[PLACES] Hvar by Valamar

Andres! the geeza that works in the pool bar… what a guy 💫 super friendly and rapid at the cocktails, he know his onions. much love nathan

I travelled with my husband and we stayed for 3 nights. It was a great short trip! The resort is beautiful and clean. The beds were very comfortable and the air conditioning worked great. The bathrooms were okay, they did not match the vibe of the rest of the hotel, but everything still worked. We had an issue with our balcony door and it was promptly fixed. There is wifi all over the resort including the lobby and the pool area. The buffet breakfast was my favourite part of the trip, the selection had everything you can imagine. The rest of the food was quite delicious too, including pizza, pasta and seafood. The staff were nice enough, but I found that when I spoke Croatian they changed their attitude and were more friendly towards me (I speak English with my husband). Overall I would definitely stay here again if the opportunity came up!

Beautiful amenities , great service , nice location, great for family’s , we had and amazing time there

Top frühstücks, große Auswahl für jeden etwas dabei, auch vegane Alternativen. Super Idee mit dem Flexi Busget von 25€ pro Person. Kann sowohl für Essen als auch Getränke den ganzen Tag über ausgegeben werden. Wir haben dies meist für Getränke genutzt, jeden Abend waren auch noch 1 bis 2 Cocktails dabei, so eine Auswahl habe ich noch nie gesehen, wow! Bar am Meer war auch sehr schön, hier lässt sich der Tag genießen. Das Personal war auch super freundlich und hilfsbereit. Die Anlage war schön ruhig gelegen, Stari Grad Town ist zu Fus sehr hut erreichbar, der Weg führt direkt am Meer bzw. Hafen entlang. Auch Ausflüge mit dem Taxi in andere Städte sind problem und schnell möglich, nur nicht ganz günstig, da die Taxis hier ein Monopol haben. Die Zimmergröse S ist etwas klein, Badezimmer sehr eng, eignet sich eher als Einzelzimmer. Da aber meist wenig Zeit im Zimmer verbracht wird , in Ordnung. Sauberkeit könnte besser sein, alleridings kann per App eine Nachbesserung angeordnet werden, dies hat auch direkt reibungslos funktioniert. Lange erreichbar hut Idee.

Just returned from 10 nights at Places - here are some things you might find helpful (rather than the endless name checks of people who work there - are these incentivised?!) Firstly, if you are normally a 4 or 5 star hotel chooser - don’t worry, this place is really fab. We upgraded to a M size room which was fine. Bathroom was small and dated and featured the sludge brown paint mentioned in a previous review. It was not luxurious in any way but did the job. A nice shower gel was provided, as was hand soap. No other toiletries. We were ground floor, behind the posh villas, so couldn’t see the sea. A shame, but the easy location of the room compensated and we were barely in there anyway. There is a small empty fridge, rather than a mini bar, which we preferred. We filled it with drinks from Tommy’s supermarket - go in the morning as it gets crazy busy in the evening! There is no kettle - I took a travel one, plus coffee/tea and a mug. This may be because I’m British but 10 days without being able to make a hot drink would have been an issue. (You can buy coffee from the bar.) We worried this would be a party hotel with permanent music but it really wasn’t. I heard more Dire Straits than i have in decades. There was a DJ, who was great, but we only saw 3 or 4 times during our stay, for a couple of hours a time. The live evening music was very tame. Is it child friendly? Not especially - we thought children were tolerated rather than welcomed. You aren’t allowed inflatables in the pool and any hint of throwing a ball is dealt with within seconds. I’d go to the hotel next door, not the Arkada - (don’t even think about that, it looks horrific) - the Amicor, which balances similar tastefulness with child friendliness. Best beach - it’s worth noting that none are sandy, despite what Expedia says. It’s more gritty and pebbly - pack sea shoes! Turn right out of the hotel, go past the hotel Arkada (if it’s not been demolished by the time you read this) and keep going through the forest through to the next cove. It is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been - vivid turquoise sea and green trees all around. There are a few places to sit but no amenities - it’s only 15-20 mins walk from the hotel so well worth a visit. We did the shuttle bus to Hvar. Well worth getting up for the 8am bus and being there to get up to the fort and have it to yourself. There is a lovely and cheap cafe up there too. A multi ticket gets you entry into lots of things in Hvar, including a clock tower you can climb. We loved Hvar town, it’s stunning. You can get a bus from Stari Grad for far cheaper but it was hot and we took the easy option. We hired bikes from the chap just outside the hotel and went over the plains to Jelsa. So beautiful. Get e bikes unless you’re super fit. There are hills. I would not recommend cycling to Hvar town at all — the roads are fast and lethal and there’s a big tunnel. This place is slick and well run. Amazing attention to detail in the branding. Staff are hardworking - shout out to the grounds people who worked hard all day to make it lovely and deal with the never ending pine needles. You needed to be up at 7am for a decent sunbed. Not enough was done to police the whole sunbed reserving debacle, which should probably have been dealt with by the lady who policed ball games. The resort felt bigger than it was - the garden area was amazing with the hanging chairs, beanbags and lovely hanging lanterns. The pine trees provided natural shade and access to the sea, which was clear, warm and very swimmable. We swam there more than the pool. As others have said, breakfast was incredible. The marmalade filled croissants and fizz became my everyday habit. All dietary requirements catered for. The flexi board meant we were able to use our budget on the daily cocktail of the day, which was an enjoyable habit. The infused waters, soup, bread and salad were amazing and made our budget go far further, thank you for these! The addition of hot water to make teas/instant coffees during the day would have been a really nice touch. All in all, I would very highly recommend this place. We never return to the same place twice but I would make an exception. It really is in an idyllic setting and we were relaxed from day one.

