The most expensive hotel I have ever stayed in!
This is one of the highlight of this trip. I have wanted to stay at this hotel for the longest time ever. It is often said to be one of the best property in the Hilton chain. It is no doubt the among the top among the portfolio and perhaps even the among the top 3 Hilton I have ever stayed in. This is not those old and draped kind of Hilton like Hilton LAX. This is set in a grand building dating back to 1897 and a 20th-century villa. It is right outside Dubrovnik’s Old Town and steps from Pile Gate. The hotel was opened back in 2005 and recently renovated back in Feb this year. The hotel has roots a century ago as the Grand Hotel Imperial, the first modern hotel in Dubrovnik. I have heard excellent reviews about it, and it looks gorgeous in one of the best locations. This is the best luxury hotel in Dubrovnik with the best location. It doesn’t go cheap, especially in peak season. It is one of the best properties to use your points. I am surprised that this is not branded as a LXR, Waldorf Astoria or a Curio. It is just a Hilton. Let’s see how Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik is!
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I book directly with Hilton for this stay. I got the base-level Guest room. Prices were through the roof given that I am coming here right in the peak season. Hotel rates in the area are very seasonal, you can see a huge difference between winter and the middle of summer. Rates were going for around 700 ish Euros for a room. It is way too much for me to be paying this. I will be staying here for 3 nights and I paid 70,000 points a night. That is the equivalent of paying around 350 USD. That is a splurge but much better than paying cash. I received an automated email about a week out and was automatically upgraded to a Deluxe Suite with Sea View. That is a shocker since this is peak period. It looks like they prioritized points bookings. This suite would have cost around 1500 SGD a night, making it hands down the most expensive hotel I have ever stayed in my entire life. This is a top-tier suite and just below the Imperial or Presidential suite. Elite treatment is excellent. I also received an email from guest relations informing me the details of the hotel and also to seek of my preference for the stay. Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik features 149 guest rooms and suites spread across 9 categories. You can check out the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Executive Lounge Access | Bathtub |
|---|---|---|
| Guest | No | Yes |
| Guest with Sea View | No | Yes |
| Superior | No | Yes |
| Family Connecting | No | Yes |
| Executive | Yes | Yes |
| Executive with Sea View | Yes | Yes |
| Deluxe Suite | Yes | Yes |
| Deluxe Suite with Sea View | Yes | Yes |
| Imperial Suite | Yes | Yes |
Checking In
I got to Dubrovnik Airport at around 8.30am or so. After getting everything sorted out, we got into a Bolt and headed to the hotel. This took around 30 mins and cost 25 Euros. Traffic is quite slow at some point. The ride was picturesque and as we get closer, we can see the views of the old city and the waters. Upon arrival, the bellboy came over to help me with my bags and ushered me over to check-in.
Parking is available at the hotel with Diamond reserved lots both in the garage as well as at the side of the lobby area. The regular price per day for parking is 100 Euros and the price per day for hotel guests is 30 Euros. In and out privileges is offered. Valet services are offered and the bellboy is very proactive in helping us with the car.
I love the classic exterior look of the property and those revolving doors. Everything is so posh and luxurious. The check-in counters are located to the right of the entrance. I was warmly welcomed by the gentleman working the desk and immediately helped to. It was quiet at this hour. Check-in was very fast and they soon provided me with all the information. I was thank for being a diamond member and reconfirmed to be in one of their Deluxe Seaview Suites. My suite is not ready at this time which is understandable. I was offered access to the lounge and told to return at around 1pm for the keys. The duty manager also came out to show me around and gave me a brief introduction to the hotel before escorting me to the lounge to rest.
The lobby is classic and gorgeous. You have some seating around the reception area. You then head up the stairs with the Imperial bar at the side. This area is so cosy. I love those white marble arches and high ceilings. It feels like an imperial palace.
I have nothing but good things to share about the front desk, bell team and concierge. They are so helpful and polished. They are good with names and remembering guests. I was often greeted by name with leaving and entering the hotel. You can get some beach towels from the concierge if you wish.
Deluxe Sea View Suite
I was assigned a suite on the third floor. Suite 327 is located on the second-highest floor in the hotel. This is located in the corner which is why it offers an amazing view. The Deluxe Sea View Suite measures a spacious 53 Sqm. The layout feels slightly similar to the suite that I stayed in Conrad Manila. This is a full one-bedroom suite despite the lack of a powder room and doors separating the living room and the bedroom area. It is a comfortable space for couples or small families. Upon entering the suite, you have a short but very spacious entranceway with a bench. This will be handy for wearing your footwear. There is also a full-length mirror over here.
Towards the left, you can find the wardrobe over here. It does feel kind of weird to have the wardrobe out in the living room near the entrance rather than nearer to the bedroom area.
