OK, my friends have now decided they want a place close to the water that has at least 3 bedrooms--we're a group of 6. I've been searching online, but hoping that someone can chime in with "Oh, we *loved*...."

I'd prefer to be closer to Korcula Town, but am open to suggestions anywhere.

Fodorites are amazing. Thank you in advance!

Frankly, nobody can say they loved lodgings in Korcula Town because nobody has ever actually STAYED there; so obviously this will remain unanswered. haha ;-)

Should nobody else chime in, I would consult the Rick Steves Croatia & Slovenia book. It is my understanding that the 3 or 4 hotels there in K-Town are all run by the same company so the predictable gouging of prices and poor service would inherently apply. Instead – and other travel books (including Fodors) don't mention this – one can stay in a soba. Sobe (the plural of soba) are private homes or buildings outfitted for guests with varying degrees of privacy, but obviously rife with local charm. You won't get hotel service and you won't pay hotel prices; and on Korcula this could be a much wiser approach. In fact you may very well be able to rent the entire sobe inasmuch as it may have three rooms total for six people; and if the owners live off-site it would give you unheard of solitude, safety and comfort. We're staying in Korcula for one night in September and are staying in a soba RS has personally lodged in. Any well-stocked bookstore should have this book for your perusal or purchase. Good luck and have fun!

We didn't stay there, but the town of Lumbarda is only a few kilometers from the town of Korcula. We took a bus that took only a few minutes. We were very impressed with the wonderful beaches, and a seaside walk that circled the peninsula. The sand was white, the water blue, and there were very attractive villas lining the shore with immediate access to the beach.

We vowed we would look into renting one of those when we made another visit. I don't know how you would go about renting one, but I think it might solve your problem.

Anyone out there that can help with more specifics?

As I found in planning our trip...it's a monopoly...
think Park Place and Boardwalk maxed out in as many hotel as possible...and you my dear just landed on them...


We are booked at Hotel Korcula..it looks and sounds like we will be staying in something a step up from a Rough Guide review for
111 euro a night and that is for 1 double bed in off season in a couple of weeks..

I will be posting a review upon our return mid may!

I took a moment to surf for places in Lumbarda, and here are a couple that might do.

http://tinyurl.com/57oc3d

http://www.dalmatianet.com/margita/

In my search, I found that Lumbarda is only six kilometers from Korcula town, and a bus runs hourly during the day.

We loved Korcula. There are some good shots from there in this gallery, including the Hotel Korcula:
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3882

Hi Bob,

I stumbled across your pictures on another site and they are simply amazing...but couldn't remember where as I forgot to bookmark it!

Just asked a cruisecritic message board member named DOG if she was familiar with you..

and there your photos were!

Did you stay at the Hotel Korcula??
The reviews have been mixed!

If you are interested in a sobe, as mbresso described, I can highly recommend Villa DePolo. I think they have 5 rooms for rent. We had the one with the balcony overlooking the water. It is a short walk to the Old Town. I'm not sure what your requirements are...it isn't luxury by an means, but the room was large and very clean and confortable...also very inexpensive. I think we paid 240 kuna (around 33 Euro) per night.

We ate at Hotel Korcula one night which wasn't very good, but it was the off season so there weren't many other options. The hotel looks nice, though. Of course if given the choice between that and a great room at 1/3 of the cost with a gorgeous view of the Old Town, well....

This is what I wrote about the Hotel Korcula in my Ahhh, Croatia trip report. We stayed there for two nights in 2003:

We stayed at the Hotel Korcula which was probably the only hotel open in November. It is an old hotel; the building dates from 1885 an it has been a hotel since 1912. We had a large rather dusty room but the bed was comfy and the shower was good.

No, we did not stay there--we were on a small ship. I just liked the location on that waterfront.

I have just booked www.marcopolo-apartments.com
for this July. Only one night so I hope it works out. As you say, reasonable accommodation seems impossible in Korcula.

gertie....

july...

that reminds me...

the other problem we faced on Korcula and Hvar..since we are going off season (early May) many places are still closed and don't up until the end of May

Thanks, all! I actually do have the Rick Steves book (thanks for the suggestion mbresso). It was RS who suggested staying closer to Old Town (as opposed to Lumbarda) which is why we were leaning that way.

I like sobes or apartmani--truthfully, we've been looking at the latter mostly b/c of having toddlers, so we'd love to be able to put the girls in their own room, as we'll all sleep better that way.

Thanks for surfing nukesafe! I'll look at those links.

isailtheseas--maybe we'll cross paths, as our trip to Croatia is 1-12 May.

Sessa, we aren't high-end folks, although I confess I'm not the backpacker I used to be now that I have a toddler. I think I've seen that sobe; I'll look into it again.

Thanks again, all!

We were there last June, and went to Korcula from Hvar by car ferry (we had our own car...)

We stayed at Apartments Val -- in between Korcula and Lombarda, about a 15 minute drive. I loved it soooooo much, and I want to go back. We were there for only two nights.

Maja and Toni are simply adorable and wonderful hosts. We borrowed their bikes and rode the earlier part of the day, going past Korcula to much smalller towns along the shore, the road winding and hilly sometimes, and often affording inviting views of emerald and turquoise waters in small coves. Many attractive sobes along this shoreline, just past Korcula (opposite direction of Lombarda).

We spent the later afternoon exploring Korcula itself before heading back to the apartment, where we had a great dinner prepared by Toni, on their patio. Their place looks out over a small cove, and towards other islands and even the Peninsula in the distance. Great sunsets and sunrises! The next morning, we rented their little outboard motor boat and boated all around the islands, stopping at a few to explore. That was sooooo much fun.

We did go to Lombarda for dinner one night -- just 10 or so minutes down the road. Lombarda looked sweet and quiet.

I wouldn't give up our two nights on Korcula for anything! We took the small car ferry to the Peninsula, where we drove on to Ston before making our way to Dubrovnik. This was a great day as well, and easy. I think that biking and boating differentiated our time there from our equally enjoyable, but different experiences of Trogir, Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. And again, Toni and Maja were just fabulous!

Good luck with your planning.

I suggest www.rentadriatic.com