The Pucic Palace

The absolute worst hotel experience we have had in all of Europe. Check in was in a super uncomfortable hot sweaty room with someone who had no idea what they were doing. After taking our passports she hands them back and says “you’re all set”. I said, “can we have a key?” The rooms smelled musty. It was very dark. They promise a noise proof rooms which was an absolute joke because the window did not even close. Which was another issue given that it was over 90 the entire stay. The advertised air conditioning is a portable unit that could not keep up and never cooled the room. The bathrooms have no windows, no fans and get extremely hot. The water pressure to too high for the shower pan and floods the entire bathroom floor. The black out shades, also advertised, do not close due to the portable a/c unit piping rigged to stick out of the window. “Housekeeping” , also advertised, included someone coming in to make our bed. Soaking wet towels left in tub, countertop and sink left untouched. And then left us one clean towel to share: We arranged transport at 6:45 am specifically calling it an early night the night before based on their suggestion to get to Montenegro. They insisted anything later will result in a “massive line at customs” They had no bell service so we pushed our bags throughout the city to the gates only to find we have no car waiting for us. We called and she said “my colleagues fault. She never changed it from 7:30.” I specifically arranged a van tell her that we had too much luggage for a car. She sent a car. They were helpful making dinner reservations and also answering questions via email before our stay and were very timely in doing so. The location is great. That’s it. It is not a 5 star at all. The price is ridiculous on top of that. Miserable stay.

I LOVED Croatia in so many ways, and I think its important for other travelers to avoid this hotel, or at least know it should not be a 5-star property. There is no concierge and there was no engineering to fix an A/C system that was completely broken (and it was 35 degrees outside). A single receptionist did all that. When I checked in I saw a number for room service and called the front desk to ask for their hours and she seemed surprised that they even had room service. Reluctantly, she said she would get back to me, but she did not. The staff in general had this put upon attitude, partly because they are made to work in a tiny reception area with NO A/C. Anyway, the room was not 100% clean and had a musty smell. The hotel gave my taxi driver wrong directions to a boat tour and then blamed the driver when I had to walk over 2 kms to get to the boat. When I asked to speak to the general manager they essentially said no, but I could send an email. I have sent two and they have not even acknowledged receipt

Unfortunately, The Pucić Palace did not live up to its 5-star rating. While the location is unbeatable and the historic building is beautiful, the rooms are dated and the amenities are quite limited. The biggest disappointment was the service. The female staff member who assisted us before check-in and again at check-out was consistently disengaged, unfriendly, and failed to organise services we had confirmed multiple times. The day before check-in, I visited the hotel in person to arrange a porter. We confirmed the time, meeting place and number of bags, yet no porter was ever booked, leaving my 67-year-old mother and me waiting in the hot sun for 30 minutes. Wanting to avoid another issue, we arranged both a porter and airport transfer two days before departure and reconfirmed everything the day before. On the morning of our flight we were told to simply wait at the Ploce Gate. Thankfully, our driver, Darko from Blue Bay Travel Agency, was proactive enough to find us. He called the hotel to ask where our bags were, when she informed us the porter didn't start work until 9:00 am—despite our 6:10 am departure—and expected us to carry our own bags back to the meeting point. There was no apology or acknowledgement of the mistake. Darko apologised several times for the situation and mentioned he had experienced similar issues with this hotel before. Sadly, despite the wonderful location, I would not recommend staying here.

A truly charming and elegant stay at the The Pucić Palace. Set in a beautifully restored 17th-century building, the hotel combines historic character with refined and comfortable rooms. The breakfast and dining experience were particularly memorable delicious food made with high-quality ingredients, served with great attention to detail and genuinely excellent service. Whether for the atmosphere, the hospitality, or the overall experience, this is a wonderful place to stay in Dubrovnik. Highly recommended 👌