Neighborhood/Hotel in Dubrovnik

I am finding it very difficult to get a hotel (I guess because it's high season? Or I'm late?)

Yes and yes!

You're right, Dubrovnik's old town is much more appealing than Lapad (which is OK, just not very exciting). I've stayed both at the old town and in Lapad on separate trips. There is good bus service to the old town from Lapad, though. So, you'll just have to weigh location vs. budget. Either way, I hope you get to enjoy the old town at night when it is more quiet, after the mobs of tour groups that clog up the place in the daytime have gone! Try to make it to the Buza Bar too around sunset (in the old town walls; you don't have to drink or even buy anything, but it might be busy).

It's hard to see on a map, but the old town (which is not very big) is built on the side of a hill. There are some steep steps up even inside the town as "streets." Some apartments might have steep steps to climb, so be aware of that.

I stayed just outside the Pile Gate, which is a fairly flat area but also an easy walk into town. I liked this area. (On a Google Map, look for the expensive Hilton Imperial hotel as a marker; I stayed in a cheap place just across the street from that.) There is also a major bus stop near the Imperial; not sure if you can catch an airport bus from there, but I wouldn't be surprised if you can. The bus from Lapad stops here for sure.

I'd pop open Booking.com and use the map feature and browse for available places - but yeah, it's late for July and that is high season. Decide for yourself whether it's worth the extra cost! If not, the buses back to Lapad run pretty late. Again, try to walk around the old town at night - very lovely and more quiet!

There are a few places on booking.com for Saturday July 6 under $150. Stay near the Ploča orBuža exits as these are closer to the bus stop for the airport shuttle bus. It is an easy walk from these exits. The bus stops near the entrance to the cable car up to Mt. Srd. The Hilton side, or the Pile Gate is where the bus from the airport drops you off.

We stayed across the bay from Dubrovnik in Cavtat. You'll notice Cavtat is very near the Airport so it makes for a very quick trip for you to catch your flight on Sunday morning. There are water taxis/shuttles that go back and forth quite regularly. You said you want to be in the middle of things so maybe it's an option to spend the Saturday night in Dubrovnik then escape across the bay in the evening to quiet Cavtat by boat. Seeing the lights of Dubrovnik from the water at night is quite a sight.

Or alternately, spend your final evening in Cavtat instead. There are plenty of restaurants and bars on the harbour, and a waterfront promenade.

Thanks all, that was all super helpful.

Another tool for you to help with your decision making is the Crew Centre website. http://crew-center.com/dubrovnik-croatia-cruise-ships-schedule-2019

You can use this to check the number of ships and passengers in Dubrovnik on the day you will be there, and the duration of their stay. For example, on Saturday July 6 there will be 3 ships in port, with about 6300 passengers in total (2 of the ships leaving by 1pm, accounting for about 5,000 passengers. The third ship leaves around midnight , with 1258 passengers). Saturday July 13 (arriving 8am, departing 2pm) will have just one ship and 2838 passengers.

From this information, you can find the best time of day to do your sightseeing on your Saturday in July.

Peter, that cruise website is FASCINATING. I've spent all morning playing around on it!

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I ended up booking the Scalini Palace near the Ploce gate. Well over my original price range, but the location looked ideal and I really wanted to place that was more of a hotel/guesthouse and not just a AirBnB (I feel more comfortable as a solo traveler that way). Now I just have to wait until July to get to enjoy!