August 17, 2020 - The Umi Teppanyaki experience at Rixos Dubrovnik, where gourmet art and entertainment combine to the backdrop of unforgettable Dalmatian sunsets. 

A perfect dining experience is an individual thing. For some it is about the food, for others the presentation and service, the ambiance or the entertainment. It is rare to capture all of these in one experience, especially when combined with beautiful sunsets from your open-air table view. 

The Umi Teppanyaki menu at Rixos Premium Dubrovnik is one such experience - a truly spectacular, and very filling, tour of Asian cuisine on a menu compiled by resident Nepalese chef, Pratap Koirola, who not only prepared the dishes before our very eyes, but engaged in conversation throughout the evening with his guests.  

Pratap entertains his guests with two sittings around his grill, which he commands with gentle authority and a warm smile. The 7pm sitting was completely sold out, as you can see above, and the lovely view out to the Adriatic and up to Mount Srdj provided a most romantic setting. 

As we chilled over a cocktail in the adjacent bar waiting for the 9pm sitting to come, the constant laughter, sharp intake of breath, and enthusiastic applause indicated that something special awaited.  

And so it proved. A sign of the magic to come came in Pratap's introductory one-man culinary music show, as he expertly displayed his command of his utensils. 

Pratap first started cooking at the age of 17 years in his native Nepal.  He continued his passion for cooking in Dubai where he built something of a name for himself, before finding himself on his first visit to Europe, head chef at Umi Teppanyaki at Rixos Dubrovnik. Not a bad place to start your European career!

And so to the menu, which Pratap put together himself. 

A nice gentle starter - Vietnamese-style spring roll, with vegetables, lettuce and sweet chilli sauce. 

From Vietnam to China for the second dish - duck gyoza dumplings, in a soya vinegar sauce.  

It was a pleasure watching Pratap put together dish number 3 - scallops in a soya butter sauce, as he expertly moved his ingredients around his grill - which he kept immaculately clean all evening as he went along - before placing them on the shells on which the scallops were served. 

Over to Japan for a truly memorable tofu miso soup.  

And then the dish of the night - seabass fillet, with beurre blanc and blitva (Swiss chard). I have a well-documented aversion to blitva in general, much to the chagrin of my Dalmatian father-in-law. I am still trying to build up the confidence to tell him that I finally tasted it in a way I really enjoyed - prepared by a chef from Nepal.  

A few days before arriving at Rixos, I was having breakfast at another hotel, and each morning I visited their Egg Station, where eggs were prepared for you by the chef in the way you desired. As I watched the very friendly chef preparing scrambled eggs for two - hardly the biggest culinary challenge of her career - I asked her what the most exciting thing she had ever done when preparing eggs. 

I wish I could send her the video above, for Pratap gave a masterclass not only in how to separate the egg white from the yolk, but also how to bring frying eggs a romantic experience. Truly brilliant. 

 And the romance continued, as Pratap expanded his heart them to produce the first heart-shaped rice I have come across. 

The rice heart was soon broken, however, and shattered into several rice bowls to accompany the final main dish - dry-aged beef tenderloin in teriyaki sauce, accompanied by garlic fried rice soya. Gorgeous.  

Two hours earlier, we had been strangers, but we left sated as friends. The constant conversation, joking and visual display made it easily one of the gourmet highlights of the summer. A supremely nice young man, who pays great attention to his guests.  

And just when we thought we were finished, dessert... 

Paul Bradbury was a guest of Rixos Premium Dubrovnik in August 2020. You can read more in Luxury Dubrovnik Tourism in the Corona Era: The View from Rixos Premium 

(With thanks to Taliah Bradbury for photos and videos)

August 15, 2020 - Two visits to luxury Rixos Dubrovnik in a fortnight highlight the new realities in the luxury tourism market in the Pearl of the Adriatic. 

Tourism is such a fragile thing. A lesson so many have learned in this most extraordinary year. 

Croatia's huge fortune in this most unfortunate of times is that it has tourism markets on its doorstep which has little alternative if they are looking for a fortnight on a beach. With corona scares, limited or cancelled flights, the safest option is to get in the car and drive virus-free to the end destination. Tourists from Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Czechia and Slovakia might have chosen Croatia, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Egypt, Montenegro or Tunisia in a normal year, with the plethora of flights on offer, but this year it is about the beach you can reach. 

And that means Croatia. 

