My husband and I will be in Croatia in early May 2007. Normally, as I'm a crazy travel planner, I book all hotels/apartments ahead of time for our trips. In Croatia we plan to do the private accomodation thing, and we'll be in Dubrovnik (4 nights) and Hvar (3 nights). I'm wondering if perhaps because it is not heavily into tourist season in Croatia in May whether we'd be able to get a better deal on a private room/apartment if we don't book ahead and just go to the local tourist office and have them get us a room? Is it possible? Can we bargain that way? Perhaps we could still bring along the names of certain apartments (which I got off the dubrovnik-online website) and have the tourist office check those out? I'm just wondering if that would save us money or mostly just cause frustration as we're so used to planning ahead....

Both Dubrovnik and Hvar are highly touristed, and waiting will probably mean that you get a sub-standard rather than a cheaper room if you want to stay in a hotel. However, if you want to get a private apartment, then you can---and arguably should---wait. In May, you'll probably be able to get something. There are some posters here who have fairly extensive experience booking sobe in Croatia, so hopefully one of them will give you some more specific advice.

I was in Dubrovnik this last May and we just found a Sobe right when we got off the bus from the airport. It was a fun experience and there were plenty available!! If I were to do it again, i'm sure we would have gotten an even nicer place. Many people have told me that it is perfectly OK to look at it, and turn it down if it is not exactly what you want. And you can negotiate a price directly with the owner. In May it is before the high season, so they are def willing to hear your price. We were very happy with where we stayed, tho after hearing about others' later... i'm thinking there were better. We did not make it to Hvar.. but had a great apartment in Trogir. I found it very fun not to have planned in advance. I'm excited for you.. it is beautiful country.

If you arrive in Dubrovnik in May, you'll be mobbed by room and appartment owners as soon as you step off the bus or ferry. Before looking at a place, check carefully what they are offering and the location of the accommodation. Tourism there has grown rapidly and there is a building boom, so more accommodation is on offer every year.

That's great information, thanks. As strange as it is for me to not plan in advance, I think we will try and "wing it" and see what we get. So exciting!

If you get cold feet and decide to book ahead, I have a suggestion for both Dubrovnik and Hvar. We were there in July 2006 (hotter than heck!) and absolutely LOVED the apartment we stayed in in Dubrovnik. Check out http://goldgetaways.sent.com. We stayed in the 3-bedroom apartment and also used the separate studio. The location was within 300m (or so) of the Pile Gate to the old town and the rooms were well-done and air-conditioned! On Hvar, we stayed in a B&B recommended by Lonely Planet. Very engaging owner and relaxed accommodations. I think it was about $20US/pp/night. If you want, I can send you pictures that give you an idea of what it's like. I also plan heavily for my trips and so far haven't been brave enough to take the plunge without reservations On the flip side, I can confirm that were lots of people at the dock/bus stations etc with signs re rooms for rent so it should be easy to rent on the spot. Good luck and have fun!

lheitman - that apartment in Dubrovnik is lovely! We would only need the studio as it's just the two of us - do you have any idea what we'd be looking at in terms of price for just the studio? Also, I would love to get the name of the B&B in Hvar and also see your pictures. My email address is [email protected], so if you could email me some of them, that would be wonderful!

Did Author: lheitman ever get back to you with the name of the B&B in Hvar. I too am trying to nail down some accomodations in Hvar town. If so, could you please post the name.
thanks,
andy

Unfortunately the poster never emailed, sorry!

We didn't wing it, although I certainly considered it, for our recent trip. We loved Croatia, and especially in Dubrovnik. While in Dubrovnik we stayed at Villa Adriatica (http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/villa_adriatica/) and highly recommend it. Its literally right outside of Ploce Gate and the view really is what it shows on the website. We had access to the large deck with magnificant views of Dubrovnik and of the Adriatic. Best part? It was about $60 a night. It wasn't really an apartment, as we only had our room, but we had access to the living room and kitchen, and the owners lived next door so it was very private.

If you are interested, my pictures can be found at www.kodakgallery.com/tracybates (the album is separated by countries; just pan down to Croatia) and my ongoing trip report (I'm still finishing it; we just got back a few weeks ago) can be found at http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...t=0&screen.

Good luck with everything. You will certainly love Croatia!

Tracy

Definitely wait to find a place when you get to Hvar. We were there this past May and showed up without a room or even a list of possibilities. We went to the local tourist agency and they told us they had no listings yet and said just walk up the hill. We then went to the travel agency where they told us they had no listings yet because it was too early in the season and they told us to just walk up the hill. We found a lovely apartment (or should I say it found us) for a song. There were lots of apartments and sobe available at this time of year. This was in Hvar Town.
We did the same in Stari Grad where we walked up the hill and found an apartment for next to nothing. The woman there didn't even have the apartment set up yet because she said it was too early in the season.
It was extremely quiet in both Stari Grad and Hvar Town at the beginning of May.
Thanks to all of you who post on this site. It was because of your advice that we had a wonderful trip!