What People are saying

Nearly there, just a few touches and it’s going to be perfect

ivanamdbon 17/08/2017 20:07

We stayed here at the end of July. (I booked back in May, directly through Korculahotels (avoiding the middleman) and I was offered a selection of hotels, room types and boards, and was assured by the nice gentleman that Port 9 would be refurbished in time for the season.
Firstly, I must say I was pretty scared reading the reviews, and called the hotel to ask if the situation was really that dire. The nice lady reassured me that things were up and running smoothly.
So, we went… and I was still scared, but the moment we arrived at the reception, and were warmly welcomed by the smiling receptionist (Fani and Iva are super helpful and always radiant) all my fears disappeared. Check-in was fast, efficient, all information clearly provided. (One of the best check-in experiences I have had in the past years).
Our room was in the Makul building (and I would like to thank the staff for putting us in this building – close to parking (as we came by car), in the same building as the kid’s club and close to the restaurant, and also because we could see the saltwater pools from our room – an added bonus, as I could let my older child to that pool area unsupervised, but still within sight, plus it was a very quiet room). This is a refurbished socialist building, and given what they had, they have done an excellent job with the refurbishment. The junior suite was spacious for the 4 of us and very clean. I would not have put a carpet in a seaside hotel and I would have designed the bathroom a bit better (large space, but not used in the most effective way), and I would have put one of those drying racks on the balcony (for towels and swimming costumes and gear).
Cleaning was impeccable and the cleaning ladies very nice. One thing though – the range of toiletries was not that of a 4 star – no shower caps provided for example. I liked the lavender pouches on the pillows, lavender is always a good idea!
The kid’s club was great – their international staff was brilliant, speaking a number of languages and engaging all of the kids, which is a challenging task as there are kids of different ages and who speak different languages (Ivana and Fanny were super nice). The kid’s playroom facilities were also great.
The evening entertainment programme was not intense – if you are looking for a closed-type resort where staff is jumping around dancing, singing to entertain you, then this is not the place for you (not sure they even exist in Croatia). There is low-key entertainment (which we found ideal and not overpowering) –a quiz night for the parents right after the kid’s disco (so, because you as a parent are already there, sitting and waiting for your kids, then you get this kind of “extra bonus” of a bit of fun for yourself); there was a piano bar style entertainment (a man softly playing the piano while people chat at their tables) or a typical Dalmatian a cappella group singing during dinner time.
Bear in mind that this is not your typical “closed” resort, where you spend 24/7 there – it is close to Korcula town, which is a buzzing little historical town with a lot to offer. Go, explore the town in the evening, you won’t regret it. There were a lot of British travellers, who I guess booked through tour operators and/or organised travel, and I guess they were disappointed because of this. This is a place more for continental tourists, who don’t need someone to entertain them all the time, but love exploring the surrounding area. To the hotel magement - please don't change this, keep the entertainment low-key and soft.
The grounds are well-kept, there was no sign of building work as in some of the previous photos posted by some travellers.
The food… as most travellers have already said – the buffet breakfasts and dinners aren’t something special. Actually, in my view this is the only failing point for a 4 star hotel. The coffee is a bit sad as are the juices (concentrate, not juice). I would have hoped they at least served proper coffee. But there was enough choice, i.e. you wouldn’t starve. The young lady frying the omelettes was quite grumpy (I understand it’s a boring job and it’s really hot there, but hey, that’s what you signed up for), and as the days passed the number of people queuing for omelettes was dwindling. I guess that was her objective in reality. The other waiters and kitchen staff (especially the older ones) were lovely, especially a waiter called Smiljan.
The pools are rather small, but there isn’t really a need for massive pools when you have marvellous beaches in front of you. There were sufficient loungers (at least for us – we only used the pools for a quick swim and then we’d go see the island or explore surrounding beaches). I preferred the saltwater pools, as they were less crowded and there was more space around them. The infinity pool would be packed at times and the guy monitoring it wasn’t really doing much in terms of supervision.
The hotel also had a small electric buggy and you could hail it if you wanted to go to the other side of the hotel grounds. Another excellent thing is the service they arranged with a local company, run by a young man called Frano – electric buggies/taxis which would take you directly to the centre of Korcula for 60 kune (added bonus is that he knows everything that is happening, knows everyone, and if you are looking for a special place to dine or something else, he will definitely point you in the right direction). Taxi boats were also available from the hotel beach to Korcula town (60 kune for 4 persons).
Overall, a very enjoyable experience, I’d give it a B+, and I think if they solve these minor "teething" issues (like food) they are heading for a straight A. I think we will be coming back next year again.

Great potential but problems need to be addressed

berkshiretravell2017on 16/08/2017 23:20

This hotel is actually a complex which includes a campsite and apartments. Whilst our rooms were lovely, some of the hotel amenities were more akin to a campsite than 4 star hotel
The main problem in my opinion was the smell of sewage in the pool area and on the terrace where we ate breakfast and dinner. We complained about it as soon as we arrived but it got worse as our stay went on. On the last day we had eat inside rather than on the terrace to get away from the smell which wafted over at intervals.
The sunbed situation around the main pool was really disappointing, the hotel could have placed more beds around the infinity pool but guest queued from 8.30 for a bed and within 30 seconds of the pool opening at 9 am all beds were taken.
The 2 sea water pools are tiny and the area around these pools is not landscaped or pleasant to sit.
There is no life in the hotel in the evening, just one bar at the back of the hotel.
Good points are
Nice rooms
Lovely views especially from the infinity pool and terrace outside restaurant.
Regular transport to Korcula town by boat or electric buggy from the hotel
Taxi boats to islands, aqua park, canoes, paddle boards all available from the sea front of hotel.
Friendly and helpful staff

This hotel has great potential but needs to address its problems.