There is a huge Croatian exception to this approach - arguably Croatia's top destination and certainly its most famous - Dubrovnik, Kings Landing, the Pearl of the Adriatic, call it what you will. 

A destination which is disconnected from the rest of Croatia by the Bosnian Neum Corridor, at least until the Peljesac Bridge is completed in 2022. 

A destination which has more in common with Egypt, Greece and Turkey than the rest of Croatia. 

For it is a destination which is dependent on air traffic for its tourism. Driving from any Croatian border from Western or Eastern Europe is at least 8 hours in the car. 

And with no flights, and with none of its famous cruise ships, tourism was very much at the mercy of corona. 

I visited the city at the end of July, initially as a guest of Rixos Dubrovnik, an unforgettable stay which you can read about here. 

The hotel is incredibly spacious, the perfect social distancing hotel in these uncertain times, but it was clearly not that busy. An estimated 25% occupancy in late July - unheard of in Dubrovnik. 

Dubrovnik Mayor Mato Frankovic confirmed as much in our meeting - from January 1 to June 30, Dubrovnik's tourism numbers where just 12% of 2019. In a city whose economy is 80% tourism, this was a catastrophe. 

And then, something changed... 

The Brits were allowed to travel without the need to self-isolate for 14 days on their return. 

I returned to Rixos Dubrovnik on August 9 with my family. It was not my preferred date, but the hotel was fully booked on that date, and they could only accommodate me on the 9th with rooms without a full sea view (although the view was excellent). the hotel was still spacious, but infinitely busier. Not only busier, but totally full. 

The makeup of the guests was very interesting, and a little different to years gone by. A sign of the corona times, but also perhaps a hint for the marketing departments for the future. 

Traditionally, Dubrovnik's big luxury spenders come from the USA, UK and Russia. 

Not this year, at least until the last couple of weeks when flights resumed in earnest from the UK. 

The increase of flights from the UK has transformed Dubrovnik's season from a total disaster to something much more acceptable, albeit well down on previous years. The arrival of the Brits in huge numbers has helped mask the absence of the other major players in the luxury market - the Americans and the Russians. 

There were more than 720,000 American tourists in Croatia last year. They had the highest daily spend of all countries, while the Russians (who stay longer) have the highest average total spend. 

Neither have come in large numbers this year. The Russians have visa issues, as Croatian embassies are currently not issuing visas, while American travel to Europe has been severely reduced. The much-lauded American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Dubrovnik - the first direct connection in 28 years - is also no more. The recent ABC News special (see the video above), including a slot on Good Morning America and seen by 12.5 million people, is a terrific advert for Dubrovnik 2021 (see video above).

So in the absence of the Americans and Russians, who is coming?

The data is interesting. Absolute number one (and confirmed with other leading luxury hotels in Dubrovnik) is the UK market. Second is - surprisingly - Croatia, followed by Germany, Ukraine and Poland, a country whose tourists have arrived in greater numbers to Croatia this year by car, but also by plane to Dubrovnik from Warsaw. Ukraine is an increasingly interesting market, and one which is growing under the radar and worthy of some marketing attention this winter. 

Who knows what the next month will bring, but for now it would seem that the luxury Dubrovnik market is finally doing well for season 2020, and there are plenty of seeds sown for season 2021.  

July 30, 2020 - Continuing our look at Dubrovnik tourism in the corona era, an interview with Ayhan Basci, General Manager of luxury Rixos Premium Dubrovnik.  

Last week, I accepted a couple of invitations to visit Dubrovnik to see how the Pearl of the Adriatic is faring in the corona era. My first host was the recently renovated luxury Rixos Premium Dubrovnik (you can read my impressions here). 

I took the opportunity to interview the Rixos Premium General Manager, Ayhan Basci, to learn more about the challenges of running a big hotel in these difficult times. 

Season 2020 is the most challenging in recent memory for the hospitality industry all over the world. How are things going?

This was unpredıctable and ıt can happen once ın a lıfe tıme. All types of ındustrıes have been affected, but we are the ones hıt by the pandemic the most. However, we have now completed our renovatıon and kept all staff possıble. As of today, we are receıvıng even more reservatıons. We are stıll thinking posıtıvely that we wıll make a good end of year.

Some hotels in Dubrovnik did not open at all, others cut staff. What has the Rixos approach been?

