Lafodia Hotel

had allready booked before reading reviews and was a little apprehensive. Lapud island was beautiful and unspoiled hotel though not up to some carribean all inclusive standards was fine. staff helpfull and friendly food typical of the area. if you want fine dining and nouvelle cuisine go to the south of france. very laid back island. take a ferry to dubrovnik and visit old city its magical. If you want a relaxed holiday with lovely scenery, walks and swimming in clear sea head for lapud island and the hotel lafodia.

We are a young married couple who have travelled extensively. We had a fantastic holiday! The weather was amazing, the island is beautiful and very relaxing. We booked this holiday 2 weeks before we went and got quite a good deal. Having read some of the other reviews, I think some of the other people forgot it was only a 3 star hotel! The transfer from the airport was quick. We had a crossing by the hotel boat which was much faster than the ferry. The ferry takes about 45 minutes to the Port of Gruz in Dubrovnik. Handy for day trips at only about £3.20 return. The attraction of the island is the fact that it is so quiet. Hardly any shops or evening entertainment but that's the beauty! If you were looking for a tacky holiday - Brits abroad - then this isn't for you! The food was basic but locally sourced - the fish and salads were great. We even had shark one night. Make sure you get a table outside for lovely views of the sea and mountains. The drinks were ok. There was a good choice of soft drinks and the locally produced beer was fine. We didn't really go in for the snacks as we only really needed the 3 meals they offered. It was nice to be able to make as much tea and coffee as you like. My husband liked the espresso and there was a great choice of herbal and fruit teas. Other restaurants on the island also offered local produce - a lovely but pricy fish restaurant where they bring the fish out for you to choose before you pick how you'd like it cooked. There is a great ice cream stand near the port, only 5 minutes from the hotel. It has lots of flavours and at only 50p a scoop, we thought it was a bargain! The appeal of the island is the fact that is is so quiet and small. The small beach by the hotel was quaint and the water was so clear. It was like being in an aquarium. However, we would have welcomed matresses on the sunloungers or the option to hire them. We loved using the pedalos and the Kayaks. You can venture very far on them and feel like you're the only people there! The sandy beach on the island - Sunj beach - is about a half hour walk away. We ventured over after breakfast and had pick of the whole beach. We got 2 loungers and a palm parasol for £9 for the day. The beach is beautiful and ideal for families as you can walk out for about 100ft into the sea with the water at thigh height. If you are really brave, there is also a section of the beach for naturists. The two restaurants there were very busy and we did wait a long time for our food but hey, we were on holiday! There is a lovely view point about 15 minutes from the hotel were you can watch the sunset at about 7.45 and see dolphins if you're lucky! The hotel offers some trips aswell as the tour operators, or you can get the ferry and do things yourself. We did an afternoon boat trip organised by the hotel to visit the other 2 inhabited islands for about £8 each. We sat on the top of the boat (everyone else was on seats below) and it was beautiful. On Sipan island there is a church you can walk to in 5 minutes where you can walk on the roof and get lovely views of the island. We also went to Dubrovnik old town. £3.20 on the ferry. Then a bus from the port (Number 1, 1a, 1b or 3) straight to the old town for £1.60. Buy your tickets at the newspaper stand. Free to enter the old town and £5 each to walk around the walls which I highly recommend. We also went on the Mostar trip organised by Thompson (About £40 each). It was great to have the opportunity to go to Bosnia for the day and Mostar is beautiful but we didn't really have long enough there. It was a lot of time on the coach and then we were hurded around a traditional house and a mosque. Fantastic to see the bridge jumpers though! We also had a great lunch on the river banks - very cheap! But be careful of the pickpockets and gypsies/beggars, especially the children - they are professional beggars - very sad! Overall, we had a fantastic, romantic and relaxing holiday at the hotel Lafodia. The island is beautiful!

