Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik

The Excelsior opened in 1913 on the rocky shore east of Dubrovnik's walls, built around the nineteenth-century Villa Odak, and for over a century it has been the address from which to contemplate one of Europe's great views: the old town's ramparts and campaniles rising from the sea, with the wooded island of Lokrum floating offshore. Royalty, statesmen and screen stars have filled its registers across the decades.

The hotel today pairs the villa's period rooms with a larger modern wing, tiered down the shoreline so that most rooms and terraces face the water. A swimming platform and small beach give direct Adriatic access, while the indoor pool and spa look out to sea. The ten-minute walk along the coast to the Ploče gate is among the most scenic hotel-to-sights strolls anywhere.

Dining runs from an elegant terrace restaurant trained on the old town to casual seafront tables, and sunset from the Excelsior's terraces — walls glowing, sea traffic drifting to Lokrum — is a Dubrovnik ritual in itself. In July and August the city heaves with cruise crowds; the Excelsior's position lets guests raid the old town early and retreat to the water when the streets fill.