Full disclosure: I was nervous to rent a luxury villa instead of staying in a hotel during our first trip to Croatia. This was only our second trip to Europe, and neither of us had never NOT stayed in a hotel. Ever. In fact, because my husband trusted me to plan the entire trip, I didn’t tell him I rented a private villa because:
a.) He didn’t ask
b.) I was nervous he wouldn’t go
We’re all set in our ways and, let’s face it, hotels are predictable! They have a front desk, a concierge, room service, on-demand movies, and fire escape instructions (along with dreadfully annoying fire drills that have happened to me on two consecutive mother-daughter trips. Sorry, Mom!).
SERVICE
The number one reason to rent a luxury villa in Dubrovnik is the service provided by Adriatic Unique Villas. A true concierge service extends beyond booking reservations at a nearby restaurant or directions to the closest coffee shop. Front desk concierges are becoming very similar to airline desks at the airport – impatient people standing in line while employees clack away at keyboards avoiding eye contact in order to minimize personal interaction. Who can blame them when dealing with intolerable guest demands such as getting carpets to cover an entire private beach so their feet don’t get wet? True story, gasp!
The service is much more personalized and extensive when you rent a luxury villa. Needless to say, there was a ton of hand holding required since it was our first time staying in a vacation rental. I sent our host, Adriana, countless emails before arriving at Villa Toni and received a thorough and patient reply for every single question or request. I really lucked out because the company that owns the property, Adriatic Unique Villas, also manages multiple other luxury villas plus a travel concierge business. They’re basically a Croatian luxury travel one-stop shop, so they made our first Croatian destination experience seamless.
Here are a couple examples of how they orchestrated specific trip details for our needs:
The only flight available into Dubrovnik arrived early in the morning, but the previous guests’ checkout time was noon. Plus a couple more hours for a housekeeping team to thoroughly clean after a multi family extended stay. That’s a grueling, long time to wait for check-in after a 14-hour flight and jet lag! However, they arranged a driver to pick us up, leisurely drive us around beautiful Dubrovnik landmarks, and reserve the best table at Panarama Restaurant to take in the most breathtaking view of Dubrovnik. We became close friends with Vedron, our driver for the week, and got a relaxing overview of the city we would be exploring for the week. Brilliant!
Adriana also requested a grocery list and stocked everyday items we were accustom to, like almond milk, Greek yogurt and almonds to snack on. She even found whey protein powder and stocked a blender for my morning smoothies! Like I said – True. Concierge. Service.
They worked diligently with me to customize our entire itinerary for the week, including a private chef, boat excursions, private walking tours, and many more unique experiences we would have never known about without their local connections.
SPACE
Another huge reason to rent a luxury villa is the amount of space you have all to yourself. When I started researching the space and cost comparisons, I was shocked to find out:
- the average size of a vacation rental is 2,000 square feet versus 400 square feet for the average hotel room.
- on average, you pay 50% less per square foot when booking a vacation rental versus than what you pay for a hotel room.
At a whopping 3700 square feet, our luxury villa in Dubrovnik was definitely more space than we really needed; but after comparing the cost of a nearby 5-star hotel suite that was 75% smaller but the same price, the choice was a no-brainer!
* The layout of our specific luxury villa was definitely designed for accommodating families or groups of friends wanting an equal amount of space per bedroom. There wasn’t one master suite, per se, but all four rooms were extremely spacious with large bathrooms, closets, and patios. It’s worth noting that every bedroom faces the ocean and has a large balcony with equally spectacular views!
Check out more details on our luxury Villa Toni here.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
When I travel, I like to immerse myself in the culture, so renting a luxury villa allowed me to truly live like a local, if only for a week. We were able to do things like:
- shopping at local markets and finding delicious meats / cheeses to snack on throughout the week.
- enjoying ultimate privacy by the pool. (which made my morning devotional way more intimate instead of dealing with kids splashing around.
- walking to phenomenal neighborhood restaurants instead of lazily ordering room service by default.
- enjoying the fully-stocked kitchen, treadmill and exercise equipment, outdoor kitchen and dining area, washer and dryer, and many more amenities that you usually only find in the comfort of a home.
There’s something to be said about not getting the dreaded surprise at the end of your stay of surplus charges like room service, rented movies and late night mini-bar raids. It adds up, and having it all included makes traveling and enjoying your stay in a luxury villa much less stressful and more enjoyable.
I could not have asked for a better experience renting a luxury villa for the first time thanks to Adriana and the entire Adriatic Unique Villa team. We will definitely rent a luxury villa from their portfolio the next time we go to Dubrovnik!
Want an even better view of the villa? Check out my walkthrough video below:
melissa says
Croatia is TOTALLY ON MY list of places to visit, this looks gorgeous!
Hello Whitney says
It really is amazing! I have some more posts coming soon with things to do and places to see so keep an eye out 😉
Joan says
I love Croatia, I lived there for 4 years and now I just visit we also rented a villa but it was in Brac island this looks very nice though, will look into it.
