. Rooms in homes were less, of course.

September is a very good time to go because it is not overly crowded nor too warm and prices have gone down a bit.

When traveling in Croatia, forget the guide books. Follow your senses; follow your instincts.

We rented cars, a boat, walked. We were always met with interest and kindness, especially when spending money for food and drink.

There is only one thing a traveller to this country needs to consider: the main industry is tourism. It has made very few people rich. Take care where you go. Our last night in Split we walked into the new part of town and turned down accommodation there because I felt unsafe. Fortunately we knew of another place in the old part and stayed there and I slept like a baby.

I think of Croatia often and would love to go again. I believe there is something there for everyone.

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Family run and friendly. The food was delicious. Mixed grill is enormous. Seafood freshly caught.

Also they don't tout down the main drag!

Kovačka - a tiny sidestreet next to the Sponza Palace

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If you want to be flexible or visit other countries, the best way is to rent a car. In only two days I saw Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Kotor Bay (Montenegro). Destinations I wouldn't miss on my trip. I had a good experience with the local car hire company A MarkerCar Rental; fair rates, good service, new cars and very helpful and natural staff. They also offer cabrio cars, bikes, buggy and scooters.

www.carhiredubrovnik.com
info@carhiredubrovnik.com
phone:+385 (0) 91 739 75 45

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A wonderful big old house near the aquarium in the old town of Dubrovnik, now split into several apartments with kitchens and bathrooms.

The rooms are large, bright and airy, the location is superb and Marc is a wonderful host.

It's far cheaper than the hotel options for staying in the old town too.

www.karmendu.com/

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