We had the room that Expedia identifies as "Suite, Balcony, Sea View." We were mightily impressed by the quality of the room, its layout, its cleanliness, the fun in-room bathtub, the luxurious shower, the in-room coffee and espresso machines (thank God!), the view from the balcony out over the beach (plus there were two additional mini balconies!), and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff.
The tall gentleman who checked us in (I forget his name) helped me place a takeaway order with a local restaurant after we arrived, by calling them and having the conversation in Croatian. This was massively helpful. Later, another employee gave us information on catching the bus to go into Split. Finally, although we slept through breakfast two out of three mornings, the experience on the third day before we left was marvelous. Lea was friendly and fun and helpful.
After getting an email about adding parking rights for €10/day, I responded saying I wanted to do that, and they got back to me right away and told me it was no problem. Indeed, the parking space was right outside the entrance—super convenient.
The value for the money we spent was excellent. Hotel Aria is a candidate for my favorite hotel stay in my whole life. There's no catch, other than its being not centrally located in Split. We probably liked it better staying in Podstrana than we would have staying in Split, anyway.
I hope this hotel continues to uphold the same level of quality!