The living room is so classic and luxurious. I love the light cream tones and the overhead lighting over here. It is mostly in a rectangular layout. The place is so bright and welcoming with tons of Croatian natural light. The amazing view of the old city, the sea and Fort Lovrijenac immediately welcomes you from those gorgeous windows. Let me come back to this later on.
The cosy living room consists of a sofa set which is good for 4 pax surrounding a coffee table and side tables. It is a cosy spot to relax and socialise in this gorgeous city. The suite is a lovely spot to get some room service and dine when you have such a gorgeous setting.
Facing the sitting area you have a large high-quality smart screen TV on the chest. It comes with a good number of both local and international cable TV channels. They also had the Olympics on broadcast.
In the chest, you can find the minibar which consists of a fully stocked mini fridge with alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. There are also some packaged tea and coffee alongside a kettle. I am surprised not to see a proper coffee machine over here which can’t be too challenging to equipped given the high rates. With an executive lounge that you have access to, the damage is minimized. You can also find 2 bottles of complimentary water provided in the room. These are not replenished during daily housekeeping and turndown service but you can requested additional ones from the staff.
There is a circular table in the corner with two chairs that act as both a work desk and a table for dinner. This will be handy for room service which is available 24 hours. The magical view of Fort Lovrijenac straight ahead makes it such a great spot to work from. Power outlets are located within reach and the chair offers good back support too. Left on the table is a personalised welcome note and some local treats.
On both sides of the sitting area, you can connect through to the bedroom. There isn’t any door to segregated the two areas. The semi-open concept is similar to the suite I had in Conrad Manila and Hilton Sydney.
The bedroom is almost a replica of the living room in terms of size. You have the bed in the centre along the wall. This is the centrepiece of the place and a nice set-up. The bed is on the firmer side which fits my liking. It’s so comfy able and I slept so well to recover from the long days of travelling and the flight. This is accompanied by plush pillows and they offer amazing neck support. I also got some additional firmer pillows from housekeeping which is amazing. Flanking both sides of the bed are nightstands with controls for the lighting and power outlets. They even had USB ports available here. Top-notch in this aspect.
You have another TV in the bedroom area.
In the corner of the bedroom area, you can find another couch. The seatings are endless over here. This will be handy for something like reading a book.
On the other corner of the room, You have a working desk or vanity desk. This is rather odd as it doesn’t come with any other things besides a stool. There are no ports, no mirror or such. It feels rather out of place and in fact in the way of opening the window. I would have preferred it to be gone. Switch the couch to this position and put another wardrobe in the couch position by the entrance to the bathroom.
The bathroom is found to the side of the bedroom. Look how gorgeous the space is. It feel like they should have placed double sinks instead since they had the space. I love the mirror and the lamp by the side. It comes with a hairdryer here and a cosmetic mirror. The amenities are kind of on the bare side. There are no dental kits here. Toiletries as usual are from Crabtree and Evelyn in large pump-size bottles. The amenities are also not refilled automatically during daily housekeeping and turndown service.
The bathroom comes with a shower and tub combo with a half-glass screen. This is not my favourite combo out there. It comes with a handheld shower head that can be fixed to the wall or taken down. I wish that they had a rainforest showerhead. Thankfully the water pressure and temperature are excellent. I wish that they could renovate this next time and put in a separate shower and tub set-up.
Finally, let’s come back to the downright jaw-dropping view. This is the main highlight of the entire suite and the reason it is worth 1500 SGD. You have the trifecta of Dubrovnik. A sweeping view of Dubrovnik Old City, the sea and Fort Lovrijenac. You have all of Dubrovnik has to offer. The view is especially nice given that you are in the corner. It is lovely both in the day and night. The hues are especially lovely during sunrise and sunset. The windows can be opened too.
Diamond members and executive-level guests are offered turndown service with some sweet treats left. I miss this suite!
Spa
The spa is located on level -2, which is technically speaking the basement level. You can access it via the elevators at the end of the corridor near the executive lounge. You can find the menu here. The prices are high and typical of a 5-star hotel. Hilton members enjoy a 10% off.
Fitness Centre
The gym is similarly located on basement -2 level. It is open 24 hours. It is not an overly huge place but clean and well-maintained. There is no view which makes it kind of sad. Given the historical classical building, it is quite limited with what they can do. There is a weight system, exercise balls, treadmills and bikes. It gets the work done with you need it. But I would rather head out and explore the city if you need a workout. Water and towels are provided.
