FrAAmer

Don't want to frankenthread this to a "Croatia" discussion- but if you do go to Dubrovnik, even if you do not stay at the Hilton, my trip report (in the Hilton Dubrovnik forum) has some good tips and restaurant recommendations.

Here are some pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...7010866&type=3

gegarrenton

Ah, yes, that does make it a bit spendier.

cbellero

I just did a six day tour of Croatia, Montenegro and Albania (where the next SPG property after Split is located) last week. I would avoid Zagreb unless you have a particular reason for going there. Split is the nicest of the Croatian SPG properties.

I found the Sheraton in Zagreb to be a bit run down. In the Standard Suite the touch of painting on the walls was done in a different color that the original coat, which I thought was pretty poor.

If you can fit it in, I would recommend heading down the coast of Montenegro - it is quite picturesque and less crowded than Croatia. The roads are good quality, although I do not think there are any super-highways.

About the casino and the club in the hotel - they seem to only open for high season. While I was there last week, they were certainly closed.

sent

How is this hotel and area in October?

cbellero

I do not know from experience. However, the guy at the pool bar told me that the high season ends in October. I would expect thinning crowds, but still having reasonable weather. This should also be reflected in lower prices.

gojko88

If you're visiting Split for cultural and sightseeing purposes, there's no better time than October and March. It's reasonably warm (for EU standards anyway), all the tourist crowds are gone, but the sights, shops and restaurants are very much open, as it's a living city of some 200.000 people, after all, which provides ample opportunity for people watching too. Not to mention that accommodation is way cheaper than in the high season.

(I've spent much of my life in Split, so excuse any bias )

TRAVELSIG

First half of October is typically still good weather and most things are open. After around the 15th you will find many things closed and it can get colder.

yoonny

If you go all the way to Split, you must stay at least 2 nights in Hvar. It is magnificent and there are many reasonably priced apartments to stay at (maybe not in Jul/Aug). A day trip there doesn't do it a justice.

gegarrenton

It's great in the beginning of Oct, imagine it gets chilly towards the end of the month. I highly recommend going the end of Sept-beginning of Oct. The prices fall of a cliff after the first week of Sept, and the weather is still spectacular.

sent

Thanks everyone. We have to wait and see about my husband's vacation schedule before planning something. Can I say that I love that this hotel is a category 4? It's like the sweet spot of SPG categories.

VAFlyerSAN

Just returned from a 4 night stay here. The weather was perfect for 2 days while the other 2 days rain showers were intermittent with cooler temperatures. Both rooms were upgraded to a Superior Sea View room as a SPG Platinum member. Placed on the 14th floor side by side. The view was amazing. Selected the breakfast option as the Platinum amenity and it was decent with plenty hot and cold food options. Omelets were available cooked-to-order. We rented a car from SPU airport which I believe is a must due to the location of the hotel even though they started the hotel shuttle option for 40 kuna per person roundtrip on May 15th. We visited Brela Beach and took the car on the ferry for a day trip on Brač. Fabio's pizza across the street from the hotel was very cheap but excellent food. They only accept cash. The spa treatment at the hotel was top notch. We ate lunch at the Spalatum Restaurant in the hotel and the beef tenderloin was one of the best I've had.

TRAVELSIG

+1

This location is great if you have a car- otherwise unless attending a meeting or convention at the hotel it would be quite isolated.

taipeiflyer

Bummer... when I stayed there a couple years ago, breakfast was included for Plats in addition to the 500 points.

VAFlyerSAN

They do offer the Green Choice option for 500 SPG points per night. Make sure the hanging tag is out by 2am. I collected 2,500 points for 2 rooms over a 4 night stay. Should have been 3,000 but we missed it one night on 1 room. This was worth it as they still bring new towels in the evening during turn down service.

eefor jfp

When we have guests here we usually do the following for a five day itinerary:
1. The center of Split, climb up Marjan, museums (there are quite a few nice ones including the Mestrovic Gallery, various archaeological museums, the basement of Diocletian's Palace, etc.), climb to the top of the church tower in the center of the palace, dinner in town.
2. Krka. A real gem, with an upper and a lower section and a monastery on an island in the lake in between--you can spend the whole day here or add Sibenik.
3. Solin and the Roman ruins there, Omis (south of Split) and the Centina River valley (rafting is possible in summer), Kastela & Trogir (north of Split) and Primosten.
4. Hvar (a two hour ferry ride or a slightly shorter catamaran ride).
5. Brac (Bol)--another ferry. or alternatively, Plitvice Lakes (that's about three hours by car). There are other national parks nearby like Paklenica or Mljet but Plitivice definitely deserves it's Unesco World Heritage status.
And that doesn't even include Zadar to the north or Brela and Makarska and Mostar to the south.

So five days is a lot but you can go further afield and find some really nice things to do. There's a lot of fun hikes in the nearby mountains with wonderful views of the coast and the islands, too. Dubrovnik is fantastic and if you're there longer you can also include Hercegnovi and Kotor in Montenegro (just make sure your car insurance is valid for that leg).

Have fun!