THE RIXOS PREMIUM DUBROVNIK
Dubrovnik is to all minds who know it, a gem of the Adriatic. A city which holds the wonderment of both rich culture, steeped in history, and modern luxury and escapism each within steps of one another. You can find yourself stepping between ancient sites and cobbled roads, and sandy beaches and coastline views within the very same afternoon. Add to that; hospitality is in the Croatian DNA with Dubrovnik locals some of the friendliest people you will encounter. And so, with so little we can resist about this most charming city, our travels took us at the first opportunity that receding Covid numbers gave to the newly renovated and reimagined Rixos Dubrovnik, as a safe, idyllic beach hotel right in the heart of Dubrovnik, moments away from the Old Town, yet set in it’s own little enclave with some of the City’s best sea and mountain views.
Hashtag Life is no stranger to the Rixos brand, having visited many of their hotels worldwide, we are loyal customers due the their ability to continuously innovate and marry traditional elements of the cities they host, usually capitalising on stunning sweeping views, with cutting edge and modern design which catapults you into 21st Century Luxury. The Rixos Dubrovnik is no exception, following it’s recent 20 Million Euro rebranding and refurbishment. The design of the hotel from it’s luxurious rooms, to the wide-spanning eclectic and bright lounge areas, to the cliff-side beach club which guests struggle to pry themselves away from come evening time, all offer slick, laid back riviera style luxury. At the time of writing, the memories alone of what we are missing not being back at the Rixos right now, are frankly depressing.
The Rooms
7 Room Types all offer modern living and bright airy spaces, our favourite being the cascading tiers of rooms with balconies which overlook the coast. I would recommend the Sea-View suites for the exquisite offering of space they afford. Whilst we were there we visited the Spa Suite with direct access from the 2000 sqm Spa – a sanctuary in itself – with a wide-spanning living area and sweeping balcony with sea views, with sun beds also overlooking the buzzing beach club below. A huge, soothing, jaccuzzi style bathtub sits in the bathroom along with a comfortable bed area in its own room. Corner Suites and an Executive Suite are also on offer at this level room category, followed by the Presidential Suite.
Dining
The hotel currently hosts three restaurants, each one in some way out-doing the other, whilst offering variety for all palettes, moods, and evenings. Local ingredients and inspiration are the main draws of the menus at each restaurant. Turquoise Restaurant is the main restaurant serving breakfast and dinner via an open-buffet style offering, accommodated by a set rate per person. Turquoise’s unique achievement, which Rixos hotels world-wide are a leading example of, is it’s ability to turn a buffet offering into a 5 star class experience. No compromises are made in quality, variety, and produce. We often chose to dine here for the inventive daily menus and their incredible “Dry Aged Meat” corner, a food station dedicated to premium cuts of meat, akin to specialised ‘roasts’ and steak restaurants, of superb quality.
UMI Tepanyaki is an experience in itself, as the name already suggests. A passionate chef incorporates the Teppanyaki concept of show cooking, preparing Asian Cuisine right before guests, against a backdrop of the Adriatic Sea views. With a set menu each night and only a 7pm and 9pm seating; this is usually a sell-out restaurant.
Lastly was, perhaps, the most underrated restaurant of all, but essentially one which proved to be our favourite; Libertas Fish Restaurant. It takes it’s name from the old “Libertas Hotel” which once stood in place of the Rixos and, incredibly, holds historical pride in having been used as a place of shelter during WWII and subsequently suffered much damage; but has retained its heritage, conveyed through tasteful little touches such as the Rixos’s choice to keep the beautiful, homely, plates with hand-painted “Libertas” titles written on them in their restaurant. The restaurant is set up each evening by warm lighting, on the same deck that the beach-club hosts by day, overlooking the cliffside sea-views. This terrace is just as stunning as the food offering it yields; fresh prime seafood, prepared with local recipes, ingredients, and inspiration. A must visit restaurant with beautiful wine-selections and a world-class sommelier, and spectacular fresh seaside dining, all taking this restaurant from strength to strength with the visions and plans Rixos has for it.
Aside from the stunning views, restaurants, and lively, buzzing beach club with a daytime bar and restaurant, live DJ, and even a saxophonist, what else could this hotel possibly offer, you ask? Let me introduce to you, the Spa to end all future expectations of Spas! You will be ruined for life, once you have visited the sanctuary the Rixos Premium has built here in Dubrovnik. Anjana Spa is a place which must be seen and experienced to fully grasp the exquisite and world-class nature of its offering. At the heart of the Spa are traditional Turkish baths with the well-known and loved Hammam treatments. It by no means ends there however, with treatments including a wide variety of sauna rooms, including salt-rooms, infra-red rooms, and an ‘igloo’ (ice) room, sensory showers, pools, and a wide variety of relaxation areas. What is truly competitive in its offering is that guests are entitled to use these facilities, even without booking private treatments. A host of therapeutic signature treatments however will be hard to resist once you’re there, and a rejuvenating, soothing, mind, body and soul experience you won’t want to miss during your stay.
I could write you a sonnet on the Rixos; many nuances captured my love for this hotel, such as their tasteful design and ability to capture light indoors through their interior architecture to mimic the soothing Adriatic vibes of Dubrovnik, even when you’re not out in the sun. This is mainly thanks to the genius of leading Swiss Hotel Designer Ina Rinderknecht who designed the hotel leaving no detail spared, in the warm, natural colour schemes she has dressed this beautiful hotel in. I would continue to describe these nuances, but instead I would rather urge you to see, feel, and believe them for yourselves. The Rixos Premium Dubrovnik reminds me of the summer hotels we would find as a family, fall in love with, and vie to re-visit every year, because why look anywhere else, when you’ve already found all you could possibly wish for?
Room Rates start from only 275 Eur for Double Rooms with Breakfast. For Reservations, email: dubrovnik@rixos.com to speak with wonderful, warm and highly trained staff at this truly special hotel.
VISIT RIXOS PREMIUM DUBROVNIK
