Accommodation in the old town is limited to two places: the Pucic Palace (Ul.od Puca 1, 326222, www.thepucicpalace.com, €330-€640), where the modest front door belies the classy interior of a former nobleman’s home, and the diminutive Hotel Stari Grad (Od Sigurate 4, 322244, www.hotelstarigrad.com, €115-€189), with only eight rooms. We recommend the Hotel Lero (Iva Vojnovica 14, 341333, www.hotel-lero.hr, €80-€140), a renovated socialist-style three-star, located halfway between the old town and Lapad. The rooms are simple, the breakfast is good and the location is ideal. For the seaside pleasures of Lapad, stay at the thoroughly modernised Kompas (Setaliste Kralja Zvonimira 56, 352000, www.hotel-kompas.hr, €150), with indoor and outdoor pools, a sauna and sea views. Opened in the spring of 2007, the Importanne Resort (Kardinala Alojzije Stepinca 31, 440 100, www.hotel-neptun.hr) is an ambitious recreation complex on the Lapad headland comprising two overhauled holiday hotels, the Neptun and the Ariston, and two upscale properties, the Importanne Suites and the Villa Elita.

Budget travellers should look out for the blue ‘Sobe’ signs for a private room, or have Atlas Travel (Cira Carica 3, 442222, www.atlas-croatia.com) near Pile Gate arrange one for them.

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