This place has got it so right. Credit to spend as half board works really well. Food is great value and really tasty. Resort is beautiful too. Trees, space to escape. Special shout out to Alberto for his amazing cocktails. 10 mins walk past the yachts to the picturesque Stari Grad

Excellent hotel and a special shout out to Andreas at the pool bar - always happy to help and suggest cocktails that you will like. Breakfast is amazing and also a real standout. Only disappointment was that there was no DJ playing so we had to listen to the same soundtrack on repeat around the pool unless it was aqua aerobics time (with an excellent soundtrack).

Great service at the pool bar with amazing cocktails. Eau de lavender is great as is the Fig Mule. Blue Lagoons on offer as well for €7 which was great, and the staff member at the bar was helpful and made delicious cocktails, and was very friendly.

We had a wonderful stay at the Places hotel! The facilities were excellent, especially the pool — clean and perfect for relaxing, and the service was top-notch. A special thank you to Ivana, Sara L, and Vlado for making our experience even better. They were friendly, professional, and really went out of their way to help and look after us with such a personal touch. Highly recommend this place for an enjoyable stay! Nearby Stari Grad is beautiful and make sure you eat at Eremitaz, best food on this trip by far and wonderful hosts!!!

Lovely staff and a very warm welcome. First thoughts upon entering the Reception was that this was recently revamped/updated and made to appeal to a younger audience. The staff booked us in, explained how the key fob/bracelet system works and also ran us through the FLEXI half-board system which basically provides each person with an allowance to spend on food and drink. We were allocated our room number (M sized double room with balcony) and made our way through the grounds to find it. Initial impressions of the exterior of the separate accommodation blocks were a bit dated, motel-style in appearance however interiors were bright, freshly painted and kept spotlessly clean. The room itself was compact, with not a lot of room for suitcase storage, and with an open shelving system instead of wardrobes. The room was well appointed with modern AC unit, smart TV with full connectivity, Bluetooth radio alarm, mini fridge, excellent Wi-Fi coverage etc. Beds were very comfortable, albeit twin beds pushed together, with two separate lightweight duvets. The room opened up on to a small balcony overlooking the grounds and with a partial sea view. Two plastic chairs, a small round table and a collapsible drying rack were provided. Cleaning staff were superb, rooms were spotlessly cleaned on a daily basis. You could tell the rooms had been renovated/updated to match the new vibe of the place, and overall it was well done with just a few minor niggles. Probably the biggest disappointment for us was the bathroom. To start with, it was very small in size, with a shower, toilet and hand basin. It was clear that the existing tiles and flooring had been simply painted over (in a rather unfetching brown colour) during the revamp, however the ugly radiator and pipework hadn't been touched and there were water marks on the ceiling, possibly remains from a leak from above. The most annoying feature was the shelf which was place directly above the sink unit, an absolute nightmare when wanting to clean your teeth and rinse in the sink or try to have a wet shave! Plus, there was no sink plug to be seen. On a more positive note, the shower was powerful with good temperate control, if a little leaky, and the air extractor worked well. Once again, the cleaning staff did an excellent job and the bathroom was squeaky clean every day. Moving outside of the bedroom blocks and into the main hotel building and grounds – wow!!!! The outside space was amazing, with a vast array of day beds, seats, parasols, loungers and bean bags set amongst a beautifully kept and maintained pool area. There was plenty of daybeds and loungers to accommodate everyone’s needs, each one attached with a polite “No Reservations” notice, however the usual towel-army were jostling for the most prized locations. The pool areas, and surrounding bars and restaurants, were kept spotlessly clean by a constant team of dedicated and hardworking staff. The grounds also cater for a healthy lifestyle, with kettlebells, hot tubs, TRX station, tepees and relaxation pods – all free to use. The FLEXI half board system worked well, with each person being allocated €25 per day towards food and drink. We (my wife and I) were staying for 7 nights so were allocated a budget of €350 (€25 x 2 x 7) for the week. Breakfasts are ‘free’, and don’t use up any of your FLEXI board allowance, only lunch, dinner and drinks count towards the allowance. There was a very good selection of breakfast items, including continental style favourites, plus lots of cooked options including freshly-made omelettes. However, despite a vast array of what look to be like heat lamps above the cooked food, we often found the food to be cold – this included the fried eggs, scrambled eggs, beans, bacon, tomatoes etc. And I don’t just mean lukewarm, but actually cold and inedible. This seriously let down an otherwise very well presented and enjoyable breakfast offering. Unfortunately, we also found a similar experience with some of the other food offerings (read on). Food and drink is ordered via an online menu accessed by scanning a QR code on your table (yes, you’ll need to keep your smartphone handy!) and delivered to your table. Despite some rave reviews, we found the menu choices to be somewhat limited, and the food to be hit and miss however the pizzas were good, cooked to order and tasty, as were some of the burgers. On three occasion we were served food (especially French Fries) that were just outright cold and unpalatable – there is clearly some issues with keeping food hot or perhaps they stand around before being delivered to tables. Overall though, the hotel has a lot to offer and we both thoroughly enjoyed out time there. We would have no hesitation in returning (and Stari Grad is beautiful) and I’m sure that some of the minor issues can be easily rectified – and that’s why I go through the process of writing these reviews, so that things can be improved. All of the staff were very friendly and helpfully and ensured we had an amazing experience, and we were sorry to leave. We had an early start to out travels home (5:25am pickup) so the hotel provided us with a hearty packed lunch for the journey.