Apartment Ela

Apartment Ela is in Zaton, Dubrovnik (Štikovica 57 Drugi Kat, Dubrovnik, Croatia), close to Fort Lovrijenac.

Prices are set live by the hotel — check the booking page for a real rate for your dates.

Apartment Ela is a 3-star hotel in Dubrovnik.

Both, but in different neighbourhoods — couples do better in the Old Town, Ploče or a boutique in Cavtat, while families should look at Lapad or Babin Kuk for the sandy beaches at Copacabana and Sunset Beach and the flat pedestrian promenade. The Old Town's stepped streets and lack of green space are hard work with a pushchair. Family-friendly resorts like the Valamar properties on Babin Kuk and the Sheraton in Srebreno have pools and kids' clubs that central hotels don't. For teenagers, Lopud with its car-free waterfront works well as a two-night add-on.

Book Old Town and Ploče hotels for July and August by January or February — the Summer Festival dates of 10 July to 25 August sell out first. Game of Thrones walking tours, the cable car up Srđ, and the kayak trips around Lokrum should be booked a few days ahead in peak season. If you want to eat at Restaurant 360 or Nautika, reserve two to three weeks out for a summer evening. Ferries to Mljet and Korčula fill on peak-season weekends, so book the Jadrolinija or Kapetan Luka sailings online rather than turning up at Gruž.

In shoulder season (May, late September, October) a solid 4-star runs €150–220 in Lapad and €200–300 inside or beside the Old Town. In August the same rooms are €280–450, and top-end sea-view properties in Ploče like Villa Dubrovnik or the Excelsior push €800–1,200. Budget 3-star options in Gruž, Boninovo and Montovjerna sit around €80–130 outside July and August. Sobe (licensed private rooms) undercut hotels by 20–30% and are common in Lapad and Ploče.

The Old Town itself is entirely walkable and entirely pedestrianised — Stradun is 300 m end to end from Pile to Ploče gate. Between neighbourhoods it's less obvious: Old Town to Lapad is 4 km with a steep hill in the middle, so most people take bus 6 for 15 minutes. Pile to Gruž port is a walkable 2.5 km downhill but you'll want the bus back up. Inside the walls, expect stairs — streets north of Stradun like Prijeko and Ulica od Sigurate are stepped, which matters if you have luggage or mobility issues.

Not any more — the Pelješac Bridge opened in July 2022 and removed the need to cross the 9 km Neum corridor to reach Split, Ston or Pelješac. The Bosnian border stop used to add 30–60 minutes each way and is now bypassed entirely on the D8 coastal route. Neum itself is only worth stopping for cheap fuel and duty-free spirits, not sightseeing. If you want a genuine Bosnia day trip from Dubrovnik, go to Mostar (140 km, about 2h 30) rather than Neum, and take your passport plus the car's green card insurance document.