Hotel Excelsior Dubrovnik

The Excelsior has perched on the cliffs above the Adriatic just outside Dubrovnik's Old City walls since 1913, giving it both the finest views in town and the necessary distance from the summer crowds that pack the Stradun below. The terrace, where dinner is served with the illuminated Old Town glowing across the water as a backdrop, offers one of the most dramatic dining settings anywhere on the Mediterranean coast. Winston Churchill and Elizabeth Taylor both stayed within these walls, drawn by the same view that draws guests today. 158 rooms and a private beach, in a city that otherwise has precious few of either.