Bluesun Hotel Elaphusa

Bluesun Hotel Elaphusa is a sizeable seaside hotel in Bol, with 307 rooms and a practical, activity-led character. It suits you if your ideal shore day includes a swim, a proper meal, a spell in the wellness centre and perhaps a few sets of tennis rather than a small property where the main entertainment is finding the reception desk.

The hotel works for couples, families and active travellers who want plenty within easy reach. The sea is 50 metres away, the beach access is direct, and the setting gives you room to choose your pace: pool, spa, terrace, town or a walk towards Zlatni Rat. The building was last renovated in 2022.

You are in Bol, on the island of Brač, at Put Zlatnog rata 46. The hotel sits directly by the coast, with Potočine Beach and Borak Beach both roughly a tenth of a mile away. Mali Rat Beach is about a quarter of a mile away, while Zlatni Rat Beach is around half a mile on foot.

Bol’s bus station is about 0.7 miles away. You can walk towards the beaches, the bars and the restaurants around Zlatni Rat, including Auro and Cocktail Bar Auro at roughly 1 mile, while Pizzeria Navis is about 0.4 miles away. Villa Rustica Zlatni Rat is around 0.7 miles away, giving you a nearby change of scenery when the sea has had enough of your attention for one day.

The room choice is less about finding somewhere merely large enough to sleep and more about deciding how much space you want around the day’s luggage, clothes and general holiday debris. Couples can keep things straightforward with a king-size double room, while the sea-side options add a more open coastal outlook. For more breathing room, the Junior Suite and the larger family rooms make better sense than trying to live out of a smaller room for a full week.

Air conditioning matters on a warm island, particularly when you return tired, salty and ready to stop moving. Rooms also have a minibar, an electric kettle, a flat-screen television with cable and satellite channels, a desk and a hairdryer. Soundproofing is included, which should help keep the night separate from the rest of a busy hotel. WiFi is available throughout the property.

Families have dedicated room categories, a children’s club, a playground and a children’s pool on site. Children of any age are welcome, although children aged 14 and over are charged as adults; cots can be requested, while extra beds are not available. That makes the family-room options worth examining carefully before you book.

Breakfast and dinner are served as buffets, giving you the useful option of eating properly without turning every evening into a restaurant expedition. Breakfast covers continental, Italian, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and American choices. In other words, there is enough range for a mixed table without requiring a committee meeting before the first coffee.

There are two restaurants. Taverna Vallum is the one to choose when you want an à la carte meal, with local and international specialities rather than a second round of buffet plates. A bar with a terrace gives you somewhere to sit with a drink after dinner, and the tepidarium also has a cocktail bar.

Room service is available, and packed lunches can be arranged for days when you are heading out rather than sitting down for a full meal. The hotel also runs themed dinner evenings, adding a little variety without pretending that every night needs an event attached to it.

The pool set-up gives you several ways to spend a non-diving afternoon: an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a children’s paddling pool and a sunbathing area. The direct beach access adds the more obvious option, with sun loungers, parasols, showers and changing rooms by the sea. Choose the pool if you want convenience; choose the beach if you prefer the Adriatic doing the entertaining.

The Thalasso Wellness Centre is the hotel’s main recovery room, with saunas, steam facilities, a hammam, hydromassage hot tubs, a heated-water tepidarium, ceramic beds and a relaxation area. There are 12 beauty treatment rooms, massage and beauty services, plus a fitness centre with classes and personal training. It is the sort of arrangement that lets you replace one strenuous activity with another, should that be your idea of rest.

Away from the water and wellness areas, the hotel has a tennis centre with 20 clay courts, tennis equipment, table tennis and bowling. Bicycle hire, bike tours, local-culture tours, windsurfing, snorkelling and other water sports are also available. Evening entertainment, live sports broadcasts and organised entertainment give couples and families something to do when dinner is over but bedtime feels premature.

Brac Airport is about 2 miles from the hotel by road, while Split Airport is around 45 miles away by road. An airport shuttle and a general shuttle service can be arranged through the hotel, either privately or as a shared service depending on the arrangement. Car hire is available, and private parking is on site.

Check-in runs from 15:00 to midnight, with check-out by 11:00. The reception is open around the clock, with luggage storage, a tour desk, an ATM and a safety deposit box. Laundry and ironing services are available, as is a wake-up service; useful details when a morning departure has been scheduled with the optimism of someone who has forgotten the previous evening.

Cash is not accepted at the hotel. Pets are welcome, with a maximum of one pet weighing up to 15 kilos. Non-smoking rooms are available, and upper floors can be reached by lift.