Pretty much the only type of accommodation in Dubrovnik - if you don't want to pay business rates - are the hundred of private apartments or 'sobe' (rooms) spread throughout the city. After spending 10 perfect days in Apartments Nadramija, we would highly recommend this to anyone travelling to Dubrovnik.

Photos: www.stuart-pinfold.co.uk/photos/2008/dubrovnik/ and www.stuart-pinfold.co.uk/photos/2008/croatia/

LOCATION
Its location is on Put od Bosanke, a steep, narrow road winding up the hillside overlooking the Old Town, old harbour and Lokrum Island. In fact, calling it all a road is wrong - as we found out while driving round and round on the first day looking for it. The reason is that half of the road is steps (see bad points, below) and therefore accessible only to pedestrians. However, number 27 is on the road part, and therefore can be driven to, and parking is available outside on request (again, see bad points, below). However, this location affords it spectacular views from the balcony over to both Lokrum island and the Old Town and its historic fortification walls (see photos).

BEDROOM
We stayed in Apartment 1, the closest apartment to the front of the site, and suitable for a couple. The usual European habit of pushing two beds together to make up a double bed exists, but apart from that the bedroom was beautifully decorated with photos of Dubrovnik and sealife ornaments. There is space to leave luggage or to walk around the beds, and a handy light-switch just above the bed.

The bedroom also contains the air-conditioning unit, a godsend even in early-ish Summer (early July) when temperatures average around 32C.

BATHROOM
The bathroom is very simple but quite spacious by apartment standards, containing a shower, toilet, sink and small cupboard. As the shower doesn't have a closing door, the room is a wet room, but this is no problem as there is a drain hole in the middle - you just have to be cautious not to slip when you get out of the shower. We wouldn't have dreamt of using it, but there is a heater in the bathroom to dry towels, etc.

Towels are changed every other day, and are quite small by UK standards; you may want to bring along an extra bath towel if you prefer the larger sizes.

KITCHENETTE
A very basic kitchenette, which we only used to make cereal in the mornings. The kitchenette contains two electronic heat hobs, a fridge-freezer, cupboard space and everything you'll need to make meals, e.g. saucepans, plates and crockery, as well as drinking glasses and mugs. There was also a small tea and coffee maker, but we didn't use it.

BALCONY
The balcony has lovely views of Dubrovnik old town, the old harbour, and the island of Lokrum (see photos). Cruise liners moor near the island and ferry passengers between the old harbour and the ship.

BAD POINTS
The only really bad point is the car-parking. The one (or two at a squeeze) allotted space for guests is outside the house on the road. However, due to the narrowness of the street, you have to pary right up to a fig tree in order to allow space for other cars to pass. This means that people on the right-hand side of the car have to get out before the car is parked. It also means a few scratches and scrapes on the right-hand side of the car while parking and leaving - but nothing that won't rub off with some elbow grease.

Another point that some people may see as a negative is the amount of uphill steps required to get to the property. From the property, there are 77 steps down to the road called 'Petra Kresimera', and then you can either carry on down another 115 steps to the Ploce Gate of the Old Town, or turn left, walk slightly uphill, then turn right to go down 192 steps to the main city beach. Going down isn't a problem; coming back up is. However, the area is safe and there are plenty of flat rest stops on the way.

THE HOSTS
We booked through Tomo, although we didn't see him during our visit. Instead, we were greeted by his father (whose name I didn't catch, sorry!), who also showed us into the apartment, was around during our stay and who we paid at the end. He was a very nice man who gave us orange juice when we arrived, told us about places to go and things to do and hosed down our hire car on our last morning, as was his wife (who claims not to speak English, but we understood perfectly!) who baked us a delicious cake on our last night.

SUMMARY
Altogether, as long as you don't struggle with too many steps and don't mind a few removable scratches on your car, I highly recommend Apartments Nadramija. We paid €560 for 10 nights, plus a €100 deposit to secure the rooms as we booked 5 months in advance. This is about average for Dubrovnik, although €66 (£50 / $100) per night is very cheap compared to other cities in Europe.