We are open all year. We wıll always keep doors open. It ıs other group hotels are closıng some of theır propertıes. We do understand that. We didn’t cut staff due to Covıd-19.

How does a general manager of a 310-room hotel prepare for the season this year with so much uncertainty?

I do not have a recommendatıon to anyone at all. Things are changıng on a daily basis, even from the mornıng to the afternoon. I am grateful to all suppliers, staff, and partners that they all understand the sıtuatıon. All partıes have contrıbuted their utmost to make the best of this chaotic situation.

You reopened a few months ago after a 20 million euro facelift. What are the main highlights of the new look?

We wanted to create an atmosphere that was Fresh, Natural, Healthy, Luxury. The maın aım ıs make the guests comfortable and to entertaın them. There are so many new additions with this renovation. 

The hotel has nine multifunctional meeting rooms with an offer of advanced technologies and due to its exceptional location, ie -its close proximity to the city centre of Dubrovnik, in a natural bay overlooking the nearby island of Lokrum, it is "ideal for business guests".It has nine multifunctional meeting rooms with an offer of advanced technologies and due to its exceptional location, ie -its close proximity to the city centre of Dubrovnik, in a natural bay overlooking the nearby island of Lokrum, it is "ideal for business guests".

A novelty in the offer is the Umi Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant, located next to the Libertas Lounge bar, where chefs with rich international experience prepare the most beautiful delicacies of Japanese cuisine with show cooking on the spot in front of the guests. Numerous delicacies are offered to guests on the menus of the Turquoise Restaurant, Sport Bar and Libertas Fish Restaurant located on the beach.

Three things struck me during my stay at Rixos Premium - the greenery, the space, and the wide range of activities. Tell us a little more about all three.

The vısıon of the archıtect was to create Dubrovnık gardens lıke those you can find around the old town or at the old summer resıdences. To connect the guests wıth nature even when they are ınsıde. The hotel ıtself ıs very spacıous, we have the largest lobby and publıc spaces so close to the old town. It gıves you a feelıng of space and freedom. In terms of actıvıtıes, we wıll have smart sport lıve, whıch ıs a weekly program wıth Domagoj Hum, Nordic walking, tennis, table tennis, billiards, qıgong. Besıde that we have aır hockey tables, table soccer, a large fıtness center and an amazıng spa.

Rixos has been active in the Dubrovnik market since 2007. How has that experience been so far?

To be honest, ıt has not always been easy, partıcularly wıth the paperwork etc. Stıll, we made ıt. We have an extraordınary product and we are lookıng forward to be one of the best Croatıan Hotels.

Last year, the biggest word associated with Dubrovnik was 'overtourism', something which is not mentioned in 2020. Is there a silver lining for Dubrovnik with the corona crisis? Time for a reset? What is your vision of the best way forward for Dubrovnik tourism?

I thınk ıt ıs a good tıme for everybody to reset. To fıgure out true values and where Dubrovnık tourısm should go. Absolutely not ın the mass tourısm dırectıon. Definitely, we should lımıt daıly vısıtors from outsıde the cıty. To prevent traffıc jams, so that guests staying ın Dubrovnık can easıly move around. As well, ıt should be a favorable place to lıve for locals. We need to strıve ın the luxury dırectıon but wıth an approprıate offer. Authorıtıes should be receptive new ıdeas. Rıcher guests have dıfferent expectatıons ın terms of offers and services, and we need to create what we do not have at thıs poınt. Thıs cıty ıs very beautıful and hıstorıcally sıgnıfıcant. Let’s not destroy ıt!

Three things about Dubrovnik you recommend to your guests that may not be the first thing in the guidebook?

It ıs hard to have a secret here, as all spots are quıet known. But my recommendatıons would be: Walk up the Srdj mountaın ıf you are a sports lover, vısıt Lokrum for a daytrıp and have a swım ın the seawater lake, followed by a nıce drınk watchıng peacocks and rabbıts runnıng around, visit the old town before ıt gets dark, walk around the narrow streets away from Stradun. Fınd a little bar or café and enjoy the beauty.

And finally, your favourite spot in Dubrovnik, and why?

Of course, thıs hotel and the Lıbertas Lobby Terrace. We are so close to the old town, but ın a quıet bay wıth a unıque vıew to Lokrum and Dance monastery.

Learn more about Rixos Premium Dubrovnik on the official website. 

