Croatia & Slovenia

Best and worst accommodations:

Best:
Why: We found both of our accommodations through the website you recommended, www.dubrovnikapartmentsource.com, and both were excellent. Star House in the Old Town was really modern and clean and the owner was very friendly. He met us at the Pile gate and took us to the apartment, helping us with our luggage up the steps along the way. For the 2nd half of our trip we stayed in Soleil apartment in Ploce. It was spacious, spotlessly clean, and had views to die for! Booking both of these apartments was quick and easy and any questions I had were answered almost immediately by the owners of the service.

Melissa in Dallas, TX USA 10/29/2009

Best: Grand Hotel Toplice
Why: All around classy place!

Worst: Plitvice - Hotel Jezero
Why: No hot water for anybody in the morning. Service in the restaurant very indifferent.

Richard Lee in Ottawa, ON Canada 10/23/2009

Best: Motel kriva cuprija in mostar
Why: The manager treated us like royalty, helped us to park the car and gave us an upgraded room. You are surrounded by waterfall sounds. The location is outstanding, just a walk up to the path gets you to the old bridge.

Amy Adler in Baltimore, Md USA 10/22/2009

Best: Mayer Penzion - Lake Bled
Why: Very clean; great choice of food for included breakfast; very friendly, helpful, professional staff

Worst: Henrik Apartments
Why: Rooms share bathroom (not as listed); no air-conditioning in rooms (as stated by agent); dogs barking/loud talking outside early in morning; no one on site that speaks/understands English very well; spartan amenities; staff makes promises and then doesn't follow through; concerns are not handled professionally (I have email correspondence to verify). It's not a place I felt comfortable or safe.

Barbara Lagrou in Tacoma, WA USA 10/21/2009

Best: Pensione Oaza
Why: Another comment on this site mentioned the cold water and lack of heat; not an infrequent problem in Croatia. (We enjoyed hot water and air conditioning, given the weather.) Still, Pensione Oaza is unique in Hvar and fantastic; it is located only 200 metres from the city centre, no steps to climb, and boasts a small acreage with donkeys, chickens, turtles and guinea pigs! More importantly, Mateo, Virginia and Maria give you family away from home. Every night we feasted on Mateo's own produce and fresh fish grilled to perfection. Our stay here was an experience that we will never forget. Welcoming, safe, clean and friendly.

Worst: The Green Lizard Youth Hostel
Why: Tonina, the co-owner of this facility is friendly, helpful and kind; however, we booked this accommodation because a 2009 Guardian article nomiated the GL one of the 10 best hostels in Eastern Europe. Be prepared for disappointment if you're expecting hostel accommodation like you'd find in the rest of Europe. It's outdoor 'kitchen' is nothing more than a camping stove and sink; it's 'common area' is a ten foot by ten foot pad of concrete with a plastic picnic table in its centre. Perhaps the GL is on its way to becoming a decent hostel (there appears to be renovations afoot) but it has much work to do.

B Watson in Calgary, AB Canada 09/26/2009

Best: Benussi Sobe
Why: Our family stayed for 2 weeks. Clean, great view and perfect, quiet location. Jadranka speeks excellent English and is very friendly. Couldn't have been better. Highly recommend.

Pat Vinkenes in Arlington, VA USA 09/13/2009

Best: Rezi Depolo's rooms in Korcula
Why: The location was great, the room was clean, and Rezi is like the grandmother we never had! We really enjoyed eating breakfast in her kitchen and listening to her stories.

Worst: Miranda Fabris' apartments in Rovinj
Why: We were given the street level apartment which was tiny, hot, and smelled strongly of mold. The toilet wasn't bolted down and threatened to tip over, the shower head was broken and the sink leaked. Nothing would dry in the humidity and after one use the towels smelled so sour they were unusable despite the fact that we took great care to hang them up. The "double bed" was a converted couch with a hard piece of wood down the middle. One half was ok to sleep on and the other half was little more than a plank of wood with a sheet on top. Perhaps her other apartments are lovely but this particular apartment was truly disgusting. By far the worst accommodation in 5 weeks of travelling.