ACTIVITIES
Finally, some recommended activities for visitors with more than a few days in Dubrovnik. You will do everything in the Old Town within a day, or two days if you go into the museums and monasteries.

Lokrum Island: a peaceful island just off the Dubrovnik coast, where you can swim in a dead see, visit a ruined monastery and - if you have the energy - climb to the fort for fantastic views to Dubrovnik and down the mountainous coast towards Montenegro. You will also be surrounded by peacocks and their babies wherever you go. Have a coke float and an ice-cream in the cafe near the harbour - especially after climbing the fort. Little boats taxi between Dubrovnik old harbour and Lokrum every half-hour (15-minute journey) for 40Kn (£4/$8) return.

Mostar (Bosnia-Hercegovina): Think Mostar, think the Old Bridge bombed by the Croats in 1995. Well, now it's been rebuilt - the 'new Old Bridge' - and stands proudly among the churches, mosques and still-bombed-out buildings on both sides of the emerald-green River Neretva. Watch young divers from the Mostar Diving Club jump off the bridge (after raising enough money to do so, of course), explore the Turkish-style gift shops and climb Mosque minarets for the picture-perfect view of the Old Bridge on the Muslim east side of the river, and walk down the former front line with unrepaired buildings bombed out during the Homeland War of the early '90s.
Photos: www.stuart-pinfold.co.uk/photos/2008/mostar/

Montenegro: We stayed for one night in Kotor, alternatively stay in any of the perfect villages on the Kotor Bay, Europe's largest fjord.
Photos: www.stuart-pinfold.co.uk/photos/2008/montenegro/

Hotel Belvedere: Walk around the coast, away from the Old Town, down quiet lanes surrounded by fig and cypress trees, and stumble across tiny, private beaches where the only thing you'll share it with are the rocks and the occasional boat horn. Continue walking, and you'll come to a rusty gate with the words 'Hotel Belvedere' above them. This once-mighty hotel was completely destroyed during the seige of Dubrovnik, because the tanks firing shells towards the old town were based in the scrublands just past the hotel grounds. Put simply, it didn't stand a chance. However, the gates remain wide open today, and visitors can wander round the 1950s faded glory of this huge hotel complex. See the two now-graffittid swimming pools, outdoor entertainment arena with a backdrop of the Mediterranean sea, Lokrum island and Dubrovnik Stari Grad, lift shaft with the lift cabin somehow staying up on the top floor, kitchens with blackened extractor pipes and utensils still visible, and, looking up although inaccessible, the hotel tower itself, with broken windows, pockmark shell holes, a stuck-in-time exterior clock, and the feeling it's all going to come crashing down around you. Just below the complex (take the old lift to 'beach' level if you dare) is a fairly quiet rocky beach with a bamboo shack cafe and watersports.

Cafe Buzas: Definitely drop-in to one of the Cafe Buzas in the evening for the perfect sunset view, looking towards Italy. What makes it so special is the fact they're OUTSIDE the city walls. They were built during the war, when planning permission was the last of the authority's worries, and have remained since, despite lock objection. There are two Buzas - Imaginitvely called Buza 1 and - err - Buza 2. To find them, walk up the steps from the old town towards the nearest city wall to Italy, and then look for the door-shaped 'holes in the wall'. Buza 2 also has a 'cold drinks' sign outside the hole. Buza 2 - nearest to the Pile gate in the west of the city - plays smoochy music and serves drinks in small plastic cups (complete with glass bottles, explain that?!). Buza 1 plays more modern music, but didn't seem to have any Croatian beer every time we were there. It also has strip lighting built into the rocks. At both Buzas, the brave dive from the rocks into the sea, and the rest watch in amazement. Don't stay here all night though; drink prices were the most expensive we found in the town, at around 35Kn (£3.50/$7) per beer or alcopop, compared to an average of about 20Kn for a beer (£2/$4)