Mr & Mrs Smith

Villa Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Villa Dubrovnik is Croatian through and through: built from grey Brac stone, styled by two local designers, and boasting Adriatic views that a seagull would migrate for. Days here are idled away at the flower-flanked outdoor pool, serene spa and ambitious Mediterranean restaurant that’s worthy of a Michelin star.

Need to know

• Rooms 56, including seven suites. There are also two villas, both with their own entrance and parking.
• Rates Double rooms from $385.08 (€300), excluding tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €1.00 per person per night on check-out.
  The price shown represents the lowest nightly rate for a double room available at this hotel over the next 21 days. Any price conversions from the hotel's local currency (€300) have been conducted using today's exchange rates from xe.com.
• More details Rates include boat transfers to the Old Town. Breakfast (à la carte) costs €30.
• Facilities Boutique stocked with designer threads and swimwear; spa with steam room, hammam and several treatment rooms; gym, library. In rooms: standard TV, minibar, flatscreen TV, WiFi, Bulgari bath products; suites have espresso machines (and more generously sized bath products).
• Poolside Out in the gardens, amid the bougainvillea and oleander, there’s a serene pool surrounded by curtained four-poster loungers with little coffee tables. Loll on a lounger and order strawberries and champagne. There’s also an indoor pool with French doors for the rare drizzly day. Prefer saltwater? Use the rocky private beach, which has concrete platforms for sun bathing (sounds Spartan, feels fine) and a five-step ladder to the sea.
• Check-out 12 noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
• Children Not suitable for little Smiths – this hotel is designed with adults in mind.

Food and drink at Villa Dubrovnik

• Hotel restaurant

  Like the chef’s concoctions, Pjerin is smart and elegant. Chairs are navy blue, tables are topped with crisp linen and decorated with a sprig of rosemary and artfully shaped cutlery and glasses. The glass walls overlook the terrace and the sea, so that what’s outside shares the limelight with the delicious food: dishes such as home-made artichoke-and-ricotta ravioli and rabbit fillet with hazelnuts and wild mushrooms. Giardino, the casual bistro, has wooden tables and chairs crafted from purple rope set out on the terrace. There’s also an outdoor grill area where seafood and meat sizzle enticingly.

• Dress code Island A-list: crisp shirts, flowing dresses, vibrant jewellery.
• Top table Sit in the corner by the windows for the best views of the sea and the Old Town. At lunch, eat out on the terrace or down by the grill area.
• Last orders Drinks are served from 7pm until 1am; Pjerin is open from 7am until 11pm.
• Room service Room service is free if you’re staying in a suite.
• Hotel bar

  Downstairs, there’s the Scandinavian-style Library Bar, dotted with light grey armchairs and lime-green and grey sofas; lime-washed ceiling fans whir gently in the background, adding a cooling breeze. Romance levels rise a notch or two at the sultry rooftop Sky Bar, where purple sofas sit under a pagoda. The glass balcony overlooks the hotel’s roof, and has hypnotic sea views. All the classic cocktails are present and correct (alongside some signature drinks – try the Villa Dubrovnik cocktail), and there’s a sexy soundtrack of jazz and soul.

Villa Dubrovnik Vlaha Bukovca 6, Dubrovnik, 20000