FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Le Meridien Split, Croatia [Master Thread]
Old Jun 28, 2012, 3:06 pm
  #50  
FrAAmer
 
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: San Diego, CA , 4.2MM+ AA Platinum, Hilton Diamond, Starwood Gold
Posts: 574
Stay Report - June 2012


The hotel has several buildings, this tower, the Starwood Preferred Guest building (where we stayed), and another one overlooking the marina.

This stay report is part of a larger Croatia trip report that will be posted in the Community section as I have time to complete it. I thought I would knock out the hotel stay sections first, and then fill in the gaps. As I am limited to 20 photos for this post, here is a link to the album of photos of this property: http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y91...lit%20Croatia/

As others have posted on this thread, this is a wonderful hotel, and at 10,000 points per night (cat 4), possibly the best point redemption to value of any Starwood property we have stayed at. A few days prior to our arrival we received an e-mail offering the opportunity to upgrade our room to insure we would have either a Superior Sea View room (with internet and a cocktail at the 7 Palms Bar and Grill) for 10 euro per night, or a Deluxe Sea View room (with internet access, the cocktail and a 20 euro food and beverage credit) for 25 euro a night.

As a paid stay, the hotel is still very affordable and they run specials on a regular basis- http://deals.lemeridien.com/Le-Merid...D_SOP_ICM_EAME

My experience with Starwood as a lowly Gold (especially at properties outside the US - see my other trip reports) has been so good that we decided to roll the dice and see what the Upgrade Gods had in store for us. If you read on, fate was with us .

We sandwiched our stays at the Hilton in Dubrovnik (another fabulous property) and at this hotel with stays in guesthouses and apartments. It made for a wonderful combination of luxury and affordability and also allowed us to stay in some beautiful and remote places.

We arrived in Split from Korcula via the 6 AM (ugh - there is only one per day) jet powered Catamaran at 9 AM. http://www.krilo.hr/en/fleet.html Since the Le Meridian is in Podstrana (about a 15 minute 103 Kuna (about $17 USD) cab ride), we took our luggage and deposited it at one of the many luggage deposit facilities that line the street between the ferry port and the bus station (15 Kuna - about $2.50 USD) per bag regardless of length of time for storage . That way we were unencumbered, and could spent the day in the old town of Split, tour the Diocletian Palace, and then head to the hotel (without having to come back to the old city.) Our room most likely would not have been ready at that hour and it seemed silly to cab it to the hotel, drop our luggage with the bellman and then have another round trip cab ride to see the old town.

The taxi stand is just outside the old city, adjacent to the ferry port and a short walk from the luggage storage. After retrieving our bags we were on our way to Podstrana and the Le Meridian. (see the trip report for info on Split)

Check-in was fast, friendly and efficient. The Upgrade Gods favored us with a Deluxe - corner Sea View room on the 7th floor. We were offered the opportunity to add the full buffet breakfast to our room folio at time of check-in for 12 euro per person - (a reduced rate from eating in the restaurant and charging breakfast to the room). Knowing that there are many European properties that charge upwards of 30 euro per person, this seemed like a deal. (Since Croatia will join the EU next year, many places in Croatia are quoting prices in euro)

We were given an "instant awards" brochure that offered Starpoint redemption opportunities such as a 60 minute massage for 8250 Starpoints, dinner for two at the Spalatum restaurant for 7500 Starpoints, or a bathrobe and flipflops for 6,000 Starpoints. (Remember that our room was only 10,000 Starpoints per night.....)

This was the first trip I have taken with only an i-Pad. It is hard to believe that in this day and age that the Le Meridian in Split has no wireless internet in the rooms- so paying for internet access would not have been beneficial. There is complementary basic wireless (via a 24 hour code given at check-in) in the lobby that was fine for e-mail, reading Flyertalk, and basic mobile uploads of photos to Facebook. If one needed faster access, it was available for purchase at tiered rates based on speed or in the business center on a pay per use computer. Ironically, though it is not advertised as such, I was able to receive a wireless signal in our room that seemed stronger at night.














Balcony View


Letter from the Manager was waiting along with complimentary water bottles on each nightstand and a large Croatian chocolate bar. Mrs. FrAAmer's bar had lavender bits, a Croatian specialty.


Another balcony view. The town of Split is across the water at the end of the spit of land. We could watch the ferries coming and going.


Podstrana from the balcony with the Le Meridien beach in the foreground.

The hotel is clean, modern, and very well maintained. While we were there it never seemed crowded and one could easily get a chaise at the pool or at the beach. There is a beautiful vanishing edge outdoor pool and also a large indoor pool.

