Grand Hotel Bernardin

“Unique hotel on the Adriatic Sea”

Just spent 5 days here with a conference - could not have been better. Right between a 4 and 5 star because of some amenity issues, the staff and service are excellent. Just a couple of minor issues - door locks are funky - I stay in a lot of hotels and the handles don't turn here - you put your … more

Just spent 5 days here with a conference - could not have been better. Right between a 4 and 5 star because of some amenity issues, the staff and service are excellent. Just a couple of minor issues - door locks are funky - I stay in a lot of hotels and the handles don't turn here - you put your key on the reader and push the door. Also - no deadbolt or security chain on the door - other than that, room was very nice and the common areas are really nice and well maintained. I saw someone comment that they "struggle to speak English" at this hotel - well - you aren't in Kansas anymore so maybe that is to be expected. I got along great and speak no Slovenia other than "dober dan" - which I had many a "good day" while at the hotel. It is a unique hotel - lobby on the top floor - rooms down below. Food was excellent with a good variety. Flying out tomorrow so I am staying near the airport and I already miss this location. Tried to add photos - changed to jpg, but still didn't work.

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“nor a 5 star hotel”

The location is great- right in the middle between Portoroz and Piran. Great views across the adriatic from all of the rooms. Good and modern bathroom with walk-in shower. The halfboard we had was good. Breakfast and Dinner were very good on Saturday and Easter Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday the se… more

The location is great- right in the middle between Portoroz and Piran. Great views across the adriatic from all of the rooms. Good and modern bathroom with walk-in shower. The halfboard we had was good. Breakfast and Dinner were very good on Saturday and Easter Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday the selection shrunk to half the size. Service was not what one would expect from a five star hotel. Beverages for breakfast were self-service. The rooms were on the small side for a 5 star resort. And the beds were not good at all. Even a Hampton or Motel one have better mattrasses.

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“A bit of a disappointment, no character”

This is a very large hotel and maybe it has a buzz in the summer months but by October it felt soulless. The dining room decor was very dated and the area was huge. There was a vast group in for breakfast, possibly from a cruise ship, and that didn't help the vibe. The gym was OK but nothing specia… more

This is a very large hotel and maybe it has a buzz in the summer months but by October it felt soulless. The dining room decor was very dated and the area was huge. There was a vast group in for breakfast, possibly from a cruise ship, and that didn't help the vibe. The gym was OK but nothing special and I was very surprised that it didn't open until 9am. Surely lots of people want to exercise early in the morning before breakfast, I know that's my preferred time and I don't think I am alone. In terms of location, its a little in the middle of Piran and Portoroz but actually in neither place. There was a charge for parking which seemed egregious. When you are in a confined city centre location you maybe expect this but they had a huge car park with loads of spaces available so it just felt like an opportunity to gouge more money out of you. I would stay somewhere else if I was coming again.

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“Not 5* experience”

We stayed in interconnecting rooms as a family of 5. First the positives… The hotel is in a great location being walking distance to both Piran and Portoroz. The rooms are comfortable and a good shower. I think every room has a sea view which is such a treat! Another highlight of the hotel is t… more

We stayed in interconnecting rooms as a family of 5. First the positives… The hotel is in a great location being walking distance to both Piran and Portoroz. The rooms are comfortable and a good shower. I think every room has a sea view which is such a treat! Another highlight of the hotel is the breakfast which offers plenty of choice. The rooftop bar has amazing views and they also had a couple good singers in the 6 nights we were there. Now for the less positive points… I would not class this hotel as a 5* property for the lack of attention to the luxury side of services and also that the hotel feels very old. The air conditioning was not great and although we booked a double room it was two beds put together and single duvets. We booked the other room for three people ( which was acknowledged at check in) but the sofa bed was not set up and we had to request this twice before it was made up. In addition there were only two sets of towels supplied. There was no water in the room at all which I would expect in a 5* hotel. When I requested this as I often suffer from drinking different water, I was told it was not included and I would need to purchase from the mini bar. The manager said he was listening to my reasons and said he would arrange water for the following day… ( he claimed that no water could be found that evening as the housekeepers had gone) Later the next day I got a jug of tap water! So my reasons had not been listened to . When I spoke to him on another occasion, he mentioned the ‘special water’ I said he had not resolved the problem by giving tap water. No further action was taken. The hotel sell bottled water at the beach bar with their own label of ‘sava hotels’ and indeed we got a bottle on our last day in our packed breakfast box… sadly a cost cutting move that was disappointing that they couldn’t understand my request . The toiletries were in tiny, single use bottles which most hotels are now thankfully moving away from to be more environmentally friendly. No conditioner was supplied and I was told it was not included when I requested it. We travelled around Slovenia and the other hotels had all provided these basics. The toiletries were not topped up and I found that I had to call down to reception many times to request more. Each room has tea and coffee but no milk/creamer supplied… again something all the other hotels had. I requested milk/creamer and was again told it is not something the hotel supplies. Eventually someone from reception delivered some milk from breakfast to our room when I complained. The room daily cleaning was pretty basic, lacking the 5* treatment and luxury again… in addition to things not being topped up the dirty cups were not taken away and the tea was not replaced. More calls to reception! The towels were replaced ( whether in the shower or not) but the previous towels were left hanging up! The pool photos on the website show a blue water colour, in fact the pool is green and there is a scum around the drains and the tiles. It’s indoor which is such a shame but the sea is beautiful. It is a small pool in a huge atrium area, they could have put so much more in there! The pools at the other hotel, which you can use at ‘Histrion’ are so busy and also indoor ( and green water) just not for me or my kids who normally love pools. Lastly, a mix of views on the area by the sea. I felt it was a concrete jungle but the view is amazing of the sea… just took me time to adjust to it. There is a pebble beach area and plenty of steps and pontoons to use to enter and exit the water. Some plants and smarter sunbeds would lift the experience to make it 5*. However , we could all get a lounger and umbrellas which was great and also towels each day. When entering the hotel sea front the area to the right is at an additional cost for hotel guests, which I felt was really poor. As far as I could work out they got a glass of sparkling wine, and a padded sun bed for a daily charge. It’s the little details that make the difference and also how requests are followed up by staff. Having to call reception nearly everyday about the same issues is not ideal and not what you want to do on holiday.

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