Paul Bradbury was a guest of Rixos Premium Dubrovnik in July 2020.

July 25, 2020 - Rixos Premium Dubrovnik has reopened after a 20 million euro upgrade, the perfect viewpoint to explore luxury Dubrovnik tourism in the corona era. 

Stone and the waves.

The perfect end to the longest day. 

The lapping of the waves against the rocks below, as majestic Mount Srdj oversaw all. I had made it. 

It was always going to be an ambitious itinerary. Leaving Varazdin in the morning, destination Zagreb for two meetings. then continuing the journey to get the kids on the 16:30 catamaran to Jelsa, two more meetings, then on to Dubrovnik, a destination that I was very keen to visit this summer to see how the Pearl of the Adriatic looked during the corona era. 

I need not have worried. My final destination, having crossed most of Croatia in a day, was the luxury Rixos Premium Dubrovnik, who had invited me to stay to sample life in peak season Dubrovnik during the corona era. 

I could not have hoped for a better host. 

Arriving exhausted and famished at 22:40, I enquired about the remote possibility of a restaurant being open, to be greeted with a smile and escort to the beach bar where the kitchen had closed but they would find something for me to eat. As I waited for the lamb chops by the sea with the first beer of the day, I lost myself in the gentle breeze, the stone walls, those addictive waves. Paradise.

The view promised to be special in the morning if the evening vista was anything to go by, and so it proved. 

Late to bed, early to rise, for I had a 07:55 appointment at the old harbour for a guided tour of Lokrum, that enchanted island which is the perfect summer escape from the crowds in an average Dubrovnik summer. 

(Video of boat departure to the island of Lokrum from the old harbour in Dubrovnik Old Town, the perfect activity after breakfast)

This was far from an average Dubrovnik summer, I mused, as I wandered into the old town to experience a side of Dubrovnik that I - and most tourists - had not seen before. A city at the height of summer which was owned by the locals, whose daily habits - grocery shopping, morning coffee - were what caught the eye, rather than a mass of tourists. 

But all that was to come later, for first I bade temporary farewell to my delightful room and VERY comfy bed, before heading down to breakfast. 

The layout of the room was like none I had seen in my limited experience in luxury hotels, and it had the effect of turning it into a four-room affair. Firstly the desk at the head of the bed, then the welcoming double bed with television perched at the end. After that, two armchairs to admire the terrace and the view. And beyond that, the very spacious terrace itself, complete with table to sit and sun loungers to lounge. All that would have to wait, for first we had to ensure enough time for the most important meal of the day before my Lokrum tour - breakfast. 

I was curious to see how hotels would handle the buffet breakfast in the corona era with all social distancing requirements, and the Rixos Premium solution was genius indeed. Having ordered a coffee and orange juice, before settling on the eggs benedict, I was somewhat surprised to see the waitress return with a platter of food, then plates of food, then more plates. Meet the socially distanced buffet breakfast, Rixos style. 

Not that it was crowded. Not only was occupancy understandably down from the peak season highs of previous mid-Julys, but the overriding first impression one gets at Rixos Premium is one of space. The hotel is massive, the main reception rooms both spacious and green. The hotel only reopened on June 16 after a 20 million euro renovation, a renovation which lasted a little more than eight months in total, contains the ''signature'' of the famous hotel interior designer Ina Rinderknecht - the winner of numerous awards for luxury hotels she designed in Europe, in London, Zurich, Basel, and Dublin, as well as across the Atlantic over in California.

And the subtle details of Dubrovnik are everywhere... 

From the famous Dubrovnik rozeta in some table designs... 

To its picturesque arches... 

To the enticing photos of the old town and the treasures that await in this tastefully arranged photo collection on the walk through the corridor to the beach bar. 

Space everywhere. Even if the hotel had been completely full, I doubt that social distancing would be a challenge. 

Breakfast and the subsequent tour of the hotel with General Manager Ayhan Basci on the second morning was a fascinating affair. 

These are unprecedented times for the hospitality industry, and I was curious to see how the Rixos management was handling the crisis. My. Basci has kindly agreed to a full interview with TCN on that and Dubrovnik tourism, which we will publish shortly, but I was impressed that no staff have been laid off, despite the reduced guest traffic. 

And the tour showed that this was more than just a posh hotel, one whose space has been put to maximum use for the multiple purposes of its guests, with great diversity, with everything a short walk away. 

