We're researching hotels to stay at in Split and Dubrovnik for an upcoming trip in Sept. I am wondering of any of you Fodorites have special places with some history and charm to suggest to us? We'd like to be near the center of activity in both cities so we don't have to use public transportation to see the sights during the day and dine in restaurants in the evening. Your help will be very much appreciated. Thank you

I don't have any specific suggestions for Split, but I would suggest staying close to the historic center so you can walk everywhere. You might want to consider private apartments as well as hotels, as they offer more space and sometimes better quality for the money. In Dubrovnik, there are a few hotels near the Old Town (Hilton, Excelsior, Grand Villa Argentina, Pucic Palace), but they are very expensive. Again, I would suggest private apartments if you want to stay in or close to the Old Town. A good website for apartments in Dubrovnik is www.dubrovnikapartmentsource.com. It's run by an American couple who were really helpful in planning my last trip to Dubrovnik.

If you want to go with apartments or any other kind of private accommodation in Split I would suggest
http://split-apartment.com .

They have from budget to luxury...

great deals

Cheers

We were in Dubrovnik and Split in the fall of 2008.
In Dubrovnik we stayed at the Hotel Berkeley near the ferries and harbor. It was very easy to take the bus into the old town. There isn't much in the way of restaurants near the hotel, so we ate in or around Old Town. The rooms were decent size, clean with a little kitchen and quiet. We had a little balcony looking out onto the water.
An added bonus, they picked us up at the airport.
One thing to keep in mind, the locals do not line up to get on the bus, so you might need to be a little agressive, although the buses come fairly often.
Split: we stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast, a two minute walk to the old town: The Zephyrus. The room was wonderful, extremely quiet, the breakfast was great. The owners are a husband and wife from Australia. The husband, Murray is a sailor and you can book his sailboat for an all day excursion to some of the different islands near Split.
We drove from Dubrovnik to Split and getting anywhere near the old town is very difficult. The streets a very narrow and some times only one way. We got lost, but call the b&b and Murray came and got us, drove our car, found a place to park it etc. dtaylorburke

The locals do not line up for the baggage carousel at the airport, either. It is like a rugby scrum. Expect it and accept it as part of the local color!

We stayed in the Hotel Peristil in Split. Can't recommend it highly enough. The front staff was amazing to us (lost luggage) and it is right in the center of everything. We took the bus to/from the airport and rented a car when we left Split. The hotel shares a wall with Diocletian (sp?) Palace, so it has history. Breakfast served on the porch was great.

There are few hotels in Dubrovnik old town, but check tripadvisor for recommendations. They were all a bit out of our price range so we stayed in Lapad and used the buses. I would highly recommend staying in the walled city or at the Hilton right outside. If the Pucic Palace is in your price range, it's in a great location!

I love (and miss) Croatian pizza - especially Fruitti de Mer. YUM!!

We were there in 2007. Do they still take possession of your passport during your hotel stay? It was weird to give them up, but it was standard practice at all of our hotel stays.

most hotels in most countries in europe take your passports and keep them for you. it's a matter of security more than anything else.
dtaylorburke

I stayed in a lovely B&B inside the Diocletian's palace and it was very reasonable with a lovely breakfast.

B&B Kastel 1700

www.kastelsplit.com/