Lafodia Hotel & Resort (Lopud, Croatia)

Located off the coast of beautiful Dubrovnik, Croatia, the resort offers up some truly impressive views of the coast without destroying your travel budget. With a pair of pools, several restaurants, sauna, hot tub and onsite shopping, you’ll also have a vast array of activities to keep you occupied without even leaving the hotel grounds.

At the Lafodia Sea Resort, you’ll have a spacious room filled with cushy bedding and nice big windows to soak up the ocean (if you choose a room with a sea view). In addition, your room will be carefully cleaned and attended to while you’re out exploring the island or soaking up the sun.

It must be an interesting feeling to board a ship in Dubrovnik knowing you’re about to disembark onto a tiny island that has a very small population. And, with cosy rooms, an infinity pool, a private beach, boat tours and dockside dining and drinks, you’ll feel like island royalty.

While guests truly appreciate the kind service and the relaxing seaside locale, they haven’t been as thrilled by the small, accumulating fees. Those little extras—such as bonus packets of tea, sunbed pads and shuttle service—can really add up in a hurry.

When you fly to a remote city and ride on a boat across a harbour to a private island, you would expect high-end luxury dining. Unfortunately, some prior guests found the breakfast lacking in organization and quality, and the food at the beach restaurant to be less-than-impressive. There are other restaurants options in the village, though.

Typically speaking, the staff at the hotel—whether housekeeping, the wait staff or reception—are cordial and helpful. However, some guests have noted a few exceptions to this rule, such as a handful of inefficient servers, defensive lifeguards and stone-faced front desk staffers.