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Home / Type of trip / Coast / Croatia: James Villas luxury apartment

Croatia: James Villas luxury apartment

April 18, 2015 by Gretta Schifano 19 Comments

View from terrace, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

View from terrace, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

It’s 6.30am. Even on holiday my body clock seems to think that we need to get up for school. The rest of my family is still asleep in bed. I’m sitting at a glass-topped table in my pyjamas, my daughter’s favourite scarf around my shoulders. In front of me is a large window through which I can see a pale blue sky, softly pink where it meets the Adriatic sea. This part of the Adriatic is scattered with islands of all shapes and sizes and from where I’m sitting I can see a corner of a green island through the window. To my left is a glass door through which I can see a row of arching sun loungers looking out to sea from a wide terrace.

Dubrovnik Sun Gardens

It’s the Easter holidays and I’m staying for a week with my husband and two kids (16 and 12 years old) in a James Villas apartment in Croatia. The apartment is on the luxurious Dubrovnik Sun Gardens resort which is about nine miles from Dubrovnik along the coast road. The resort boasts a 5-star hotel, spa, restaurants, bars, swimming pools, sports facilities, kids club and holiday apartments.

James Villas

James Villas sent us a very helpful information pack about the apartment, the resort and the area before we left home. The directions which they sent us explaining how to reach the resort from the airport were particularly useful because the sat nav which we’d brought from home doesn’t seem to work in Croatia.

Apartment

The Sea View Residence apartment where we’re staying is perfect for our family. It’s modern, roomy, comfortable, well-equipped and tastefully decorated with high quality furnishings. It has a double and a twin bedroom, both with roomy en-suite bathrooms. Every day the apartment is cleaned until it’s spotless by some lovely, smiley Croatian ladies. There are heating and air-conditioning controls in the living area and in each of the bedrooms. We’re all pleased to find that the resort offers unlimited, free wi-fi to guests – although the connection is a bit patchy in our apartment.

Living area

Right now I’m in the large, open-plan living, dining and kitchen area. Behind me is a hallway with a small cloakroom. The walls throughout the living area and bedrooms are painted in off-white tones and the solid oak floor is pale gold. At the windows there are two layers of hangings so that you can choose how much light to let in. In the bedrooms there are also blackout curtains. The living area has a large, flat screen TV which we haven’t watched (although my husband and son did go to the resort’s sports centre to watch an Arsenal football match one day).

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Living area at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Kitchen

The galley kitchen is well-equipped with a large fridge, halogen hob, microwave oven, dishwasher, kettle and toaster. There are pans, crockery, cutlery and tea towels for you to use. We haven’t cooked anything here as we have breakfast at the Radisson Blu hotel at the resort and we’re always out and about at lunch and dinner times. But, apart from an oven, there’s everything that you would need to cook a meal here should you wish to do so. An odd thing about the kitchen is that the only accessible power socket is at knee height on a bare wall. This makes using the kettle tricky but I’ve found the sideboard in the living area to be the best place to plug it in.

Kitchen at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Kitchen at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Hall

Behind me is the L-shaped hall area. At the other end of the hall, by the front door, there’s a wooden wardrobe with a safe inside it. I like the safe because it’s large enough to accommodate both a laptop and a DSLR camera as well as other bits and bobs. My son, generally locked out of the kids’ en-suite bathroom by his teenage sister at crucial times, has taken to using the small cloakroom in the hall to clean his teeth and to do whatever he does to his hair.

Main bedroom

The main bedroom has a very comfortable double bed, plenty of storage, a desk, an armchair and double glass doors leading to a small balcony with a sea view. There are towelling robes and slippers for us to use. The main en-suite bathroom is very spacious and has a large tiled walk-in shower with glass doors, a large square sink on a marble top with a wide mirror above it, and below it a wooden shelf with a hairdryer and piles of towels. There’s also a heated towel rail which is handy for drying swimming stuff.

Double room at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Double room at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Twin bedroom

The kids are sharing this room. It has comfortable twin beds with a wooden bedside cupboard and a lamp in between them, a double wooden wardrobe with drawers inside, a cream armchair and a luggage rack which my daughter has appropriated for her overflowing suitcase.

Twin room at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Twin room at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

The kids’ en-suite bathroom is similar to the main en-suite bathroom except that instead of a walk-in shower it has a bath with a shower above it and a glass shower screen along its edge.

Bathroom at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Bathroom at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Terrace

Outside the living area is a wide, enclosed terrace with views of the sea and of the nearby islands. On the terrace is a round table and four chairs as well as various sun loungers.

Sea view terrace at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Sea view terrace at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens. Copyright Gretta Schifano

Verdict

All four of us are very happy with this apartment. I think that it has everything that we need for a comfortable and relaxing break. I would definitely recommend this as a great place for families to stay. Back at home I ask the rest of the family what they thought of the apartment.

My 16 year old daughter says: ‘It was all nice. It was modern and not cramped. I really liked the shower, and the pillows and mattresses were nice’.

My 12 year old son says: ‘I had to sit in your bedroom to get wi-fi’.

My husband says: ‘It was really good. It was spacious, light, comfortable and everything was of good quality’.

Family travel lowdown

We stayed in a two-bedroom Sea View Residence at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens for seven nights during the Easter holidays. The cost of this accommodation ranges from £1,206 to £3,593 for seven nights through James Villas.



Over the next few weeks I’ll be writing more about the resort and about what we did in Croatia. You can read about our ill-fated trip to the cinema to see Game of Thrones in Dubrovnik here and about things to do with kids in Dubrovnik and why we wanted to go to the city here.