Spa access for the sauna, steam room, whirlpool, and solarium is complimentary and there is a full menu of assorted massages and treatments available. The large, well-equipped exercise room has one of the best views from a treadmill anywhere. (The only one I can recall that is better is from the bow of the Celebrity Galaxy cruise we took to Alaska)


Exercise Room


Vanishing-edge pool


Indoor Pool


One of the many lobby sitting areas


Omlette station at breakfast

On our first afternoon we wanted a snack but did not want to sit outside by the pool, nor did we want to eat in the hotel's restaurant. Unfortunately the Pivnica restaurant in the hotel (less fancy - that has a great reputation) does not open until 5:00 PM. One of the doormen suggested a short walk up the hill to the left of the hotel to Fabio's. They have a covered outdoor seating area and (also inside seating) where we enjoyed a surprisingly good thin crust pizza. They have a great beer list too!


Just outside the hotel and up the hill to the left is Fabios. Surprisingly good thin crust pizza and a great beer list.



The Marina adjacent to the hotel. There is a "provisions" store there with all sorts of snacks and drinks.

We read of Leonis (restaurant in the adjacent marina) from other posts in this forum so we planned on dining there our first night. As others have posted, it was so good - that we ate there the second night as well.

The wonderful Leonis Restaurant with live music nightly. In the Marina connected to the hotel. http://www.restaurant-leonis.com/en/

In fact, we enjoyed our time at this property so much that we really had no desire to go back to Split at all and spent two days swimming, reading and relaxing. Housekeeping was prompt and discreet turndown service happened each evening (with fresh towels and water bottles) while we were out.

One day while we were looking at a map in the window of the travel agency in the marina, a woman (Maggie) came out and engaged us in conversation. She wanted to know where we had been and where we were going, where and what we had eaten, in general- how we were enjoying our Croatian experience. When Maggie learned we were driving the next day to the Plitvice Lakes, she wrote down her cell number in case we needed someone to translate something or help with anything while we were on the road! This was so typical of the warm, friendly people we met throughout our entire trip.

We discussed our prior meal at Leonis (which she said was the best of all the restaurants in either the hotel or marina) and she suggested that if we were to eat there again, there were some menu items we had missed. She walked over to the restaurant and reviewed the menu with us to point out some "specialties" (which had lost something in the English translation), including a house made pasta (that was unfortunately described as "macaroni") - but was actually a Korculan specialty (a flat pasta rolled on a needle to make a tubular pasta, served in a red Buzara sauce with Scampi).

More on Leonis- (and some of what we learned about eating in higher end Croatian restaurants) Every guide book we read said that fish was "expensive," which we found was a "relative" term. Sure, compared to other items one could order, a whole fish (priced per kilo) is more expensive - but a whole fish could easily serve two and perhaps three people. Another option is a fish "steak" cut as a portion from a larger whole fish (as I had my first night at Leonis), or a portion of clams and mussels (again priced per kilo - but there is no obligation to order a kilo) as I ordered the second night at Leonis.

At our first dinner we were a party of four. Two in our party did not want fish. One ordered a t-bone steak that was as large as her whole plate that also came with seasonal vegetables and potato. The other ordered grilled chicken. The rest of our meal was an octopus salad, seasonal salad, grilled vegetables, two fish steaks, a bottle of sparkling water and a bottle of Posip wine. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pošip Total bill was 1015.50 Kunas or about $173.00

The next night wanting something lighter, we had an avocado and shrimp salad, the pasta with scampi, and the clams and mussels in a white buzara sauce. Mrs. FrAAmer wanted wine but we didn't want a bottle. We had the same waiter as the prior night and he offered to pour a premium glass of white wine that was not on the "per glass" menu and even brought a few tastes for her to choose from. Total for the meal was 174 kuna or about $55.

Of all of the white wines we drank while in Croatia, Krajancic Posip "Intrada" (from Korcula) was our favorite. It runs about 170 kuna in a restaurant (about $28 USD). You can find it retail from specialty wine shops in the states for about $21.

This hotel would be a great "base" for a Croatian visit, especially since the redemption rate is so good. One could do some "resort time," some "culture" in the town of Split, or a day trip to Hvar Island via ferry. There is a travel agency in the marina that can book all sorts of day trips by boat (to a number of the surrounding islands with a fish picnic) or with a small tour group to many places - (or one could rent a car and drive to the Krka waterfalls in 90 minutes).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krka_National_Park).

After our stay here we were on our way to Plitvice Lakes. I booked a 3 day rental car from Hertz via the AA website ($89 per day including tax with FULL insurance) for a pick-up at the Split airport and return to the Zagreb airport where we were departing for London. We took a cab from the Le Meridien to the Split airport for 300 kuna (about $50 USD).

If you were arriving at the Split airport, you could either take a cab to the hotel (for about $50 USD) or a transport bus (about 4 euro) from the airport to the old town, then a cab (about $17) from the old town to Podstrana.

There are few places I really want to return to. Croatia is way up on our list and we will definitely return to this hotel when we do.

Last edited by FrAAmer; Jun 29, 2012 at 9:22 am
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