The journey
Following our road trip in the US in 2013 we made the crazy decision to do something similar but more agressive to go to Dubrovnik and back…
You will also quickly realise that I do not even have as many pictures from all the places we visited as we could expect but except Dubrovnik; due to traffic we did not have much time available hence no pics from Maribor after a 14 hours drive… We reached the hotel City Maribor and they accepted us still for dinner at 09:50PM and we had good food with a smile in a nice location!
I recommend the family suite… 100 m2 with 2 large bedrooms, large bathroom and huge living room!
Breakfast was also generous and good quality.
Heidelberg was similar actually and so could not really visit and on top of this, the weather was not what you could expect in August! We arrived quite late in the Crowne Plaza but you will read more below…
But let’s not complain and start talking about our trip and not only the journey!
Basically, as soon as we arrived in Bregenz, we checked-in and took the car to go to Vaduz via Switzerland… It was our first time there and we have been pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the place and the quietness as well…
We were visiting the Center of Vaduz, doing some geocaching and came across Burg Brasserie!
We had some simple ice creams and milkshakes but I could realise despite a reasonable price that the service was professional and really nice!
Also to be added, even if simple, food was good!
Will go back there…. if I ever go back to Vaduz!
So as you could understand, Bregenz was our first stop on our way to Dubrovnik… We booked the Hotel Bodensee and great welcome, nice folks helping and a really nice room for 4 people!
The breakfast was also reasonably complete!
The issue was that the bathroom was not fit for 4 people and we had no warm water in the morning i.e. impossible to get a shower and they did not offer a discount…
I would anyway recommend it as such issues may happen!
The lake is really beautiful and after our Vaduz visit, we relaxed a bit and went Isola Bella where we had a nice evening and based on TripAdvisor we chose this place…
The food was delicious we tried pasta and pizza and both were up to high standards… On the other hand the dessert, an ice cream, and that one was definitely too sweet! (Far too much syrup).
Was a bit disappointed that they did not move us back outside when they had the opportunity and we stayed in the sweat box… Also the service, due to high volume, was not as I would have expected!!!
I also was positively surprised that they apologised for the service…
My wife made the call to take a small risk here and book a really small place Hotel Residence L’Albero Nascosto that looked great on the web… At least from a pictures perspective!
Guess what, it was even better in reality, the atmosphere is so cosy and the room so neat, elegant that we were disappointed to leave after one night only!
We enjoyed it and the sympathy coming from the people managing the place was a real plus as well! Sure that if we go back to Trieste, we’ll book again the Rest!
We really enjoyed the place, not only the hotel but also restaurants and the city centre which is really fantastic and when you think you are just in front of Venice… why would you go there!
Let’s start with Caffe degli specchi, Wow is the first reflex when you look around you! It is definitely gorgeous but you get also great quality drinks with fantastic sides! Coffee mousse with chocolate or piña colada will amaze you… Really enjoyed our tea time there and would enjoy this again…
Then we also relaxed in Navigando Ristorante Rive as this one was recommended by the hotel and guess what! They were right… You really can taste the fresh ingredients and their quality.
The service was ok and the price reasonable… We only tasted the pizza but it was worth it!
Unfortunately the location is close to a main road so some noise but at the other side of that road, it is the sea! So good compromise….
Go there!
Then we arrived to our destination, gorgeous destination… I booked Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik and it met all our expectations:
- Location tick!
- Service tick!
- Great advices tick!
- Beautiful place tick!
- Sea view tick!
- King’s Landing tick!
- City view including city walls tick!
- Great food tick!
- Nice restaurant tick!
Go there! We had 3 great day there! Everything is walking distance and you will literally be pampered!
Oops forgot about the executive lounge… Same high specs!
We had also the opportunity to go to restaurants there and a good advice is really to book in advance if you want to enjoy the best places there!
Let’s start with Porat, this restaurant is located in our hotel and as usual in good Hiltons in Europe, the restaurant is worth to try!
Indeed service was up to standards, food quality was good and the atmosphere on the terrace was fantastic!
We really enjoyed the experience and my comments about the hotel will come soon!
So, in short, go for it… The price was also reasonable!
The other one that was a great surise was Restaurant Dubrovnik, we spent our evening there yesterday and all was high quality!
The food has made a consensus in the family! We simply loved it!
What about the service?
Discrete, elegant, efficient and up to standards!
Price was ok for the quality we get!
No doubt, if you like good food, go there!
Meat, fish, risotto or desserts, we loved all we tried!
Highly recommended!
We could of course visit the city and also the places where they shoot Game of Thrones but the issue is that in the summer it is so crowded that you need a nice hotel to chill-out! Great city but if you can try to go there outside of peaks…
For some obscure geocaching reasons, we made the call to go in Montenegro for one day and visit Herceg Novi…
Pleasant place, more relaxed than Dubrovnik and we could eat in Gradska Kafana, we chose the place thinking that whatever we eat at least we’ll have a great view!
You may know by now that I am not always easy but we also did get decent food meaning good quality price ratio and the we all had a good time eating good pasta and bruschetta.
Service was average but nothing to complain about despite the fact that smoking is allowed inside and outside!!!
This is a beautiful place but we have been frustrated because of he weather and the little remaining time to visit…
I have been in Heidelberg a couple of times and in the Crowne Plaza, so not my first time there and I must say that I had a much better experience!
My first time was: i have to say average as I have been disappointed with two items:
– valet parking… In the morning when I did check-out, there was no one available to get my car… It took almost half an hour to get it delivered!
– room service… I ordered a simple pepperoni pizza and this was not even cooked enough! Barely eatable, I left 80% on the plate…
This is why I say average… Lunch was good, breakfast perfect and service up to standard, it is really these 2 items that make me lowering the rate!
But my last visit:
Valet parking issue, fixed!
Room service quality, fixed!
Great breakfast…. Central locations!
Good experience, thanks!
Sure I’ll go back there when visiting Heidelberg again for business or family trip.
Categories: Food&Fun
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