Dubrovnik Palace IS out of the way. On the one hand that's a good thing because you get uninterrupted views of the Adriatic and it also means a restful night's sleep. On the other hand, it does mean you can't just 'pop out' for a meal in the old town for instance as its quite a distance away. The major plus is the local bus ends and starts its route right outside the hotel and takes you to the old town. You can buy bus tickets from reception.

I agree with some of the reviewers here on the hotel staff. Some were absolutely lovely but reception in particular could do with a personality transplant. They weren't rude but they did not smile nor welcome us which for a 5 star hotel is the least to be expected.

Back to the actual hotel, the panoramic views from the bar are amazing - the bar and it's staff were also good. Every room has a balcony and a view of the sea which is breathtaking to wake up to. The rooms are pretty small but clean and well laid out.

Breakfast in the main restaurant was excellent and the chefs and staff there were very nice, helpful and friendly.

The hotel has a really nice outdoor pool as well as a heated indoor pool and spa. There are several restaurants too.

Ignoring the reception staff I would return for a short break at the Dubrovnik Palace just to pamper myself in the spa and I would also recommend it to others.

we had a wonderful time at the hotel. we liked the position on a headland with glorious views over the sea and the islands. walking in the pine woods was great. Swimming in the sea was wonderful although the entries could have done with a regular scrub as they got slightly slippery. Contrary to other views we enjoyed being out of the old town- the bus starts right outside the hotel and it is about 15 mins into the city. we felt able to pop in and out whenever we wanted. The lifts were occasionally crowded but we only had to wait a couple of times over the 2 weeks for a second lift. The pool area was large and there were lots of loungers- yes people did put their towels out early in the day but we were always able to find somewhere easily most days and, when we couldn't, the pool attendants were happy to sort things out for us. The breakfast was ok but we weren't tempted by the evening buffet. we ate i the bistro where the freshly caught fish was delicious. The pool side restaurant was also good at lunchtime although slightly pricy. Many evenings however we walked down the hill into the small ton where there were lots of good and cheap restaurants. a whole, freshly caught sea bass for £8 was remarkable and wonderful! the rooms were clean and spacious and the views from the balcony were just fantastic. we found the staff friendly and helpful on every contact. altogether it was a great holiday and the hotel was just right for us!

We can understand most of previous reviewers' comments; however, we couldn't fault the staff, whom we found friendly and helpful at all times.
Maybe we were lucky by going out of season (and getting an upgrade), but for us it was excellent value for money: rooms large and very well-maintained, Most of all, a fantastic breakfast (nobody seems to have mentioned this recently). As the weather was vile (late October), we ate in the downstairs restaurant one evening: pleasant, but limited, and not really value for money. Excellent indoor pool and spa facilities: wife thoroughly enjoyed a massage.
Location: just about walking distance from Lapad beach; from a shopping centre (not easy to find); and from a group of very good bars in Lapad which we had seen from the bus. To get to or from the Old Town requires a taxi or bus: bus service (Route 4) very good, every 20 minutes, takes 15 mins. Having said that, I'm not sure the Excelsior or Argentina would be much better, each is a fair way out of the centre.
The view from the rooms out over the bay is superb: watch the sun setting and the cruise ships leaving and arriving.

What we liked:
- the rooms were clean
- view of amazing sunsets
What we didn't like:
- pretentious and condescending behaviour of staff, which bordered frequently on rudeness
- too far from old town. You really had to plan to go into town. Couldn't just go in for a quick lunch
- we had massages and I had waxing at spa. My massage was cut 15 mins short due to poor timing on the person waxing my legs. Yet I was still charged full price. Services were mediocre at best. Pool area was nice.
Stay at grand villa Argentina! There is no comparison - unless you like to pay $300/night to be treated poorly