Hi,
I will be traveling to Sarajevo for two nights (August 3-5) and am looking for hotel suggestions. There will be 4 total adults and 1 child. My companions are from Sarajevo, but left during the war so are not familiar with the current hotels. We have some ideas, but I thought that I'd check with my fellow Fodor's readers in case anyone has been there recently and has hotel suggestions. We would like to stay in the city, preferably in a moderately-priced hotel. Thank you in advance for your help!
~Krista
Hotels in Sarajevo
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We stayed in Guest House Halvat last year. It's more like a B&B than a hotel, but I can't say enough good things about it. It was very reasonably priced, and the staff were so friendly. They even sent someone to find us when we were completely lost. Breakfast was delicious with eggs made to order. They were also able to arrange a tour guide for us (Fikret Kahrovic) - he was fabulous, and our tour with him was one of the highlights of our entire trip to Croatia and Bosnia.
http://www.halvat.com.ba/
I too had read good things about Halvat and booked there last summer. I arrived at 8am, tired after an overnight train journey from Zagreb. Asked them if I could leave my bag until check-in time. Then asked if I could pay for some breakfast there. I could see other guests having breakfast. 'It depends what you mean by breakfast' they said. No, I was told, there isn't enough. Asked if they could recommend somewhere nearby to get some breakfast. Same reply 'It depends what you mean by breakfast'. No helpful suggestions.
I went out, found somewhere to eat, came in at the correct check-in time, and left next day as soon as I could. That day there seemed to be plenty of breakfast for all the guests with more left over.
This experience was so different from the good reviews I had read that I wonder if I was just unlucky with the person who was in charge when I showed up.
Wouldn't stay there again and wouldn't recommend it either. Sarajevo on the other hand was great and I'd certainly go back there!
Hi Gertie -- Thanks for your additional insight. Did you go stay somewhere else in Sarajevo after you left Halvat? Thanks!
gertie - I am very surprised about your experience because the staff at Halvat could not have been more accommodating for us. I will say that there was quite a language barrier when we called for directions which is why they had to send someone to find us. I wonder if there was just a miscommunication regarding the breakfast? I am sorry to hear about your negative experience there after we had such a positive one.
At the risk of reliving negative experiences, the person at Halvat I spoke to also told me she was too busy to help me. When I asked for directions, she said 'I have a lot to do'. Looking at their website, she was not either of those people, so was probably a temporary employee. Maybe she has been fired by now!
I don't think it was a language thing; I am a language teacher and very aware of nuances of words. I had no problem understanding her. I also tried in German but she answered me in English.
KGL: I moved on from Sarajevo after that experience and went to Mostar where I stayed at the Crooked Bridge which was wonderful in every respect. They speak German there too!