Hotel Lafodia is the biggest hotel on Lopud Island and sticks out like a sore thumb on the idyllic beautiful landscape. The hotel is best suited to families as there are constant activities during the day and evening for children, including the dreaded perpetual 'mini-disco', we can't get "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes.. knees and toes" out of our heads since! Not our idea of a serene holiday destination. For an Island of such a small size, it would seem that the number of tourists was phenomenal to the point that people were sunbathing on the concrete paths as we tried to step over them to simply walk down to the harbour. The coffee in the hotel was putrid and hence we found that the price for coffee elsewhere on the Island was quite high in comparison to the mainland. Our package was all inclusive and while the food was mainly good (i.e. we didn't have to eat outside of the hotel), to compare the wine to vinegar would be an insult to vinegar, although the beer was plentiful and quite popular. The hotel room that we had for 2 people was small, we were on the first floor and just over the bar area which meant that we had music thumping from 9am (aerobics) to late evening (around 10 or 11). The beds were very comfortable but the shower had mould growing inside and the towels were only changed on Tuesdays and Fridays, the beds were not changed during the week. The swimming pool was laughable it was so small, the bottom of the pool was not visible which did not entice us to get in. The facilities were good, there were paddle boats, a tennis court (about 15 minute walk away) and kayaks (which we couldn't find) that were included in the price, there were also plenty of organised excursions (e.g. boat trip to the old city, island trips etc). We stayed in the Lafodia for one week but a shorter duration would have probably been better.

This is the main hotel on Lopud and could potentially suffer from having a monopoly over the island and it's visitors. But we found it of a very good standard, clean and good value (although we booked as part of a package and so I'm not sure the proportion of hotel costs). Going all inclusive can be a risk as if you don't like the food then you are faced with having to buy food elsewhere (there are some nice looking restaurants nearby). However, I was very happy with the food. I avoid wheat so I am not the easiest to please, but there were lots of things I could eat. Lovely salads, etc. The evening entertainment is pretty basic, but I travelled with children who enjoyed it. The swimming pool is too small, but the beaches make up for this. Bear in mind that there are only a couple of shops in the village. If you need anything more than souvenirs during your stay, you may have to face a journey back to Dubrovnik. This took between 30 mins and 1 hour, depending on your mode of transport. The air conditioning in our room was a blessing as the temperatures were in the mid 30's whilst we were there. The rooms are clean and include en-suite shower rooms which are of a reasonable quality. There is internet connection in the reception area, although this is fairly slow.

Lopud Island is unique - no cars; just bicycles and a golf cart (local taxi to the fantastic Sunji Beach, part of which is dedicated to naturists but it is not obvious as it is screened off by a bamboo fence) If you are looking for evening entertainment then this is not the place (or hotel) for you. Wander along the promenade at sunset and take in the atmosphere of the little restaurants and marvel at the simplicity of this idyillic island before it becomes commercialised. The hotel was very clean, beds very comfortable, service excellent. The hotel pool by the dockside was filled in sometime ago but there is a small above ground pool (similar to that which can be bought from Makro), however around the bay there are plenty of places where you can find a sun bed, parasol and a place to dip your toes, but jelly sandels need to be worn as it can be very rough on the soles of your feet! Food at the hotel was very dissapointing this was the only thing that let the holiday down, but we dined out several times and the food at the restaurant with tables and linen tablecloths next to the sea was excellent, and very romantic. Trip to Bosnia was a very long day, not sure it was worth it other than to tell friends that you have been there. Walking the walls of Dubrovnik Old Town was well worth the effort and sweat!

Just returned from a short break on the Island, the weather was fantastic. Hotel good it was our first experience of All inclusive and we were pleasantly surprised. The pool was very small which was a shame, but the sea is close and the walk to the beach at sunji is a must. We had it to our selves until the day trippers arrived at 2pm, but they all went by 3.30!! Satilite TV has no English stations, no English newspapers and our SW radio couldn't get the world service, very weird having no news for 4 days. Went to Dubronik on the ferry dont run at very good times 06.20 and then12.10, I don't know if they are more frequent in the high season. Overall a lovely break but we decided 2 weeks might be to long on the Island

