Editor Pick
Baked Alaska at the Hotel Liburna
- August 18, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Praskipark from Warsaw, Poland
Liburna Hotel is situated in a secluded location with fantastic views of Korcula and Orebic, with the mountain of St. Ilijah looming, dark and moody, in the background. It takes 10 mins to walk into the town passing the marina, with some quite flashy boats usually from Italy and the South of France and various small bars and ice cream parlours.
With stunning views all around you can spend hours sat watching the small boats darting around. It is always a hive of activity. In front of the hotel is a small rocky beach which leads into the sea so it is a perfect location for relaxing and sunbathing if that is all you want to do on your holiday. The rocks are very sharp and it is best to wear special shoes that can be purchased from shops or the market in the old town. They are very cheap, comfortable and stop you fom injuring your feet.
A little information about the hotel and facilities
This hotel was built around 1985 in a sort of communist modernist style which in it's own way can be appealing. Most of the 83 rooms have a balcony or terrace but not all. There are also 26 apartments which are huge. We were given one by mistake. An apartment usually consists of hallway, Large bathroom, seperate room with TV and a double bedroom and balcony.
If you are unlucky and not able to have a room with views of the sea then the alternative view is of the back of the hotel and tennis courts.
Rooms are comfortable, clean but definitely not stunning or luxurious. Each have satellite TV and a well stocked mini bar. Bathrooms are clean with towels changed every day. Plenty of hot water. Although we were comfortable enough I think the furniture and bathrooms, in fact the whole hotel could do with a face lift as it is very out of date. Remember though Croatia has done well to rebuild itself after the war but still needs investment for modernisation.
All rooms in the hotel are situated on three floors built in a mezzanine way with the hotel lounge and reception being on the bottom floor and in the cente of the building. Consequently, this means that it is very noisy especially early morning when new arrivals come from Dubrovnik ar late in the evening when people are drinking and listening to music. We also found that the hotel staff are quite noisy at these times, chatting to each other and clanking dishes and cutlery as they prepare for the next visitors.
Facilities
Lounge with plentiful seating if you want to have a coffee and relax.
TV room - a bit jaded but adequate
Restaurant
The restaurant has a terrace with great views again looking out to the old town of Korcula and the Archipelago. The restaurant itself is like a large canteen. On your first night you will be shown to a table by the dining room manager and you have to sit in that tabe every morning and evening of your stay. If you change seats you will be told off and re-directed to your original seat. Barmy I know but true.
Meals
Buffet style breakfast consisting of various types of cereal, bread, eggs, fruit and cakes. I don't usually eat a lot at breakfast but I do like a boiled egg but as I am a sleepy head and always last arriving I always missed out. Usually tea, fruit and black, coffe and fruit juices are available. A waitress usually brings round the trolley topping up teas and coffees. Fruit juices are synthetic and horrible -not 100% juice.
Evening meals are 3 course and waiter service. Firstly a trolley of beers and wines come round which you have to choose and pay for there and then before the meal is served. Wines are okay but nothing special. Like I have mentioined before red is much nicer than white. Any of the peljesac wines, Poship or Dingac are acceptable. Dingac is meant to be the area's finest wine but I think it is over rated and very expensive. Food is edible but lacking imagination. Main meal usually consists of various meats or fish served with packet mash (yuk!) and either green beens or cabbage. Vegetables are scarse - don't know why. Could be because they have to be brought on to the island and are expensive. Tinned vegetables are the alternative. There is always a self service salad bar every day which is fresh and healthy. As well as the usual salad ingredients there are pulses, sweetcorn and beetroot. There is usually a vegetarian option every day but can be a bit dubious. It is usually stuffed peppers but unfortunately there are sometimes pieces of meat mixed in and I have had veggie soup and found bacon floating around so be warned. Desserts - Ice Cream and various cakes.
Specal night is Friday. Apertifs are free and the meal has a little more imagination. As a starter, palma ham with olives and salad, then a choice of meats for the main meal but the special delicacy is what they call an omelette in Croatian. No it isn't made from eggs and fried. It is a Baked Alaska. To serve this they turn off the lights off and the dish is served on a huge platter with candles. A nice touch I thought.
Bar
Open air apertif bar open all day and closes at 11pm. We didn't find the staff very friendly or helpful here. Rather than keep buying glasses of wine we asked if we could buy a half bottle or pitcher of wine. Definitely not - they couldn't do that. So every night we had the same argument and it became tiresome in the end. Other beverages like tea and coffe are sold in the bar. Tea is weak and coffee is bitter.
Foyer
Here there is souveneir shop and Internet facilities. To use the computer you have to pay at reception. It is quite expensive - equivalent of 1 euro per 15mins. Internet prices all over the island are expensive but you will always be able to find Internet as it is everywhere.
Other facilities
The hotel has a small pool but it isn't really big enough for swimming in properly. Most people swim in the sea and just lounge around the pool. If you like to play tennis there are two courts, a mini golf terrain and a bowling alley. You can hire mopeds, bikes, motor and sailing boats from reception. If you wish to take a boat ride to look at the beauty of Korcula you can always hop on any of the small water taxis waiting at the hotel pier. Badija is very popular, a lovely smalll island with it's 15th century Franciscan monastery. Also the island of Stupe, known to naturists, which is only 2kms away.
At the back of the hotel there is a road which leads to the passenger/car ferry going to Orebic. It is much quieter than Korcula but definitely worth a visit.
Reception staff are helpful.and most staff speak a little English.
Local buses are cheap if you want to take a scenic ride. The bus station is about 10 mins walk. Vela Luka is a good place to visit but the ride is hectic as some of the bus drivers are erratic. and bad tempered. If you wish to visit Dubrovnik you can catch the local bus which leaves at 6am and returns from Dubrovnik at around 3pm. Always buy tickets at the station and sit on the seats corresponding to the number on your ticket or else there will be arguments. If you have luggage you have to pay the bus driver extra.
Various sightseeing trips can be booked in reception. Favourites are a day trip to Mostar, Dubrovnik, Miljet and Hvar. If you don't want to go by road the Jadrolina office is in the old town and it is easy to book tickets to Dubrovnik, Split and Hvar but these are longer trips.
The hotel has entetainment during the week, a traditional folk band and another group that plays cover numbers. The traditional band is very good and the other group is okay but more for old timers. There is a dance floor but again the dancing I saw was from another era - still fun to watch.
Well I think that covers it. To summarise I would say Hotel Liburna has a fantastic location. Rooms are adequate and comfortabe. Staff are usually helpful and friendly. Food is edible but not fantastic. This is a 3 star hotel on a five star island. Worth a stay if just for the Baked Alaska.
Summary: Recommended for the views - they are spectacular.
From journal Gorgeous Korcula