Disclosure: Our accommodation at Dubrovnik Sun Gardens was provided by James Villas for review purposes but all opinions are my own. James Villas is part of Wyndham Vacation Rentals, the world’s largest professionally managed holiday rentals company.

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Related

Categories: Coast, Croatia, Luxury, Room reports
Tags: Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik Sun Gardens, luxury hotel, luxury resort

About Gretta Schifano

I'm a freelance journalist and blogger specialising in family travel with teenagers, trips when parents manage to travel without their kids, and 50+ travel. I also write about vegetarian travel, parenting teenagers, adoption, SEN, ADHD and anxiety. My work's been published by the Financial Times, Guardian, Independent, National Geographic Traveller, Lonely Planet and others. I've lived and worked in Italy and Spain and am now based in rural south-east England with my husband, adoptive and birth kids and our dog. I previously worked as a social action radio producer for the BBC.

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Comments

  1. Veronica Marks says

    December 8, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    I am surprised to see such a nice kitchen in a hotel. Most of the kitchens I’ve seen in hotels have been rather drab. I love the round sink, and the glass back splash looks really classy.

    Reply
  2. Emma | TheMiniMesAndMe says

    April 27, 2015 at 8:32 am

    I really wish I had entered to review a James villa holiday although I’m quite greedy and we have 7 breaks this year already. We love travel! x
    Emma | TheMiniMesAndMe recently posted…What Makes the Perfect Changing Bag – Cooper & Hill NEED YouMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      April 27, 2015 at 10:57 am

      I don’t think that there was anything to enter with James Villas – maybe you’re thinking of Mark Warner? I’m working with James Villas as a result of winning the BiB award last year. You’re going to be busy with seven breaks!

      Reply
  3. Kara says

    April 27, 2015 at 7:29 am

    Keep looking into Croatia as a holiday destination but never been. This villa looks amazing
    Kara recently posted…Project 365 2015 – Week 17My Profile

    Reply
  4. Trish - Mum's Gone to says

    April 25, 2015 at 9:53 am

    This looks perfect for a family stay, Gretta. Good to see such a well-equipped kitchen although, I agree, self-catering kitchens, especially abroad, are often only used for breakfasts.
    Looking forward to hearing more about your trip.
    Trish – Mum’s Gone to recently posted…Luxury and comfort at High Barn Cottages, YorkshireMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Ickle Pickle says

    April 24, 2015 at 9:12 am

    How beautiful! Looks like a great holiday, and lovley villa x
    Ickle Pickle recently posted…What a new puppy needsMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Nayna Kanabar says

    April 22, 2015 at 10:00 pm

    What a wonderful place to visit, the apartment looks really nice.
    Nayna Kanabar recently posted…Chocolate Oreo CupcakesMy Profile

    Reply
  7. Jaime Oliver says

    April 21, 2015 at 1:55 pm

    I had not really thought about Croatia as a holiday destination but i am seriously wrong this looks fantastic
    Jaime Oliver recently posted…Discovering Kids Converse ShoesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gretta Schifano says

      April 21, 2015 at 5:11 pm

      It’s a lovely place – I’d definitely recommend Croatia for family trips.

      Reply
  8. lisa prince says

    April 21, 2015 at 10:36 am

    ooh it looks lovely just what i could do with and very spacious too

    Reply
  9. Laura says

    April 21, 2015 at 8:29 am

    What a beautiful destination! I need a holiday!

    Reply
  10. Charly Dove says

    April 20, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    Oh what a fabulous place to visit, I love Croatia. Sounds like you had a great time and a lovely place to stay. The views looks great too 🙂
    Charly Dove recently posted…School place challengesMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Hannah Staveley says

    April 20, 2015 at 7:53 pm

    Wow such a stunning place and views, making me wish it was Summer now.x

    Reply
  12. Sarah Ebner says

    April 20, 2015 at 7:01 pm

    This really looks like a great place for a family holiday – in a fab location too. Lovely!
    Sarah Ebner recently posted…Must-dos in Paris with – or without – kidsMy Profile

    Reply
  13. mama syder says

    April 20, 2015 at 4:32 pm

    The villa looks lovely and what a gorgeous view! Croatia is on my ‘want to visit’ list x
    mama syder recently posted…It Was Love At First SightMy Profile

    Reply
  14. Liz Burton says

    April 20, 2015 at 1:24 pm

    What a gorgeous way to spend the Easter holidays.

    That villa looks so well laid out and well equipped.

    Reply
  15. Phoebe @ Lou Messugo says

    April 20, 2015 at 1:04 pm

    I absolutely love Croatia and it seems you had a nice place to stay. Look forward to reading about the things you did around Dubrovnik.
    Phoebe @ Lou Messugo recently posted…Silent Sunday – 19 April 2015My Profile

    Reply
  16. Mummy's little blog says

    April 20, 2015 at 12:32 pm

    Looks like a awesome villa and a lovely holiday, love the comment about the wifi imagine that limited wifi lol . Look forward to more updates

    Reply
  17. Jen aka Muminthemadhouse says

    April 20, 2015 at 12:08 pm

    Oh it looks fab. I haven’t ever been to Croatia. I will have to pop it on our to do list (which is ever expanding)
    Jen aka Muminthemadhouse recently posted…Free colouring pages for adultsMy Profile

    Reply

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This is a personal blog written and edited by me, Gretta Schifano. Sometimes I’m given products or sent on trips to review, but I always make this clear and give my honest opinion. See my About page for full details.

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