Croatia Three Centre - Trogir, Sibenik and Krka National Park

This four-star hotel is in one of the best locations close to the old city of Trogir. Unlike, smaller hotels within the pedestrianised old city, a taxi can drop you at the door of the hotel or if driving, there is a car park. The walk into the old city is around five minutes.

How times have changed in terms of travel trends. Around 12 years ago, most guests chose Trogir Palace as a convenient start or end place for their holiday, especially if they had hired a rental car, had visited many places in Croatia, and needed to drop it at the end of their holiday (or the other way round) – these visitors would usually stay just a night or two.

Fast forward and guests at the hotel are staying longer and using Trogir as a base to visit the old city, then Split itself, some of the islands on day excursions by boat and even some of the national parks using an excursion. Longer stay visitors have this too plus some great beaches for swimming on Ciovo island.

Guests in recent years are those who have enjoyed the Dalmatia region including Split on a longer holiday yet just want an additional, short-break, “Croatia fix” for a couple of nights. For this, a short transfer is essential and Split airport to Trogir takes around 12 minutes by taxi (perfect for Friday to Monday weekend stays or any other short breaks). And those “start and end” visitors still choose to stay.

The hotel is owned by a family with superb staff who have worked there for many years. Receptionists here know everything!

Trogir is a fabulous place to stay – for whatever reason and for whatever duration. It can be as busy or as relaxing as visitors choose and there are some excellent cultural events in summer.

The Bura boat line to and from Split (foot passengers only) departs and arrives from around three minutes’ walk from the hotel and most journeys take 45 minutes. Some take an hour due to stops. Check the timetable or ask at reception.

The hotel offers spacious rooms and traditional furniture with no trendy design aspects as so many people expect to see.

Buffet breakfast is very good with a wide choice and the Antonio restaurant is a favourite with locals (who just call it “Palace”) because of the mix of good local Dalmatian and international cuisine on offer. There is a small outside terrace area looking towards the sea.

Guests choosing half board meals select from an extensive buffet featuring hot and cold dishes served in the Antonio a la carte restaurant.

Accommodation

• There are 46 spacious bedrooms, many with balconies.
• Four double rooms and one triple room have bathroom with shower only, the rest all have bath with shower
• Views vary with a mix of partial side sea view with inland view or straight inland view

Amenities/Features

• Small lobby lounge
• Buffet breakfast served in a separate salon dining area or in Antonio restaurant with some outside terrace seating
• A la carte Antonio restaurant with outside terrace seating (half board buffet dinner served here)
• Some excursions including island day trip fish picnics by boat can be booked from reception
• Close to shops, bars, cafes
• Five minutes walk to large open air fruit and vegetable market
• Close to boat stop for Split
• Lift
• Free WiFi throughout the hotel
• Parking (currently free of charge)

Tucked away in a pretty square in the heart of the old town of Sibenik, the hotel started life as the 15th century Marenci Palace, home of a noble family. The change to a charming, four-star boutique heritage hotel has been tastefully completed by preserving the original soul of the property, carved in stone.

The “Life Palace” as some locals call it, is really well located in the heart of the historic core, just minutes from the sea and with important cultural monuments within a short walk. Most notable is the UNESCO listed Cathedral of St Jakov with the monastery of St Lovro and Rector’s Palace also close by. Seemingly at every turn there is a carved stone monument here, an exquisite fountain there and numerous little piazzas where tiny cafés offer local goodies.

It is worth remembering that the old town centre of Sibenik is traffic free with a number of access routes for pedestrians and if coming from the waterfront, there are steps. Steps made of stone.

Heritage Hotel Life Palace may officially be four stars but guests comment that so many aspects feel five star, they talk about the personal touch from staff who consider the hotel their “home”. It is a stunning property with many returning guests and with just 17 rooms, early booking is essential.

This is a hotel not about swimming pools or cocktail bars but a place steeped in history in the centre of a historic town – a place with a very special feeling.

Due to conservation and preservation issues as a former place, there are serious restrictions about changes that can be made to the hotel – so there are very few! Guests get the real feeling of the place as it has been forever.