We chose Lopud Island because it was quiet ,traffic free, scenic but within reach of dubrovnik. We were two families travelling with a five year old and two babies so needed somewhere to suit a variety of needs. We thought Hotel Lafodia was great, the food was always plentiful, of good quality and offered plent y of choice. Wine a bit ropey but beer very good and the local spirits came in good measures. All inclusive was great, especially as we had children with us and couldn't savour every mealtime. The view from our balcony was just breathtaking and our five year old enjoyed the kids club every morning giving us chance to have a coffee looking at the beautiful scenery. The staff were all very helpful and friendly, they all worked very hard as we were there at the height of the season. The small bay by the hotel was great for snorkelling and there was always room on the beach and sunloungers available. Lopud Island is beautiful, we had a few meals out at restaurants right by the sea where the food and service were both excellent. Our five year old enjoyed the small play area by the harbour and the fantastic ice cream stall. We used the local ferry, Postira, and the more pricey Nova boats to get to Dubrovnik, well worth a visit, especially a walk round the walls. We were glad though to be staying on the island and after the day trippers to Lopud left each evening and we watched the sunset we knew it was the right choice. I would recommend Lopud and Lafodia for folk who want to relax and enjoy the scenery and swimming in the sea, the water was crystal clear. There are walks over the island and you can find things to do, our travel company provided a number of excursions and we went on an interesting trip to Mostar (but not with the children, too long a day for them) There was a good mixture of nationalities staying at Lafodia and the standards of cleanliness and the daily 'room fairy' who cleaned were excellent. It's not a place for folk who want nightlife, loads of entertainment, loads of daily things to do. For a mum who wanted two weeks off the chores of home, happy and safe children and chance to relax with her husband and not worry about the food and drink bill it was an excellent choice.

First and foremost, we decided to go to this hotel with Budget Travel to relax for the week and when we arrived it appeared idyllic. The little village and the hotel looked wonderful but when we arrived at the hotel the large pierside pool that was pictured in the brochure was filled in with concrete and a 10 by 5 metre bathtub was located above the former poolside bar. It meant that in order to enjoy a good and safe swim (watch out for liuttle black thingys that sting you all around the hotel and harbour) to reach the beautiful sandy Sunj beach we had to trek 30 minutes in the baking heat over the mountain. No scooters allowed on the island so everyone is in the same boat. However what awaits you at the beach is worth it. It is a beautiful sandy beach and easily one of the best in Croatia and made up for the smll sliver of rocky beach beside the hotel. As regards the hotel we learned that it is going to be on the market soon so there was a air of never may care about the whole place. Some of the staff are lovely but there are one or two that are not, especially behind reception. As regards the hotel there are no double beds just single beds stuck together which is not the best if you are a honeymoon couple. The first room we got did not have proper air conditioning and we had to try and sleep in 32 degree heat for two nights and at one stage it got so bad I actually slept on the balcony. Eventually we complained so much and demanded a new room other wise we were leaving the hotel that we got a new room. But guess what my wife went straight in for a shower and the whole shower head fell off necessitating the maintenance man to spend half an hour fixing it before we could settle in our new room which thankfully had proper air conditionig. We weren't the only guests to complain about dodgy air conditioners either and even the the ones in the hotel lobby and restauraunt did not work properly either. Luckily we met with other couples on our holiday otherwise it would have been very boring but I have to say the island is beautiful with a couple of nice little tavernas in the village. The food at the hotel was reasonably good but and the beer was ok but the wine was far from palatable. Overall, i would not recommend the hotel but the island is beautiful and the locals are very friendly, but if you want to get away from it might be to your taste.

We had a an absolutely wonderful time on Lopud Island. It was so relaxing and peaceful and the scenery superb. The views from our room were just breathtaking. The hotel facilities were great and the food was lovely. I read some very negative reviews regarding the food prior to going to Lopud and I found this to be untrue. My husband is an extremely fussy eater and really enjoyed the buffet meals on offer. Infact I think we put on a few extra kilos in the week we were there. I totally recommend this island if you are looking for somewhere that is not full of tourists and you kind of feel like one of the locals.

This is the most beautiful island with lovely scenery, if you want a holiday to re -charge your batteries go for long walks , chill out at the pool or sit at harbour and watch the world go by this is the place for you. Lafodia hotel excellent, rooms very well appointed , food very good staff friendly. We will be back .