Blog Hotels

2026-03-185 min readcheaphotels

The 8 hotels with actual working chargers, what they charge, and where to plug in if yours doesn’t.

The state of EV charging in Dubrovnik

Croatia's EV infrastructure has improved sharply since 2022 but Dubrovnik is at the end of the Dalmatian coast, five hours by road from Zagreb, and the network is thinner here than it is in Split or the north. Hotels have started installing chargers, but the quality ranges from a fast 22kW AC dedicated unit with an app to a domestic Schuko socket in a corner of the garage marked "EV" with a laminated sign. This list only ranks hotels with dedicated EV charging equipment — not domestic plugs — and gives you the actual charging speed and cost per kWh where available. If you’re driving an EV to Dubrovnik in 2026, planning your charging around the hotel is the smart play.

For context: Dubrovnik has one Ionity 350kW hub at Zračna Luka near the airport, and around 15 public AC chargers scattered across the city, plus Tesla Superchargers at the Ploče border area 40 km north. Public charging works but bays get taken, especially in summer. A hotel with charging is genuinely a booking factor for EV drivers, not a nice-to-have. Prices below are per kWh in April 2026 rates and include VAT.

1. Sun Gardens Dubrovnik, Orašac

Four 22kW AC chargers in the main car park, plus one 50kW DC charger added in 2025, all Type 2 (CCS on the DC unit). Payment is added to your room bill at €0.32 per kWh for AC, €0.48 per kWh for DC — reasonable by Croatian hotel standards and cheaper than most public networks. Chargers are managed by hotel staff, not app-based, so you park, tell reception, and they log you in and out. Rates work out to roughly €18 for a full charge on a 60kWh battery.

The infrastructure works because Sun Gardens is a modern resort built with EV planning from the start — bays are large, cable management is proper, and there's covered parking for the AC units. Book direct and mention EV; on busy weeks bays are reserved on a first-come basis and hotels have been known to prioritise guests who flagged the need at booking. Best EV hotel in the Dubrovnik region and the only one with genuine DC charging on site.

2. Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera, Mlini

Six 22kW AC Type 2 chargers in the main hotel garage, app-managed via the Elen network, €0.38 per kWh. Chargers are reliable — I’ve used them on three separate stays without a fault — and the garage is covered and secure. The Sheraton's EV setup is the second most professional in the region and the pricing is fair. Bays fill up in July but there's usually one free by 11pm as people finish charging. Rates for a full 60kWh charge run around €22.

One practical note: the Elen network requires a subscription or a credit card tap-to-charge, and the tap-to-charge doesn’t always work first time. Have the Elen app installed and topped up before you arrive. Reception can help but they’re not technicians; if the charger faults, the fix takes 24 hours through Elen support. Backup plan is the public AC charger 800 metres along the promenade at Mlini harbour, which is usually free and works well.

3. Valamar Lacroma, Babin Kuk

Four 22kW AC chargers, Type 2, app-managed, €0.35 per kWh. Chargers are outdoor in the main hotel car park, not covered — fine in summer, less pleasant in a winter storm. The setup is straightforward and reliable, and the car park is secure. Bays are usually available but not guaranteed in July and August; there's no reservation system. For a family driving down from central Europe in an EV, this is the mid-range choice that works.

Valamar's advantage is that Babin Kuk itself has a couple of extra public chargers within a five-minute walk if the hotel bays are full — one at the neighbouring Valamar Argosy and one at the peninsula's public car park. Between the three sites there's almost always somewhere to plug in, which is a rare comfort. If you’re planning day trips to Ston, Konavle or by ferry to the islands, arrive charged and top up overnight.

4. Rixos Premium Dubrovnik, Lapad tip

Two 22kW AC Type 2 chargers in the underground garage, hotel-managed, €0.40 per kWh added to the room bill. Only two bays means demand can outstrip supply in summer — I’ve been turned away twice in July — and there's no reservation. When they’re free, they work perfectly and the underground garage is secure and covered. For a shoulder-season stay, Rixos is a reliable EV hotel; for peak summer, have a backup plan.

The Lapad tip location means public charging alternatives are limited — the nearest reliable public charger is at Lapad post office, 15 minutes' walk. If the hotel bays are taken, the alternative is a 4 km drive to the public Ionity-adjacent chargers at Gruž, which is workable but a hassle. Book direct and ask for EV bay confirmation at check-in — I’ve had success at Rixos with a polite email 48 hours before arrival asking them to hold a bay.

5-8. The rest

5. Hotel Dubrovnik Palace, Lapad tip: two 11kW AC chargers, Type 2, €0.42 per kWh. Slower than the rest and expensive per kWh, but bays are usually free. 6. Hotel Excelsior / Grand Villa Argentina, Ploče: shared two 22kW AC chargers in the valet-only underground garage, €0.45 per kWh. Bays are guest-only and generally available if you ask valet at check-in. 7. Hotel More, Lapad: one 22kW AC charger, Type 2, €0.40 per kWh. First-come, no reservation. Backup is a public charger at Lapad Bay 10 minutes away.

8. Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera secondary site at Villa Rosa Mlini: two 11kW AC chargers, €0.38 per kWh, less used than the main hotel. Skip: any hotel advertising "EV parking" without specifying charger type — in Dubrovnik that phrase usually means a domestic Schuko socket, which charges a Model 3 at roughly 5 km of range per hour. Genuinely useless for anything except emergency overnight top-up. Ask specifically for kW rating and connector type before you book.

Backup public charging that actually works

Three public sites are worth knowing about. The Ionity hub near Dubrovnik Airport has four 350kW DC bays with CCS, €0.62 per kWh, always working, and 30 minutes gets any modern EV to 80%. It's 22 km from the Old Town so plan around it — arrive from the north with 10% and top up before the last drive. The public Petrol chargers at Gruž port have four 50kW DC bays, €0.55 per kWh, usually with one free bay even in summer. And the Elen network chargers scattered across Lapad and Babin Kuk (six sites, mostly 22kW AC) work fine with the app.

One warning: the free public chargers you’ll see on some maps for the Old Town area are not real. There are two 3kW domestic sockets near Pile that no serious EV driver should rely on, and one broken 22kW unit near Ploče that has been marked out of order since 2024. Charge before you get to the Old Town side of the city and use hotel or Gruž/airport chargers for top-ups. Don’t burn a day driving in circles looking for phantom kilowatts.

The routing advice

If you’re driving from Split (230 km, roughly 3 hours), plan one charging stop at the Ionity hub in Ploče, 40 km before Dubrovnik — 20 minutes there gets you to your hotel with a comfortable buffer. If you’re driving from Zagreb (600 km), plan stops at Ionity Zadar and Ionity Ploče. Coming from Sarajevo via Neum, the route crosses Bosnia briefly and there is one working 50kW charger at Neum — usable but not guaranteed. Better to charge at Ionity Ploče either side of the border.

Once you’re in Dubrovnik with an EV, you barely drive — the Old Town is closed to cars, most sights are walkable or bus-accessible, and day trips to Cavtat, Ston or the airport are 20-45 minutes each. A single overnight AC charge (€18-22 at a hotel) covers most days easily. Charging becomes an active plan only if you’re day-tripping to Split (round trip needs a top-up) or driving up the Pelješac peninsula for wine tasting (Ston has one 22kW AC charger; usable but not fast).

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