Well, a hotel finally owned by me! My partner will get a good crack at this place since she always called my place D Resort! Please do not mix this up with the one in Singapore. As I made my way up the coast toward Zagreb, I decided to have a stopover here in Sibenik to make the journey less daunting. It will also be a good chance to check out another cosy city on the coast. If not for this, I will probably not be in Sibenik. I wanted to stay in Split for two nights, but they didn’t have points available. This hotel is the reason why I designed my trip in this way. I found points available and it is cheaper than staying in my previous hotel. This will also be a good opportunity for me to try out a second property under the SLH concept. I will get a good gauge of Small Luxury Hotel after this stay. While the previous one is more or less a boutique hotel and family-run this is larger in scale and feels more like a hotel. You can check out my previous SLH stay here.
Booking Process & Pre Arrival
I booked directly with Hilton and got the Superior Room for 60,000 points. I will just be staying here for one night. The rates are ridiculously high given that it is the peak of the summer season. This room would have cost around 450 Euros a night. With points, I am paying about 300 USD which seems slightly better than the cash rate. It is a splurge but that is just how things go in the summer over here. I got some information from the hotel prior including the directions for driving and parking. They have secure outdoor parking and underground parking. Valet parking is provided and the staff service is excellent. You can just collect a ticket from the reception whenever you want to exit the hotel. Parking is free for all hotel guests. Hotel D-Resort Šibenik features 72 guest rooms and suites across 5 categories. You can check out the breakdown below.
| Rooms | Bathtub | Room Size | No.of Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deluxe | Maybe | 32 Sqm | 34 |
| Superior | No | 32 Sqm | 29 |
| Premium Suite | Yes | 61 Sqm | 5 |
| Presidential Suite | Yes | 110 Sqm | 1 |
| Villas | Yes | 150 Sqm | 3 |
Checking In
I got to the hotel at around 3 pm. The hotel is part of the yacht club. Simply enter the club and get a parking ticket. There are clear signs to the hotel and the reception. As I pulled up to the driveway, I was immediately greeted by the bellboy who helped me unload my bags. They also help with parking my car. Valet parking is provided for hotel guests here. I was then ushered over to the check-in reception which is located by the side of the lobby. The hotel is gorgeous and I love the design of the spaces. It felt bright and classy. It is designed to be like a luxury cruise.
The staff warmly greeted me and invited me to take a seat by the side of the lobby while I processed the check-in. It is very polished. Another staff soon brought over some welcome drinks and a refreshing cold towel. This was amazing given the stiffing hot weather.
Sadly, no upgrade is available. That is 0/2 for me at SLH. I was expecting some sort of an upgrade given that this is a bigger property but with the low number of suites here that is not realistic. I was then ushered over to my room. Special mention to the bellboy team, they are excellent and have great knowledge of the local area. They even offered to take me on a tour of the grounds to show me the various facilities and the pool.
Superior Room
I booked a Superior Room which is what I got. I was assigned a room on the third floor which is a short walk away from the elevator. The building is kind of in a pear-shaped layout with an open-air atrium in the middle. I love the texture of the room door and the common areas. This adds a lot of flair to the place. The hotel also has a very lovely scent from Bvlgari.
Straight upon entering, you will be greeted by the gorgeous view of the sea, the ocean and Sibenik. I love the room’s classy design with warm wood finishes and tons of natural light. To the right is the wardrobe and luggage rack set up. It comes with everything that you might require for the stay including bath slippers, bathrobes, plenty of hangers and a safe. The luggage storage is on the smaller side and can only fit a small cabin-size luggage. Additional portable racks are available from the hotel staff.
The bathroom is to the left and in an elongated rectangular ship. This is one of my favourite parts of the room. I love the bathroom a lot. It is so chic and cool. It comes with a huge platform for you to store your items in a huge mirror. There are double sinks. I was surprised to see that this hotel offers Bvlgari amenities! That is awesome. It smells so lovely and I love the scent so much. This is excellent.
The bathroom comes with a standing shower. The showering spaces are extremely spacious and come with almost a three-quarter glass screen with both handheld showerheads as well as a rainforest one. The shower screen is extremely good at blocking out the water so it doesn’t get all over the place. I enjoyed my shower with the Bvlgari amenities. Water pressure and temperature control are excellent.
I am moving on to the main area of the room. I love the gorgeous warm wood finishes and the large balcony with a huge amount of natural light coming in. This makes the place so welcoming and warm. The design feels very chic and luxurious. Right along the wall, you have the minibar with a kettle. Packaged tea is available. There is also a fully stocked mini fridge below that comes with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. I am surprised that there is no proper espresso coffee machine over here. That should be easy for a property commanding this price.
