With its accession to the E.U. to be finalized in 2013, Croatia finds itself once more at the heart of Europe — and that's good news for the tourism industry of the Dalmatian coast. Occupying a plum position on what some tout as "the next Riviera" is the Rixos Libertas Dubrovnik. A favorite of communist-bloc holidaymakers in the 1970s, the hotel was virtually destroyed by shelling during the Balkan wars of the 1990s. It has now been rebuilt by the Turkish Rixos group as a luxury resort.
Most of the 254 rooms and suites — furnished in crisp whites and soothing neutrals — offer views of the smoldering Adriatic sunset, as do the hotel's sweeping terraces. Two floors are given over to a sumptuous spa, and there's a decent choice of restaurants, including the city's only Turkish eatery, Lalezar, and the excellent Azzur, which makes delicious use of locally caught seafood. If you want to walk off your meal, it's a pleasant 20-minute stroll from the hotel to the UNESCO World Heritage old city, now painstakingly restored after wartime shelling. The Dalmatian coast is happily back in business.
Rooms at the Rixos Libertas start at just $70 per person. See rixos.com.