Who's Going
Russian Elite, Italian Weekenders, Brit Couples
Reason to Stay
Beach Resort, Boutique Hotel. Beach Club
Hotel Type
Beach Resort
You arrive via a very environmentally unfriendly ferry from Split or Dubrovnik with a short drive up the arid island countryside or directly into Hvar town. Through a few picturesque marble streets delight dissipates to despair as visitors arrive to a poorly paved back road leading down a small street to the Amfora Hotel. In prior days the hotel could have been a hospital or commercial warehouse, but in actuality it was a middle-of-the-road all-inclusive resort favored by Soviet pluralists. Tucked along a tranquil bay a short 5-minute walk from Hvar town, Amfora is a stylishly renovated family resort with sleek lobby area of white furnishings, groovy lounge bar and wide-open views of the Adriatic. The redeeming factor of the hotel is its recently updated beachfront, removing a horrid indoor pool hall for a sparkling outdoor resort area hidden under a thick pine forest. With a private beach and two waterfront restaurants, the area's top attraction is the elaborate 1930's beach club Bonj Les Bains with private cabanas, spa facilities and fresh lunch menu served throughout the day. While on the pricey side, there's also a waterfront beach bar further down to shore that's not nearly as chic but also not as expensive.
The Room
Better on the inside than outside, Amfora is a hotel story that shouldn’t be judged on its institutional exterior. The reception area is a chaotic assembly line of package vacationers greeted and then dismissed to their compact guest rooms only to be seen again along the pool or at the communal morning breakfast in front of sweaty deli meats and troughs of dry cereal. Guest rooms are arranged along a series of long, dark hallways intersected by super-slow four-person elevators and open-air staircases usually booming with screaming children of clattering mop buckets. Hallow doors with aluminum hardware open to surprisingly sexy one-room pads decked-out in all white with plasma screen TVs, super-cold air conditioning and decent views of the sea. Beds a re tucked with scratchy cotton-poly sheets albeit with cutesy bedspreads with soft floral-traced patterns. Bathrooms are uplifting and well accessorized with frosted glass partitions and sleek fixtures atop glossy countertops and deep bathtubs. While we’d rather have a room at the nearby Riva or Adrianna, this family-minded beach resort is an affordable alternative worth the extra walk to town.
Preferred Room
Junior Suite
Special Features
Beach Club, Spa, DJ Lounge, Beachfront
Amenities
Restaurant, Bar, Lounge, Pool, Family-Friendly
