On the weekend I stayed at the LeMeridien Split for a short break (3 days). My report is as follows: 1) The hotel had very good pricing for this time of year- 160 EUR for two including breakfast and tax per night- (a long weekend for much of Europe), and I was working in Zagreb I decided the drive wouldn't be too bad- 400 kms and more or less 4 hours from the centre of Zagreb to the resort. I have wanted to test out this hotel for a couple of years. 2) Checkin was very pleasant and the woman did a good job of recognizing SPG status, explaining the hotel, and giving us a nice (however tiny) room. One point here- be sure to book a seaview room (I did)- overlooking a parking lot here is very sad given the view is one of the strongest points of this hotel. 3) The hotel was very full due to the long weekend and also a boat show at the marina which is attached to the hotel. We did get a room overlooking the marina however which was beautiful and had a nice small terrace with a table and chairs. 4) The swimming pool is great- there are two actually- one indoor and one outdoor. The outdoor one is quite cold at this time of the year as it is unheated- however it is nice for a refreshing dip. The beach is also directly in front of the hotel- be aware that it is a gravel beach, not sand, so not exactly perfect although the water is beautiful and perfectly clean for swimming. 5) Service at the swimming pool is very polite, if a little bit laid back- you will need to go and ask for things- there were only 2 people working when we were there which was not really enough- they were running all day. It is OK- however as the resort bills itself as an International 5 Star- this needs to be improved. 6) Buffet breakfast is excellent- there is seating both indoors and outdoors- we sat on the terrace every morning and it was wonderful. Service here is also very laid back- too laid back- however the view compensates for this. 7) Lunch was OK- the menu was international and the food was good- not great, but good. 8) Dinner- there is a restaurant not operated by the hotel below in front of the marina- it is called Leoni- go there- it is one of the best fish restaurants I have been to on the Adriatic. Service also perfect. It is not cheap (Budget around 130 EUR for two) however the quality is stellar and the wine list very well thought out. This was a highlight and worth returning for alone. We ate there two nights consecutively. It is very busy so may be a good idea to book if you want to sit on the terrace (which is excellent). Thoughts on returning- at the 200 EUR price point this is definitely worth returning to- I understand in peak August rates can be 450-500 EUR at which point I would suggest staying somewhere else. Be sure to book a seaview room, and if you want space be sure to book a larger room- our room was 24 SQM which is tiny- it was fine for our stay- however I can see some people not appreciating this. The service needs to be improved at the pool by adding more staff and in the restaurant with training- these two points and the hotel will really hit the 5 Star level.
As it should be- Croatia is really great- I have also spent some time on Hvar which is wonderful- and Dubrovnik warrants at least 3 days. Istria is worth at least a week. Even the capital Zagreb is shining as of recently and merits 1 or 2 days. Enjoy Croatia.
I am back at the hotel now. Happy to say if anything the service has improved over last year. Paid to upgrade to a seafront suite. Definitely great value and I would do this again if available. Breakfast one of the top Starwood buffet worldwide and absolutely better than 99% of offerings in Europe and North America. This hotel is worth a trip.