Swimming Pool
The indoor pool is accessible through the locker room and it is open from 8.30am to 10pm daily. The pool is heated which allows it to be used all year round. It is kind of a waste for this property not to have an awesome outdoor pool overlooking the coastline and the old city. That will be extremely cool and lovely. The indoor pool allows you to get some laps in and they also have a sauna at the side. I would very much prefer to swim in the awesome Croatian sea if I want a swim. No one used this place at the time of my visit.
Executive Lounge
I always love a hotel with executive lounge. It always comes in handy. The executive lounge here is located at the end of the corridor on the main lobby floor. It is quite a small space but a great facility. This is very useful for Diamond members and executive-level guests. The space is nice if you want to knock back some drinks, especially in the peak of summer and the weather being that hot. The ideal location of the hotel is awesome for you to explore and come back to grab a drink before heading out again. The lounge is open from 7am to 11pm daily and offers breakfast and evening cocktails. During the day, you can find some snacks. Here are some pictures of the executive lounge. It also comes with a comes with a little outdoor terrace area. I wish they had some outdoor seats or views.
The lounge could fit around 30 pax or so. It can get crowded during evening cocktails. During other times, they had water, soft drinks, juices, coffee, tea and salty snacks. All-day drinks turn out to be super useful as everyone just pops back to catch a breather from the super hot weather and down some drinks after a morning tour of the city. I have never had these much soda and ice in a day! It is kind of worth it considering how expensive the city is.
The highlight of the lounge will be the evening drinks from 5pm to 7pm. In addition to the other drinks, you have some alcoholic offerings such as wine and spirits from the local region. You can find the entire place filled up, which isn’t exactly big to begin with.
The food wise is disappointing. They only have one hot dish. On the first night of my visit, it was some sort of mashed potato with chicken. On the second night, they had some pasta.
There are some salads, cheese, cold cuts and desserts. The cakes were pretty good. The refreshments is way too little and not a dinner replacement. I did love that they switch things up a little bit from day to day.
Breakfast is also served at the executive lounge. There is no reason why you should be having it here as the spread down at the restaurant is a lot better. It can be worth stopping by if you want a bite or coffee before heading out in the morning and have your full breakfast later on in the day. They have just some hot items, bakes, cold cheese, fresh juices and that is about it.
Imperial Bar
This is the hotel’s gorgeous bar on the main floor. It is an absolute lovely part of the hotel with an outdoor terrace that boosts a sunset view over the fort and the old city. It is open daily from 8am to 11pm. They do drinks, light meals and afternoon tea.
Breakfast at Imperial Terrace
Breakfast is served at the Imperial Terrace restaurant daily from 7 am to 11am. I appreciated the extended timing which is very handy for both guests wanting to have an early morning or a late one. It is after all a vacation. Breakfast is extended for Gold & Diamond members. If it is not included in your rate it would cost 30 Euros. It is a nice treat to get a full breakfast considering how expensive Dubrovnik is. The Imperial Terrace is gorgeous! I love the vibrant colours and decor which ties in so well with the tons of natural light. You can sit either indoors or outdoors. It is still rather comfortable early in the morning.
Service is very polished and good. We were asked where we preferred to sit and the staff came over to offer hot drinks and freshly squeezed OJ. You have access to anything you want. There are all sorts of barista coffee drinks. By the buffet line, you also have your choice of other juices and sparkling wine.
Besides what is available on the buffet line, you also have access to the ala carte menu where you can order any eggs of your liking, pancakes, waffles and fresh toast.
The buffet line consist of a small but high-quality buffet breakfast. There are cold cuts, cheese, a small salad station, yoghurts, cereal, fresh fruits, pastries and smoothies. For hot items, they had some sausages, tomatoes, porridge, baked beans, mushrooms, bacon and hash browns. Everything was high quality and delicious.
I also tried some of the ala carte items like waffles, french toast and eggs throughout my stay.
I enjoyed breakfast. The fresh OJ and coffee are very good. I also had nothing but good things to share about the pastries. The sparking wine was handy too if you want to get it started early. I did wish that they had some variation from day to day.
Conclusion
It is fascinating how this property is only a Hilton! It can surely be a LXR or Waldorf with some slight polishing. A Curio should be on the books too with the history of this place. The rates are through the roof and this is a great use of points. It might just be the most expensive or the best Hilton that I have ever stayed in my entire life. It ranks up there on my list with probably Hilton Porto Gaia and Hilton Diagonal Mar Barcelona. I must say that I’m very thankful to enjoy my elite benefits over here. I can’t imagine spending over €1000 on a hotel. They still have some minor improvements to work on. They also come with an executive lounge which is very handy. Everything is excellent from the front desk to the concierge and the bellboy. Hands down the best hotel in Dubrovnik. This is one of the gems of Hilton properties in the world. 10/10 recommend this hotel for both Hilton and non-Hilton elite members.
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