Knezevic Guest House in Plitvice was disappointing. It was clean, and the service was ok, but in the morning there was no water. We inquired at the front desk and they merely shrugged and said "oh, there's never water here in the morning". While this may be a town-wide water issue, it would have been nice to have been given advanced warning. We were unable to shower, brush our teeth or flush the toilet before venturing out to enjoy the lakes.

Julie in Vancouver, BC Canada 09/07/2009

Best: Dioclecijan Apartment
Why: We arrived in Split with no arrangements. I call Tomislav Skalic and in 10 minutes his wife picked us up at the bus station. They are a beautiful young couple with twin daughters who graciously showed us around. There apartment was perfect, cute, clean. He shared his views of the war, culture, and country. It was nice to have a personal perspective on things.

katelin in houston, TX USA 08/10/2009

Best: Lidija Matic
Why: Her apartment was located on a beautiful quaint street close to the main street. She was beautiful, welcoming, and most importantly offered us her story. She explained being a young mother during the war, trying to just keep her family alive. She helped us understand a very confusing war that is impossible to understand through books alone.

katelin in Houston, TX USA 08/10/2009

Best: Villa Varos
Why: Friendly, charming, helpful, accommodating, clean, affordable and well located (near great restaurants and an affordable, full-service laundromat).

Mark Gillespie in Madison, WI USA 06/06/2009

Best: Apartments Benussi
Why: Jadranka Benussi is a wonderful hostess and the apartments are beautiful. In May the Mandarin Orange trees are in bloom, adding a lovely scent to the patio. This location has received may positive reviews in the past and I wanted to report that it is all still true. This is a wonderful place to stay.

s gerard in chapel hill, NC USA 05/17/2009

Best: Apartments Benussi in Dubrovnik, Croatia
Why: A terrific, satisfying, homelike place! Great secluded, shady patio, too. It was perfect for our needs (i.e. sleep four and still provide handy, quick access to Old Dubrovnik.) The Benussis were so friendly and helpful, especially regarding day tour suggestions. It was WAY better than staying at an impersonal hotel... we'd stay there again next time, most definitely! (Only one small caution... if anyone in your travel party has trouble with stairs... be aware in advance that there are 'steps galore' to be reckoned with... both getting to, and coming from, the Benussi abode. However, it didn't bother the Sixty-Somethings in our party of four... and it probably won't bother you either...but it's good to know about the stairs in adgance). Apartments Benussi was a highly satisfying accommodations experience, all the way around!

Jane Susan MacCarter in Livingston, MT USA 12/13/2008

Best: Villa Cissa, Rovinj
Why: According to Villa Cissa I can only say that we are very impressed, the apartments are absolutely high quality and high standard! In addition, the style of the furniture and the decoration was very impressing, it is lovely! I studied tourism management for 4 years in Vienna, and from this point of view, I can only say that the whole concept of the Villa Cissa impressed me a lot! Starting with an excellent homepage and finishing with perfect accommodation! From my point of view, all the "small details" have a very high impact on guest satisfaction (all the accessories in the kitchen, the beautiful cutlery, the candles, the matches, the coffee makers, etc...)

Anna in Puhringer, Vienna, Austria 12/08/2008

Best: Miranda Fabris's apartments
Why: Very reasonable price for a very presentable, mini apt with cooking facilities and a great location. We decided to stay and extra two nights and day-trip from Rovinj because it was such a great home base. Funny, though, because she seemed surprised to hear from us and even more bewildered to hear we also found out about her from Rick Steves. I don't think she believed Rick when he said he would send her a ton of business.