Hello Whitney says
That’s amazing that you lived in Croatia! I absolutely loved visiting <3
LazyMommy says
HA! YOU GOT me at the first picture. I don’t need 3 Reasons to Rent a Private Villa in Dubrovnik at all. your pictures alone is enough reason to go there :-). Great post!
Hello Whitney says
Haha, thanks so much LazyMommy!
Ewuzie Kingsley says
You really DO HAVE A GOOD TASTE.. iT IS A GREAT CHOICE BUT I WILL ONLY HAVE TO CONSIDER IT IF ITS AFFORDABLE TO ME. tHE SPACE AND comfortability WOULDN’T MATTER TO ME IF IT WILL BE HEAVY ON MY BUDGET. bUT I WILL REALLY DO CONSIDER IT FIRST, IT SEEM SO PERFECT.
Hello Whitney says
I completely understand! It’s important to know your priorities and stick to them!
joy says
wow. those photos look amazing!! but i would be so scared to look at the prices. great photos though.
Hello Whitney says
Thanks! It’s SUCH a great deal for what you’re getting <3
Karen Giuliana says
this looks incredible. Glad you have such an aMazing Time! Defi bookmark this for when i visit! Thank you for sharing!
Hello Whitney says
Thanks so much, Karen! Glad you enjoyed it!
Elena says
That villa is gorgeous! If i ever make it out to croatia, i’ll definitely keep a villa rental in mind! Thanks for the great tip!
Hello Whitney says
Isn’t it beautiful? It was a wonderful experience; I’d highly recommend it.
Samantha Donnelly says
Wow this place looks amazing, we have talked about renting a villa as opposed to a hotel, you have really made me want to go away x
Hello Whitney says
It’s definitely worth it! Thanks for reading!
Dalene Ekirapa says
YES!!! A villa is just a home away from home! I always thought that staying in a hotel is the best but from your experience, staying in a villa is way much better! This villa is something else- so clean and it’s just luxury at its best!
Hello Whitney says
It absolutely is! It makes traveling internationally so much easier.
Autumn (Biscotti and a Ph.D.) says
what a perfect place to spend a week! Thanks for sharing this experience – I’ll definitely Explore this option for the next Trip we take!
Hello Whitney says
It really was! Hope you enjoy!
KASEY MA says
Oh boy, I need to get me to Croatia! It’s beautiful there!!
Kasey Ma
Hello Whitney says
It really is! Definitely make a visit there 🙂
Annemarie LeBlanc says
I agree with you that it would be best to rent a villa especially when you are traveling as a family. Hotel rooms can make you feel cramped and would cost more, if you do the math. If we get to travel to croatia, I will keep your tips in mind!
Hello Whitney says
It would definitely be so much easier with a family. They’re so spacious!
Nene says
Croatia is definitely on my bucket list. Your pics look amazing!!!
Hello Whitney says
Thank you!!
Anagha says
I enjoyed reading it. ESPECIALLY the photos, they are so lavish. It’s indeed a relaxing place, something everyone would love to go .
Hello Whitney says
Thanks so much! It was such a relaxing place to stay <3
Rosey says
i have never had a fire drill at a hotel. It made me laugh thought that it happened twice with you and your mom…i guess because i was laughing at how my mom would react if the same happened. I would love to rent a villa.
Hello Whitney says
I know, right? It was pretty hilarious.
Viano Dee says
Wow! So amazing. Croatia is really beautiful. The villa is lovely and the customer service is great. Thanks for this post. Worth trying.
Hello Whitney says
It’s stunning! Truly a wonderful experience.
Georgina Nderitu says
CRoatia is definitely on my travel wish list. the luxury villa sounds like a great idea, but affordability is a crucial consideration. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Whitney says
I absolutely understand. Hope you enjoy your future trip to Croatia!
Puneet Kaur says
Renting a luxury villa SEEMS TO BE A GREAT OPTION. tHIS ONE HAS GREAT HOSPITALITY. gONNA VISIT THIS ONE
Hello Whitney says
The customer service was definitely outstanding. Hope you enjoy!
fashionandstylepolice says
This post has put me in a holiday mood. I would love to visit and rent a villa. That would be so much fun.
Hello Whitney says
Thanks for reading! Staying in a villa is so much fun – having all the comforts of home there makes traveling internationally a lot easier.
Perri says
IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAD A BEAUTIFUL TRIP! I love the idea of renting a villa instead of staying at a hotel, especially since there was concierge Service. It is so fun to live like a local instead of a tourist!
Hello Whitney says
Thank you – it was great! Glad you enjoyed!
ChOcoviv says
Such a beautiful vacation home! I went to on a cruise so i didnt stay.
Hello Whitney says
Thanks! We loved it there 🙂 Cruises are so much fun, too!