Villa Pattiera

Hotel review

On Cavtat's lovely palm-lined seafront promenade, just a 5-minute walk from the bus station, this welcoming family-run hotel occupies a neo-classical villa, once the home of Croatian opera singer Tino Pattiera (1890-1966). The interior is homely and rather old-fashioned, with wooden stairs leading up to three floors, with 11 rooms and one suite, and two internal terraces with loungers for sunbathing and snoozing. Out front, the hotel's popular Dalmacija restaurant serves Dalmatian meat and fish dishes and reasonably-priced house wine.

Cavtat's quaint old town is a huddle of stepped alleys and centuries-old houses. From here, I suggest you walk the perimeter of the Rat peninsular, planted with fragrant Aleppo pines, to find several pebble beaches and bathing areas carved into the rocks, then continue up through the woods to the highest point, to see the Art Deco Račić Mausoleum. Staff at reception will help you arrange activities such as scuba diving, and excursions into rural Konavle for wine tasting. You can also easily visit Dubrovnik – the nicest way is to take the little passenger boat from Cavtat's seafront promenade, which stops at two worthwhile beaches along the way, in Mlini and Srebreno.

Jane Foster