Jakara in Baltimore, MD USA 11/13/2008

Best: Alp Penzion, Lake Bled, Slovenia, and Perisa & Lenni Modrinic apartments in Korcula Town on Korcula Island, Croatia.
Why: All of our e-mailed reservations were honored during our visit to Croatia and Slovenia, in June of 2008! Our hostess at Alp Penzion provided unbelievable breakfasts and dinners, probably the best food on our trip through Slovenia and Croatia. The service was friendly and caring of guests needs. On Korcula Island, our hosts, Perisa & Lenni Modrinic, were absolutely charming, friendly, and helpful. What a lovely couple! We were met at the bus depot and escorted to our remodeled apartment in old town with an umbrella. The place even had an aquarium in it.

Worst: Knezevic Guest House, Mukinje settlement near Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
Why: The only English speaking person on the staff at Knezevic Guest House was not home from school yet, in June, and communication was difficult. Assistance was nonexistent. The hostess hid out and smoked on the patio most of the time. Dinner was supposed to be offered, but we were never invited or informed? So, we were literally on our own to find food in the park which was a 20-30 minute hike away by a steep path. The guides from Rick's website did warn about possible difficulties.

Amy Kileen in Bakersfield, CA USA 08/20/2008

Best: Vila Gorenka
Why: usually we stayed in sobe we found online, but in Bled, we stayed at Vila Gorenka. While we'd agree that the rooms were a little basic, the location for the price is unbeatable - right in town. Room #9 (a quad, we got it as a double) has a balcony with a lake view.

Evan in Seattle , WA USA 07/10/2008

Best: Base sobe in Split
Why: Clean, and wonderfully decorated room. Perfect location. And a computer with fast internet connection in the room. Tina and her sister were super nice and helpful.

Elaine in Vancouver, BC Canada 07/06/2008

Best: Base in split
Why: Tina was wonderful and the rooms were great!

Paul in Seattle, WA USA 06/24/2008

Best: 1a. Hotel Peristil, Split- 1b. Royal Apartments, Korcula
Why: 1a. Location, comfortable, friendly, helpful and a made to order breakfast rather than the typical buffet. 1b. Beautiful spacious comfortable, and convenient.

Worst: Hotel Dalmacija
Why: You warned in your 2007 book that many of these properties were undergoing renovation. This one needs it badly, but the front desk people were friendly and helpful, and the breakfast buffet was very good.

Russell Dohrmann in Boulder, CO USA 06/20/2008

Best: Hotel Berc at Lake Bled
Why: This is a nearly new hotel. With the breakfast, free internet, great rooms with balconies, and personal service, this is great value and a great location.

Tim in Bay City, TX USA 06/15/2008

Best: Rezi Depolo sobe on Korcula
Why: Beautiful, immaculate, comfortable room, a balcony looking onto the sea with gorgeous view of the old town. Rezi is very friendly and welcoming. And it is affordable.

Jane in Knox, Ma USA 06/10/2008

Best: Ms. Benussi sobe
Why: This is a beautiful place in a great location. Ms. Benussi is very professional and helpful. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay. It was worth the climb up the hill with our luggage for sure.

Worst: Hotel Concordia in Trogir
Why: This hotel is in a great location, especially with a late arrival at the airport, the owners were friendly, and the breakfast was excellent (a home cooked omelet). However, our room was cramped and the air conditioner was ineffective so we were quite warm. Also, we did not reconfirm the price and the room ended up higher than expected, not a great value, especially compared to Benussi sobe.

Jeanne Barsanti in Watkinsville, GA USA 06/09/2008

Best: Penzion Mayer, Bled
Why: Lovely room with balcony, large bathroom, great breakfast buffet, helpful staff.

Conny Mincks in Williamsburg, Va USA 05/28/2008

Best: B&B Govc-Vrsnik in Robanov Kot(Largoska Dolina) Jadranka & Mlan Benussi in Dubrovnik. ik.
Why: We spent a week in Dubrovnik in Benussi's large apartment with balcony that is well appointed & located. Jadranka was an exceptional hostess. She is extremely thoughtful & helpful. We most enjoyed her willingness to share a part of her life story with us over drinks on her balcony. This has to be the "Best" place to stay in Dubrovnik!