By the side of the wall nearer to the bed, you can find an extension of the mini bar with some packaged snacks.
The working desk stretches throughout the wall and comes with a chair that offers good back support for short periods of work. Power outlets are within reach and the wifi connection is robust. Left on the desk is also a smart screen TV. It is of a decent size but slightly on the smaller side of the room. It comes with a good number of both local and international cable TV channels. In addition, you can also find a Bluetooth speaker, clock and radio left on the table for your usage.
The bed makes up the centrepiece of the room. The comfortable bed and sheets are lovely to sleep on and gorgeous. It is so smooth and high quality. Flanking both sides of the bed you can find nightstands with controls for the lighting and power outlets. I slept really well but I am not a fan of the pillows. It might look good but it is way too huge for comfort. I really wish that they had the classic pillows.
Opposite the bed, you can also find another cosy sitting area. It surrounds a coffee table and it is a good spot for soaking in the view from the room.
Finally, let’s come to the balcony and the view from the room. This is undoubtedly the best and the main selling point. You get a lovely view of the waters and Sibenik in the background. I love the balcony. It comes with some chairs out there which makes it usable and great for chilling. It will be a nice spot when it is slightly cooler. Turndown service is available upon request.
Fitness Center
The fitness centre is located in the spa club and pool area. They are open till 8pm. It is about a 10-minute stroll from the main building. With the weather during this season, you are better off with the buggy. The staff are readily on hand with the service. The space is nice and well-maintained. It is not an overly huge facility but gets the work done. Here are some pictures of the gym.
Pool
They have two pools at the hotel, the infinity pool overlooking the marina and the seaside swimming pool next to the spa and beach club. Both pools are open till 8pm. Let me first share the seaside pool that is next to the spa and beach club. You can order drinks and food by the poolside. It is quite happening over here with sunbeds and cabanas by the side.
The other one is the infinity pool overlooking the marina. This is located to the left of the main building. It is my favourite out of the two. It comes with a good view of the ocean as well as Sibenik city. The vibes are excellent and I love chilling in the pool with the view. This is an awesome spot to soak up some of the Croatian sun.
It is even more packed here as compared to the other pool. There are some sunbeds and cabanas by the side but they are quickly taken up. I can’t say the same about the service at the pool which is close to non-existence. It doesn’t feel very exclusive for a hotel that is commanding this price point and for being luxurious. The staff wasn’t giving a damn when we are here or to offer towels. I don’t know whether they are serving just hotel guests or the public as well but the sittings over here should be sufficient for all rooms.
Water and towels are not automatically offered. Towels are provided upon request. They only provide tap water which feels really cheap and upon request. The staff even forgot about my request for towels. They can improve in this area!
Breakfast at Art Restaurant & Bar
Breakfast is served at the Hotel Art Restaurant located on the top floor of the main building. Breakfast is served from 7am to 10.30am daily and this is included for Hilton Diamond and Gold members. If it is not included in your rate it will be an extra of 40 Euros. I do feel like the hours are a little short. This is a resort area and I would believe that 11am might be more suitable. The restaurant is gorgeous with both indoor and outdoor seats. I love the tons of natural light flowing in. It boasts an amazing view of the surrounding area and Sibenik.
I was welcome in after informing my room number. You can sit anywhere you want. I do wish that they would usher you to sit. That is more polished. You can order coffee drinks from the staff and I love that they are actually made from a barista coffee machine. The drinks are excellent. By the buffet, you can also find some juices and tea.
Here are some selection of the items by the buffet selection. You can also order eggs prep to your liking. It isn’t much and I expect a lot more for a boutique luxury hotel. The quality and quantity can both be better. For 40 Euros it is quite disappointing. If you already have it included, no harm in having it. It is not worth paying for this and you can probably feast outside with this money.
Conclusion
Well, I guess after this stay, I have a rough idea about how Small Luxury Hotels are and the collaboration with Hilton. The concept is nice and I love having access to these unique properties all around the world. They do not belong to a “chain” and have the same standard identity and style. Perhaps I didn’t check out the fancy SLH, but for both hotels, I think the definition of luxury goes very different. I have way better service at a Hilton by the pool as compared to this. The design is top notch though. I enjoyed the hardware which feels modern and gorgeous. The Bvlgari toiletries were nice. This is a very comfortable hotel for a stop if you are passing by the area. Sibenik is a very small place and you will just need a couple of hours or so. I also don’t feel that Hilton’s status meant much at SLH. I am 0/2 for upgrades and just got the standard breakfast included. At the usual brand, I will always get a minimum of a one-tier upgrade.
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