We stayed only for 5 days on halfboard basis. Room were quite small but well equiped ( satelite tv, mini bar, air conditioning, balcony ). The staff well organised, helpfull, nice. Free bycicles for hotel guests was a practical bonus. But the best thing about this hotel was food. Excellent choice and taste for (buffet) breakfast and dinner, lot of traditionaly prepared sea food, great salad bar.

Apologies in advance, about to write an essay, but I want to give you as much information as possible. I have broken it down for ease of reading.

We spent a week at the Riu Borak in June 2006. Overall, it was a great holiday. Peaceful location, great people and fantastic hotel!


Transfer-

Unfortunately at the time of going, there was some sort of dispute over our airline using Split Airport, so we had to come in from Zadar instead. This added quite a lot to the transfer time. When we got to Spilt, I was glad at the thought that we would soon be there, but you have to get a hydrofoil from Split to Brac Island. This takes about half an hour if you are approaching Brac from the Bol side of the island. Only problem is that the hydrofoils only go a few times a day. Split is a great historical city, but you might find yourself there for a while when all you want to do is get to the hotel to freshen up. We just took this time to go off to a nearby café for some food.


Location-

Great if you are looking for a peaceful holiday! The hotel is located on Brac Island, just off the coast of Split. The nearest town is Bol which is pleasant 20 min walk from the hotel. Bear in mind that this is a small town. Don’t go expecting any large supermarkets or fast food places in Bol. In the town you will find a mix of shops, bars, cafes, hotels and a local market which sells delicious fresh fruit. There is also a bus service which will take you to the other towns on the island and then there is the harbor where you catch the hydrofoils. 10 min walk in the other direction of the hotel takes you to the famous Zlatni Rat beach. There is also a small beach right in front of the hotel which has a few eating places. Brac felt like a really safe place to be.


Hotel-

Medium sized with a friendly atmosphere. Very clean. There is a good selection of facilities on offer. There were some organized hotel-based activities during the day. The hotel evening entertainment is all done in good spirit, but quite limited. They have a little kid’s disco thing going on the terrace in the early evening. Still, you can always venture out nearby or head into the town.


Staff-

Fantastic. The staff were friendly, relaxed and efficient. Just wish I could remember some of their names. All seemed to speak at in at least 3 languages (Croatian, English & German). There was one night where the power went out for a few hours. Think it was due to construction of a hotel nearby (although there was no noisy works). The staff were ready to provide the guests with candles for their rooms and were busy dotting the candles all around the hotel in a flash. It was reassuring to see such organization. Sure you got a few guests moaning about it, but we thought it was kinda fun!


Room-

Pleasant enough, clean and well maintained. Massive double bed. We didn’t have a poolside view, but that wasn’t a problem. The view of the mountains did just as well. Rooms were cleaned every day and fresh towels provided. There was access to a safety deposit box in the room for an extra small charge, air con, a mini-fridge, hairdryer and satellite t.v. could have really done with tea & coffee making facilities though. Think it is just a Brit thing?


Food-

It was half-board basis, so we had our breakfast and dinner there. Breakfast was self-serve. There was a great selection of food on offer to cater for the mainly Brit & German guests. Although, if like me you are unable to function without a nice English cup of tea- bring your own tea bags! I’m glad I did. It was amusing seeing all the Brits go up to the drinks area and looking confused. All those boxes of teabags to choose from, every flavor under the sun, but no PG tips! You can get tea at the hotel bar though. Dinner was a more formal affair. You have to choose the time you want dinner out of two sittings and tables are allocated. The doors to the dining room do not open until the exact time. It was nice being greeted by the staff when you entered the dining room. The food was self-serve, with the friendly waiting staff dealing with your drinks. If you order a bottle of wine but don’t want all of it, they will save it for you for the next day. The food was great and well presented and the dining room always felt clean and the food hygienically prepared.


The People-

I can’t express how lovely the Croatian people are. I have been to other places where you spend most your time being hassled by traders and restaurant staff trying to get you into their establishments. We had no experience of this whatsoever in Croatia. It is great to go somewhere and not have this unwanted stress!


Excursions-

There were the standard island tour things on offer and also a day trip to Split. We chose to go to Split in our own time. Well worth a visit, there is so much history to take in, wandering round the Diocletian Palace with the shops & restaurants build into its walls. A climb to the top of Cathedral of St Domnius provides beautiful views of the city. An excursion that I would really recommend is the one that takes you to Krka National Park where you can swim in the Roski Slap waterfalls. This was the highlight of the holiday for us. We also did a boat trip from Brac to the nearby Hvar Island. The boat stops off at a few places where you can swim and then there is a fish-supper at a restaurant.

The reviewer who pointed out that the hotel out of season is almost entirely populated by elderly Germans is absolutely right - but in many ways you should take this to be a good sign!

The food is good; plentiful choice both at breakfast and dinner. And whilst it is annoying to be told where to sit (and even at what time) there's nothing that says you have to slavishly follow these instructions - we didn't and the staff took it in good humour.

The hotel is looking a little tired - particularly compared to its refurbished neighbour the Elaphusa - but since you can make use of the Elaphusa's facilities (including a fabulous spa room and reasonably priced treatments) there's no reason not to stay at the Borak which is presumably cheaper.

The rooms are nothing to write home about but are clean and comfortable.

We only stayed a couple of nights but found the staff helpful and friendly. Unfortunately the evening entertainment is pretty dire but knocking back a few of the cocktails helps, or just escape - Zlatni Rat is right on the doorstep and is the real reason for coming here.

We booked this hotel after reading all of the reviews on this site. They were quite right in many respects. The hotel is brilliantly situated for Zlati Rat beach, it is tranquil etc. there are a few things to bear in mind however.
1. When we were there, outside school hols, the large majority of the other guests were Germans pensioners. We brought the age average down by decades. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, we liked it in fact, but if you aren't prepared it could be a surprise.
2. The food is fresh and tasty and the choice at breakfast superb. However, the dining room is a little stark, very crowded at breakfast and you have to eat at a certain time and at a certain table for dinner, (two sittings - and the door is locked until the precise time of opening).
3. The entertainers try hard and are lovely people but the West End it aint! And the bands they employ play music from 'clubs' in around 1970 when you were with your mum and dad!
4. The rooms are perfectly adequate and there is a safety deposit box.
5. We missed an indoor pool and the facilities in the associated hotels appeared to be good but to use them it cost quite a lot of money - so we decided not to.

On the upside, however, the staff are superb, really first class. We got a welcome drink and when we asked we got a room with a balcony and a better view at no additional cost 'as a treat because it was our first visit'. Nothing was too much trouble at all.

On balance as long as you book in the full knowledge of the above, you will have a fantastic time.