Report on the lodgings in Slovenia & Croatia
Jul 27th, 2006, 10:29 PM
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Report on the lodgings in Slovenia & Croatia
Hi, just returned from our trip to Slovenia and Croatia and would like to make comments on our lodgings. Hope it helps to those who are looking for accommodation in these two countries.
Slovenia:
1) Bled
Garni Penzion Berc (www.berc-sp.si)
Good location. It's a bit uphill but it's an easy walk which takes approximate 2-3 mins. to reach the lake and the centre. Neat and tidy room though it isn't as roomy as I expected. Breakfast is the best among others....different kinds of cereals, cold cuts, bread, pastes, fruits, juices and very nice soft boiled eggs also! Miha, the owner, is nice and friendly and is informative also. Free use of the internet is an added bonus.
2) Piran
Max Hotel (www.maxpiran.com)
Don't be scared away even if the hotel is a bit uphill again! It's just next to the Tower. Actually it's not really a hotel as it only has 6 rooms, however, the room is clean and tidy and an electric fan is provided (this is much needed during summer). The bathroom is unexpectedly spacious as compared with Garni Penzion Berc. The owner, Max, is friendly and enjoys chatting with his clients. Breakfast is good and sufficient and we had the best coffee here!
Croatia:
1) Zagreb
Hotel Meridijan 16 (www.meridijan16.com)
Very close to the bus terminal...3-5 mins. walk. Ask for an apartment as the rate is the same as a room. We stayed in the apartment in the hotel which we think we had made the right decision..it's more spacious. Bed is large and comfy. Breakfast is enough to fill the stomach.
2) Split
Villa Marjela (email: [email protected])
Though it's a 10-15 mins walk to the centre but I would suggest that you stay here. The villa is in a quiet residential area and there is a very nice restaurent in the nearby marina. It only takes 10 mins walk to reach there. You can even swim in the marina as others do. Room is spacious and clean. Neno, the owner, is pleased to give you a free lift for the pick up and he also drove us to the ferry port on our departure. A very nice guy!
3) Korcula
Apartment Lenni (www.ikorcula.net/lenni)
Just a 2 mins walk from the ferry port. Very well located. Room is fine, bed is comfy..had good sleep.
4) Dubrovnik
Apartment Nemo ([email protected])
In Lapad. Very central location. Close to everything..beach, supermarket, caffe bar etc. The apartment is very nice with modern decor. Well-equipped italian style kitchen with all the necessary seasonings. You won't regret in staying here.
Slovenia:
1) Bled
Garni Penzion Berc (www.berc-sp.si)
Good location. It's a bit uphill but it's an easy walk which takes approximate 2-3 mins. to reach the lake and the centre. Neat and tidy room though it isn't as roomy as I expected. Breakfast is the best among others....different kinds of cereals, cold cuts, bread, pastes, fruits, juices and very nice soft boiled eggs also! Miha, the owner, is nice and friendly and is informative also. Free use of the internet is an added bonus.
2) Piran
Max Hotel (www.maxpiran.com)
Don't be scared away even if the hotel is a bit uphill again! It's just next to the Tower. Actually it's not really a hotel as it only has 6 rooms, however, the room is clean and tidy and an electric fan is provided (this is much needed during summer). The bathroom is unexpectedly spacious as compared with Garni Penzion Berc. The owner, Max, is friendly and enjoys chatting with his clients. Breakfast is good and sufficient and we had the best coffee here!
Croatia:
1) Zagreb
Hotel Meridijan 16 (www.meridijan16.com)
Very close to the bus terminal...3-5 mins. walk. Ask for an apartment as the rate is the same as a room. We stayed in the apartment in the hotel which we think we had made the right decision..it's more spacious. Bed is large and comfy. Breakfast is enough to fill the stomach.
2) Split
Villa Marjela (email: [email protected])
Though it's a 10-15 mins walk to the centre but I would suggest that you stay here. The villa is in a quiet residential area and there is a very nice restaurent in the nearby marina. It only takes 10 mins walk to reach there. You can even swim in the marina as others do. Room is spacious and clean. Neno, the owner, is pleased to give you a free lift for the pick up and he also drove us to the ferry port on our departure. A very nice guy!
3) Korcula
Apartment Lenni (www.ikorcula.net/lenni)
Just a 2 mins walk from the ferry port. Very well located. Room is fine, bed is comfy..had good sleep.
4) Dubrovnik
Apartment Nemo ([email protected])
In Lapad. Very central location. Close to everything..beach, supermarket, caffe bar etc. The apartment is very nice with modern decor. Well-equipped italian style kitchen with all the necessary seasonings. You won't regret in staying here.
Jul 28th, 2006, 04:36 AM
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Rita,
We're staying at Max Piran in September. Will we have difficulty getting there from the nearest garage parking lot considering that we'll be arriving with luggage as it's a pdestrian only town? I also am interested in a trip report of your experiences from Bled to Piran.Did you go to Zagreb after or before Piran & what was your route as we'll be doing Istria after Piran & then on to Plitvice? Thanks.
We're staying at Max Piran in September. Will we have difficulty getting there from the nearest garage parking lot considering that we'll be arriving with luggage as it's a pdestrian only town? I also am interested in a trip report of your experiences from Bled to Piran.Did you go to Zagreb after or before Piran & what was your route as we'll be doing Istria after Piran & then on to Plitvice? Thanks.