There is a delightful breakfast room – café which serves a rich buffet breakfast until it becomes a cage-lounge-bar later in the day. Guests can choose from inside or the lovely outside terrace on the square. Immediately beyond the hotel’s own terrace area there is one of Sibenik’s oldest restaurants, open for lunch and dinner. Plenty of other small local restaurants nearby with Michelin star Peligrini around 10 minutes stroll away (bookings essential May-October).

The hotel is usually open all year and most guests choose a stay here for a few nights as part of a longer itinerary of discovery.

For beach lovers, there are a number of pebble beaches just some 10 minutes’ walk away.

Accommodation

• There are 17 stylish and well-appointed rooms and suites, all except two with bathroom with walk in shower. Those two rooms are actually suites which have a bath with shower.
• Most rooms have at least one original, retained architectural feature, possibly a part of an original stone wall dating back hundreds of years
• Wide choice of rooms from classic rooms to deluxe and executive rooms, many with traditional or antique furniture.
• Decoration in rooms involves pale colours and light wood reflecting the style used during the hotel’s stay as a palace
• Due to the listed-heritage nature of the building, only two rooms (suites) have balconies

Amenities/features

• Lounge bar café which works all day once breakfast is finished here
• Lift (unusual in a historic building)
• Rich buffet breakfast
• Small wellness area with hydromassage bath and some treatments available (pre-booking advised)
• Hotel porter will come to assist with luggage from a place where your transfer driver can drop you – about a 10-minute walk. Transfer driver needs to call reception 10 minutes prior to arrival
• Free WiFi throughout the hotel

The name “Vrata Krke” means “Gate of Krka” in Croatian and this hotel is literally just that and located a few minutes’ walk to the entrance to the National Park.

This is a family-owned hotel, built in the style of a country lodge, and makes vast use of local wood resulting in a warm ambience throughout. Wood makes the place feel cosy including rooms, the bar-lounge and the restaurant.

The entrance to Krka National Park involves two tickets: the first for the main entrance and the second includes a boat trip and monastery, church and museum with a guide. There is usually a saving of around 15% if these tickets are bought at the hotel reception. Please ask at reception as sometimes systems and procedures change. There are several entrances to the Krka National Park, the one very close to this hotel is the Lozovac one, not Skradin.

This is a beautiful, peaceful spot surrounded by woods and fields which is only 12 kms to the coast with all the delights of the Croatian Adriatic resorts and islands. Regular bus to Sibenik on the Dalmatian coast usually five times daily, journey time around 15 minutes. With advance notice, the hotel can sometimes arrange private transport to Sibenik with an agreed pick up/return time later. Charge applies. Please enquire at reception as this is subject to availability.

Bike rental is available and there are both marked biking paths and guided bike tours.

A brand-new swimming pool and outdoor jacuzzi opened in 2020 bringing another facility to the hotel and has a lovely terrace with sunbeds and trees surrounding it.

The restaurant serves breakfast, half board meals plus an a la carte menu. Often there are traditional spit roast meats or dishes cooked under “peka” (metal bell covers the meat which cooks slowly on embers), both are typical of the region.

A great place to spend a few days or longer enjoying Krka National Park especially as part of a multi centre holiday or if the National Park and a place on the coast are the order of the holiday it is just 55 minutes drive from Vrata Krke to the pretty beachside resort of Biograd Na Moru on the famous Dalmatian coast where we offer several hotels.

Krka National Park is served by two international airports with almost the same transfer times: from Split airport in 47 minutes and from Zadar airport in 48 minutes!

Accommodation

• There are 51 comfortable, rustic style en suite rooms and suites of various types with extensive use of wood and local rural design.

Amenities/Features

• Main restaurant with outside terrace.
• Buffet breakfast,
• Half board evening dinner either buffet style or a set menu, waiter served, depending on hotel occupancy
• Small lounge-bar with outside patios and alcoves
• Pizzeria usually working June – early October
• Free WiFi throughout the hotel
• Souvenir shop
• Lift
• Resident tortoises!
• Outdoor pool with sunbeds and pool towels
• Parking (hotel car park, free of charge)