Beautiful location - hotel almost getting it right

SI0726on 12/08/2017 22:26

I was so worried about our holiday beforehand having read poor reviews but when we arrived that it was much better than I was expecting and we had a great time. The location is really lovely and we found lots of things to do locally. Our room was new or newly refurbished. It was spotless, everything worked well and the cleaning service was spot on. The staff were lovely and the staff on receptionin particular were really helpful with advice on planning trips out.

Going to the old town is a must as it is just beautiful. Walking took us about 20 mins or the water taxi is great value (about £2). We also went to Lumbarda beach by local bus (from the front of the hotel), to Orebic on as foot passengers on the car ferry, to a local island from a taxi boat from the hotel jetty and the National Park on the catamaran from the old town. We enjoyed every day out we did and they were all easy to plan.

My daughter really loved the kids club and the staff were really good with them. The food was fine but nothing to write home about. I'm vegetarian and it was easy enough to find options. If I was to go back the things I would look for to improve would be that there were more sunbeds (as I couldn't face getting up and joining the queue hence in 2 weeks we never had a sunbed at the pool or on the beach) and maybe a bit more variety with the food. I think they are resolving the initial teething problems that came with being a new resort and if they keep listening to feedback I think it will be easy to make it a really special place.

Great Holiday

KingofHarrogateon 12/08/2017 18:59

We have just returned from 11 nights at Port 9. I was really worried having read the initial reviews but we decided to arrive with an open mind.

We arrived by boat and found our way to reception. Ours bags were transported to reception for us. Check in was quick and friendly.

The room was excellent. A family room for two adults and two small children. My 5 &6 year old shared a room, has their own beds and bathroom separated from us by a sliding door. The room was spacious,modern,new and clean. Towels and linen changed as often as you like.

The overall resort is finished to a good standard,they have tried their best to update the accommodation blocks from the outside and they really are not as ugly as mentioned in previous reviews.

Breakfast was great. Plenty of choice for everyone. Dinner is fine but nothing to write home about,however plenty of hot food, lots of salad,fresh bread,fruit and ice cream for the kids! The main restaurant is a bit manic but if you pick your time right you can eat outside which is beautiful or inside the smaller restaurant which is perfectly pleasant. Korcula Town has a huge choice of good restaurants which we did try out a couple of nights. In hindsight we may choose bed and breakfast if we went back to make the most of Korcula on a night. Drinks are quite pricey on site but there is a supermarket across he road which we used to stock up out fridge in the room and buy some lunch. They do have a nice pizza restaurant on the beach but it can be quite a wait.

All the staff are very pleasant,polite and hard working.

Kids club is great and gets the kids out of the sun for a bit,it was mid to high 30's whilst we were there. The team are very enthusiastic and good with children.

Now for the sun bed situation! Yes it is true you have to queue if you want a bed. Our attitude was 'if you can't beat them join them' not a biggie, I read my book whilst waiting or chatted to fellow visitors. The hotel can't win in this situation. If the open the pool earlier or not close it at all you will only find visitors reserving them during the night or early hours. They can however increase the number of sun beds at the other pools and other parts of the hotel. I personally think if they swapped the salt water pools for fresh water then more people would happily use them. The infinity pool will always be popular due to the beautiful views of the bay which is breathtaking.

We went on the fish picnic trip and hired our own boat for two days which we would highly recommend. Great fun anchoring up anywhere you like and jumping in to the crystal blue water and discovering the small Islands nearby.

Korcula Town is lovely. Very pretty with lots of history. Easy walking distance or you can get a water taxi and takes 5 minutes. We also got the golf buggy back a few times which the kids loved.

So in summary....don't come here if you are determined to hate it and pick fault with everything (trust me we came across some winging Brits who probably complain for a living!) ......this hotel is perfect for families (as it advertises itself) don't come here if you are wanting a quiet getaway in the middle of he summer holidays! .......if the sunbed situation is likely to ruin your holiday go elsewhere, or if you want to discover a beautiful island, crystal blue coves and friendly islanders then you will enjoy yourself. If you don't like mass catering and help yourself buffets then go b&b and enjoy the food in the town.

We had a great holiday and would return.

Barely a 3 star!!!

Shazzer Ton 12/08/2017 11:36

I'm currently stopping here with my family, on a 2 week break. When I booked this holiday I was informed on the Jet 2 website that it was a brand new hotel and not refurbished as it is, upon arriving after a nightmare of a transfer which was longer than the plane flight, our hearts sank! It was quite clear that the hotel was no where near finished. We were ushered to a reception area that was over the road from the hotel it was like walking into a time zone. A hotel that gives itself a 4star rating should not have a reception area that resembles self catering apartments from 30 years ago! I'm 50 years old and I'm well travelled and believe you get what you pay for, not in this case we paid a lot of money for this hotel in fact more than last year where we stopped in 5star luxury! If you are going to take people's hard earned money then have the decency not to rip them off with very very basic amenities. The main pool is tiny, and be prepared to queue from 7 in the morning to get a plastic a sunbed. The pool attendant does not open the pool gates till 9 where once opened it's like a scene from Black Friday sales!!!! With parents telling children to run and push adults out of the way to get sun beds. Food well if you like canteen style then you will be okay. To say it's basic would be an understatement. Entertainment is literally non existent, after dinner which only has a 2hour window there is no where to sit and chill. Overall we have stopped in better 3star accommodation but only paid 3star prices. This is no where near a 4star and don't know where it got its rating from, such a shame as the island is very scenic. Won't be returning and certainly will not be recommending this hotel as we work hard all year long for our holiday in the sun but totally feel ripped off. Tour operators need to re- avaluate the extortionate prices that they are charging for a hotel that barely meets 3star standards.