This sense of diversity was perhaps best illustrated as we headed towards the beach bar. But first, we went to the left and the indoor pool, situated next to a fully stocked gym. 

Then a door to the right, into a world of aromatic silence, where one could choose from no less than 110 types of tea as one entered the wellness zone. 

A zone which housed an enviable selection of sauna options. I have my eye next time on the Turkish bath to start... 

... then the Igloo to cool offf... 

... ending with a light sleep and complete detox in the salt room. 

 And then, through another door from that feeling of complete zen, another Rixos world and experience. The beach bar area and outdoor pool, a totally chilled zone, but from a different aspect than the saunas.  

A zone where your aspiring DJs were rehearsing their tunes. 

A beach bar area with the one thing that was omnipresent at Rixos - space. 

It was space which was put to good use, with little extras for the family that you do not find in every hotel - a dedicated billiards room, for example. 

As with the kids activities, so too with the adults. Looking to sneak away to catch your favourite sports game? Head to the Sports Bar. 

Or if you are looking to hold a business meeting, catch up with friends over a Turkish coffee (the owners are Turkish, so they know a thing or two about coffee), or just chill and enjoy the greenery all around, the Libertas Lobby and Terrace Bar is a popular spot. 

Want to put your name on some prime dry-aged steaks for your next visit? Reserve your piece here. 

Or head on out to the Umi Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant out on the terrace and watch your chef rustle up some of Japan's very finest before your very eyes. 

Perhaps you can catch sight from your terrace over morning coffee of your chef picking the herbs for your lunch from the Chef's Garden.

In a meeting with Mayor of Dubrovnik Mato Frankovic on the second day, the mayor told me that although the tourist numbers were obviously well down on previous years, the one encouraging factor was the number of luxury guests who were taking this unique opportunity to enjoy Dubrovnik without the crowds, spending accordingly. 

Dubrovnik in peak season has not been this incredible in the 18 years I have lived in Croatia, and it arguably will never be again. So I advise you to take the unique opportunity that is the present situation, and carpe diem. 

Stone and waves. Without the crowds. 

And the view is just a small part of the Rixos luxury on offer. 

To learn more about Rixos Premium Dubrovnik, visit the official website.  

For the latest news from Dubrovnik, follow the dedicated TCN section. 

Paul Bradbury was an invited guest of Rixos Premium Dubrovnik in July 2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik/Suzana Varosanec writes on the 9th of June, 2020, Croatia's southernmost city of Dubrovnik has got a completely renovated Hotel Rixos Premium Dubrovnik hotel, the doors of which are opening to guests on the 12th of June according to the company's announcement. This ''soft opening'' business period is set to begin immediately after the completion of the hotel's major investment.

Namely, the investment in the renovation of this well known and wildly popular Dubrovnik hotel, a component of the Rixos Hotels group and a shining star in the portfolio of the luxury class of the Accor group, amounted to a total of 20 million euros.

At the same time, this huge sum represents the largest investment for Dubrovnik's tourism after the global pandemic caused by COVID-19 struck the country, according to their statement.

The renovation, which lasted a little more than eight months in total, contains the ''signature'' of the the famous hotel interior designer Ina Rinderknecht - the winner of numerous awards for luxury hotels she designed in Europe, in London, Zurich, Basel, and Dublin, as well as across the Atlantic over in California.

Rixos Premium Dubrovnik boasts an impressive 310 rooms, suites and a presidential suite. It has nine multifunctional meeting rooms with an offer of advanced technologies and due to its exceptional location, ie -its close proximity to the city centre of Dubrovnik, in a natural bay overlooking the nearby island of Lokrum, it is "ideal for business guests".

''A novelty in the offer is the Umi Teppanyaki Japanese restaurant, located next to the Libertas Lounge bar, where chefs with rich international experience prepare the most beautiful delicacies of Japanese cuisine with show cooking on the spot in front of the guests. Numerous delicacies are offered to guests on the menus of the Turquoise Restaurant, Sport Bar and Libertas Fish Restaurant located on the beach,'' the statement said, emphasising that the hotel employs 130 employees from all over the world and has a rich international experience in luxury hotels and restaurants.

They are proud, they say, of the multiculturalism of their staff and the positive emotions that such inspiring work environments bring, while respecting Dubrovnik's deep and rich tradition and history.

For more, follow our travel page.

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