Tourist Farm Govc-Vrsnik in Robanov Kot is another "Best". Our bedroom & bathroom had a view of the valley & snow covered peaks that literally looked like a picture. The service & meals of this Farm beat all the others we tried. Mrs. Vrsnik is hardworking & sweet. We enjoyed getting to know about her family & how their Farm has changed & grown over many years. The traditional beehive is just great!

Beverly Clauser in Ramona, CA USA 01/31/2008

Best: will send the name soon.
Why: owners were great. helped us secure a rental car to drive to Montenegro. Helped us with cell phone (my sim card was damaged & I had to get a local sim card for croatia) gave us their cell number and told us to call if there was a problem with anything. Gave us piece of mind as we traveled to bosnia and montenegra. Apartment we rented from them was perfect. location, size, etc

Sarah in Hoboken, NJ USA 11/09/2007

Best: Hotel Livadic - Samobor, Croatia
Why: The owner, Mrs. Labas Morija, was a true lady and saw that everything was in tip-top shape. In fact, we enjoyed it so much, we stayed 3 nights and did not go, as planned, to our hotel in Zagreb. Lovely accommodations!And we loved having fresh cookies delivered to our room!!! Also had a very good restaurant at it's front door - Restaurant Samoborska Pivnica.

Shannon Hamilton in North Little Rock, AR USA 11/05/2007

Best: Tourist Farm Hudicevic
Why: Can't rave about this place enough! The accommodations were immaculate, and the food from the farm was wonderful. We were glad we signed up for dinner as well as breakfast. Free liter of wine with an excellent dinner, and breakfast of farm fresh eggs and ham and freshly baked bread, honey from their bees! Not to mention free Internet access, waking up to the mooing of cows and the faraway sound of the little old lady sawing the firewood for the day. Super!

Linda in Torrance, CA USA 11/04/2007

Best: Hotel Vila Lili in Rovinj.
Why: Clean rooms, decent breakfast, friendly staff. In Dubrovnik we stayed at Stijepo Gjivic's apartment. Located in Old town it is a very clean studio apartment with a small kitchenette and a good size bathroom. They met us at the ferry station and drove to the place. info@accomodation-dubrovnik.com

Milena in Chicago, IL USA 09/25/2007

Best: Hotel Marija, Kotor, Montenegro
Why: Perfect location within the wall, friendly staff and good value.

Veda Faler in Bainbridge Island, WA USA 09/16/2007

Best: Pension Mayer
Why: A nice 3 star hotel. Not fancy, and the hospitality is not as warm as described, but a good choice in Bled. A good restaurant there as well.

Dave in Philadelphia, PA USA 09/04/2007

Best: jadranka benussi sobe in dubrovnik
Why: Nice room. Amazing view. She was so helpful. My luggage got lost for two days and she was on the phone with Croatia Airlines checking on it.

cathy harrell in alexandria, VA USA 07/08/2007

Best: Pension Berc
Why: Charming place. Immaculate, excellent breakfast, great location for walking down to the lake. Highly recommend.

Worst: Pri Mraku Guesthouse
Why: Your write up was dead-on. We loved the location, but unfortunately our room faced the the street and had no a/c so it was very noisy trying to sleep. At breakfast it was a let down to find an automated coffee machine like the ones at truck stops in the U.S. After all, one of the best things about Europe is strongly-brewed fresh coffee at every cafe and restaurant. We ended up skipping the coffee there and going elsewhere for our morning kava. Although we paid in cash to save the credit card transaction fees, the desk clerk couldn't give us a cash discount because we didn't let them know a day or two in advance that we planned to do this.

Gayle Wheeler in Champaign , IL USA 07/08/2007

Best: Apartment Susnik (Lake Bled)
Why: Not recommended, but a great place next to Mayer Penzion. Beautiful, clean apartments with terraces. Mija is a wonderful hostess and happily welcomes pets. Perfect for two couples or a family.

Andrea in Atlanta, GA USA 06/18/2007