Radisson Blu's resort village 11 kilometres north of the Old Town — 408 rooms, suites and residences cascading down a Mediterranean hillside to a private beach, multiple pools, the Goran Ivanišević tennis academy, the Vita Spa, and eight dining outlets.
"The largest five-star resort on the Croatian Adriatic — 408 rooms and residences arranged as a Mediterranean village down a private hillside in Orasac, the Dubrovnik Riviera answer when the city itself becomes too dense in July and August. Tennis with Ivanišević, the Vita Spa, eight restaurants and a private beach on a 17-acre site."
Sun Gardens Dubrovnik occupies a 17-acre Mediterranean hillside in the small village of Orasac, eleven kilometres north of Dubrovnik on the Dubrovnik Riviera. The property opened in 2009 as the largest single five-star resort development on the Croatian coast — a low-rise village of stone-and-render hotel buildings, family-sized residences and a private beach designed to read as a Dalmatian hillside hamlet rather than a single resort structure. The property has operated under the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa branding since 2014, with regular soft refurbishments through the late 2010s and 2020s and a major revision of the residences and the spa programme completed in 2022.
The 408 keys are split between 207 hotel rooms and suites in the principal hotel buildings (Deluxe Sea View, Premium Sea View, Junior Suites, Family Suites and the Presidential Suite at the top of the hillside) and 201 residences spread across the lower-hill stone buildings — one-, two-, three- and four-bedroom self-catering apartments with kitchens, dining areas, balconies and gardens. The residence inventory is the largest at any Croatian luxury resort and the line that explains why Sun Gardens consistently outperforms competitors on multi-generational family bookings, longer two-week stays, and small-group celebrations. Interiors are contemporary Mediterranean — a lighter, more refreshed register than the Lapad cluster, with pale stone, white render and natural-fibre furnishings.
Eight dining outlets cover every age group. Sensus is the principal contemporary-Mediterranean restaurant on the central terrace; Latino is the family-grill operation; Asia handles pan-Asian; the Beach Bar handles lunch on the seafront; the lobby bar and the Sunset Lounge handle the cocktail-hour programme; Gelateria handles the children's afternoons; and the in-residence catering programme handles dinner-in-residence for the larger family bookings. The Vita Spa runs a 1,800-square-metre operation across two levels — five pools (one indoor, four outdoor including the lagoon-style central pool and the family pool), saunas and steam rooms, a fitness centre with sea views, ten treatment rooms and a hammam — the largest hotel-spa programme on the Dubrovnik Riviera by some margin. The Goran Ivanišević tennis academy operates four hard courts on the upper-hill terraces with summer training programmes for guests.
The position is the central proposition for everyone who has been to Dubrovnik in high season and decided not to stay in the Old Town crush again. Orasac is a 15-minute drive (or hotel shuttle) from the Pile Gate, with a private beach below the property, the green Mediterranean hillside above it, and none of the cruise-ship density that affects the Lapad cluster on heavy summer days. For families travelling with grandparents, children and teenagers — for any group where the resort itself needs to function as the primary daytime destination — Sun Gardens handles the brief better than any other property in Dubrovnik. The combination of the residences, the multiple pools, the spa, the tennis academy and the eight dining outlets is unmatched on the Croatian coast.
For Dubrovnik family holidays with multi-generational groups, longer stays, or any party that includes children of mixed ages, Sun Gardens is the only seriously credentialed answer. The Two- and Three-Bedroom Residences with kitchens and balconies are the central booking; the Family Suites in the main hotel building are the alternative. The combination of five pools, the kids' club, the tennis academy and the private beach means the 17-acre site itself is the daytime programme.
For Dubrovnik wellness retreats the 1,800-square-metre Vita Spa is — alongside the Hotel Dubrovnik Palace Energy Clinic — the deepest spa programme in Croatia. Junior Suites with the larger balcony are the central wellness booking; the longer-format programmes typically run over five to seven nights with morning yoga on the terrace, the spa circuit through the afternoon, and the contemporary-Mediterranean menu at Sensus.
For Dubrovnik anniversary stays at the resort tier — couples who want a one- or two-week resort holiday, want a full spa programme, and want to be away from the Old Town crush — Sun Gardens is the most reliable booking on the Dubrovnik Riviera. Premium Sea View rooms with the larger balcony are the central booking; the Presidential Suite for the milestone version. The Sensus restaurant at sunset is the typical evening anchor.
Na Moru 1
20234 Orasac
Dubrovnik Riviera, Croatia
Pile Gate (Old Town) 15 minutes by car or hotel shuttle; Lapad Bay 12 minutes by car; Dubrovnik (DBV) Airport 40 minutes by car
408 keys (207 hotel + 201 residences)
Deluxe Sea View from €300/night
Premium Sea View from €400/night
Junior Suites from €600/night
Two-Bedroom Residences from €750/night
Presidential Suite from €2,500/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 11:00 AM
Opened 2009; Radisson Blu Resort & Spa branding since 2014; major spa and residence refresh completed 2022
Five pools (1 indoor, 4 outdoor)
Vita Spa (1,800 sq m)
Eight restaurants and bars
Goran Ivanišević tennis academy
Private beach on the Adriatic
Kids' & teens' clubs
Two-, three- & four-bedroom residences
From €300/night for hotel rooms; from €750/night for the Two-Bedroom Residences. Three- and Four-Bedroom Residences book five to six months ahead for July and August; hotel rooms book three months ahead for the same period and six weeks for May, June, September and October.
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