Sunday, June 1, 2014

Fresh* Sheets Kathedral Bed & Breakfast, Dubrovnik, May 2014

As ever the trip to Dubrovnik was slightly last minute. After deciding on Dubrovnik as a destination I'd  headed to Tripadvisor but had been a little bit disappointed with the hotel options I'd come up with. Then one of the multiple pop-ups you seem to end up with after such searches was list of accommodations options on Booking.com which included B&Bs and mentioned a B&B called Fresh Sheets Kathedral. It looked promising in terms of the boxes I was looking to tick. I managed to find it on Tripadvisor and the reviews were so good I really wanted to see what it was all about.

It turned out to live up to my high expectations in every way possible. From the first efficient contact by e-mail to the numerous small touches during our stay this is a great B&B. It's located in a building that is being rented from the Vatican, it is on the 3rd floor (which I knew about in advance but still insisted on bringing close to the maximum airline luggage allowance). The rooms and communal spaces have all been decorated impeccably.

We were welcomed by Sanja with bread/olives/meats/cheese/wine and some really useful information about good restaurants/things to do. Being Game of Thrones fans we also had lots of fun talking to Sanja and Jon about the filming of the series. Breakfast was stunning every morning, but it was even more special than usual on my birthday when it included chocolate and sparkling wine (I really shouldn't have been surprised I put on weight over the holiday!)

Here are a few more reasons why Fresh Sheets Bed and Breakfast is the perfect place to stay in Dubrovnik:
-It is right in the middle of the Old Town, obviously this convenient in lots of ways but it also means you get the chance to experience the old town without so many tourists: either during an early morning jog (yes I really did go for a jog because I was eating so much food) or walking back after a night out.
-There are way too many restaurants to choose from, all within a 10 minute walk.
-Breakfast was one of the best I’ve had at any other hotel or bed and breakfasts (hence the need to go for a jog).

-I have a bit of a thing about noise so I was a little bit concerned about staying in the middle of such a busy place, but once the windows were closed the only noise you could occasionally here were church bells.
-Compared to a hotel you get the personal touches that make for a much more memorable stay.

What could be behind the door?
The welcome reception (there were meats, cheese and olives but they were eaten before I thought of taking a photo)
Comfortable beds, great decor
View from our window
View from the kitchen window
Breakfast spread + a couple of birthday treats
Here are a few tips for a trip to Dubrovnik:
1. On the outward journey ry to get a seat on the left hand side of the plane, that way you should get a pretty impressive view of the Old Town as you fly in.
2. Get the airport shuttle bus, you can buy a ticket form the counter inside and then wait by the sign just outside the terminal. It really couldn’t be much easier, we didn’t have to wait too long for it to leave, it took about 30 minutes and stopped just outside the Old Town (taxi prices generally seemed a little excessive).
3. Seriously consider staying at least 1-2 nights in the Old Town, it's not often that you'll get the chance to stay in a UNESCO World Heritage site. If at all possible stay at Fresh Sheets B&B!