Jul 28th, 2006, 06:10 PM
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No, I don't think you will have difficulty getting to the Max Hotel with your luggage from the parking lot. We went to Piran from Bled by bus and we just walked to the hotel with two large pieces of luggage in hand (it's better that the luggage is the cart-wheel type). The place where you are going to park your car should be close to the bus terminal which means you're taking the same route to the hotel like us.
We went to Zagreb by bus again after Piran and did a daily return trip to the Plitvice Lake from Zagreb by bus on our own. Touring around the country by bus is very easy and hassle free. Here's a brief route about our trip (all the way by bus or ferry)
Ljublana--> Bled (pick up by the pension)
Bled ---> Piran (by bus)
Piran ---> Zagreb (by bus)
Zabreg ---> Split (by bus)
Split ---> Korcula (by ferry)
Korcula ---> Dubrovnik (by bus)
Have a nice trip!!
We went to Zagreb by bus again after Piran and did a daily return trip to the Plitvice Lake from Zagreb by bus on our own. Touring around the country by bus is very easy and hassle free. Here's a brief route about our trip (all the way by bus or ferry)
Ljublana--> Bled (pick up by the pension)
Bled ---> Piran (by bus)
Piran ---> Zagreb (by bus)
Zabreg ---> Split (by bus)
Split ---> Korcula (by ferry)
Korcula ---> Dubrovnik (by bus)
Have a nice trip!!
Jul 28th, 2006, 07:29 PM
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Rita-
I reserved a room at the Max for the first of October some time ago. When I responded to his confirmation email, I asked if a deposit was required and said that I would reconfirm 2 weeks before arriving--as he requested. I never heard back and assumed that everything is OK. That is, until I read a negative review on another message board.
Just curious if you had any problems with your reservation when you got there--and if you reconfirmed before you left home (I usually do, especially if I made the reservation some time in advance) or sent a deposit.
Syl,
I see on the Max website that there's a parking structure near the hotel that looks more convenient than the one that requires taking a bus. Any thoughts on this or the reservation thing?
I reserved a room at the Max for the first of October some time ago. When I responded to his confirmation email, I asked if a deposit was required and said that I would reconfirm 2 weeks before arriving--as he requested. I never heard back and assumed that everything is OK. That is, until I read a negative review on another message board.
Just curious if you had any problems with your reservation when you got there--and if you reconfirmed before you left home (I usually do, especially if I made the reservation some time in advance) or sent a deposit.
Syl,
I see on the Max website that there's a parking structure near the hotel that looks more convenient than the one that requires taking a bus. Any thoughts on this or the reservation thing?
Jul 29th, 2006, 08:06 PM
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Jeff,
What was the negative review that you mention? Strange that Max doesn't respond when I email him as I emailed 2 days ago that we'll only be staying one night rather than 2 & I'm waiting for his confirmation.We've decided to move on to Rovinj for 2 nights after Piran. However, we're having trouble getting a place to stay.
What was the negative review that you mention? Strange that Max doesn't respond when I email him as I emailed 2 days ago that we'll only be staying one night rather than 2 & I'm waiting for his confirmation.We've decided to move on to Rovinj for 2 nights after Piran. However, we're having trouble getting a place to stay.
Jul 29th, 2006, 08:17 PM
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Syl, although the reviews on TripAdvisor have been good, here's the one I was referring to:
Piran: Hotel Max: "Unfriendly behaviour"
May 22, 2006
"We booked a trip to Piran for June. Max seemed to be friendly at first, no problem, just confirm the reservation 5 days before. Gave us single rooms for 50 E each - we did not ask for special prices.
Now he seems to have other inquiries. He could then sell the room for 50E, so he urges us to either pay in advance or he will cancel the booking. Ok, but we never asked for special offers and we would also pay a reservation in advance. He sends queer emails asking for money, using mafia like methods and tone without giving bank code, swift numbers or anything that would help to transfer money. To give him credit card numbers does not help.
All in all this behaviour makes us believe he wants to urge us out of his hotel.
We change our trip and go to another - even cheaper - hotel.
I would never recommend to make transactions with this hotel. This is not friendly, this is not professional and this will not help to overcome prejudices to eastern-block people.
Go anywhere but not there."
Not sure what this means, if anything. I think that often unhappy people tend to be the ones that are more likely to do reviews. I did notice that Rick Steves no longer has it in his book. With only 6 rooms, Max may just be overwhelmed. I'm still planning on staying there--and for one night, too, before going on to Rovinj for a night.
Hope I'm not being an alarmist. Please let me know if you hear back.
Piran: Hotel Max: "Unfriendly behaviour"
May 22, 2006
"We booked a trip to Piran for June. Max seemed to be friendly at first, no problem, just confirm the reservation 5 days before. Gave us single rooms for 50 E each - we did not ask for special prices.
Now he seems to have other inquiries. He could then sell the room for 50E, so he urges us to either pay in advance or he will cancel the booking. Ok, but we never asked for special offers and we would also pay a reservation in advance. He sends queer emails asking for money, using mafia like methods and tone without giving bank code, swift numbers or anything that would help to transfer money. To give him credit card numbers does not help.
All in all this behaviour makes us believe he wants to urge us out of his hotel.
We change our trip and go to another - even cheaper - hotel.
I would never recommend to make transactions with this hotel. This is not friendly, this is not professional and this will not help to overcome prejudices to eastern-block people.
Go anywhere but not there."
Not sure what this means, if anything. I think that often unhappy people tend to be the ones that are more likely to do reviews. I did notice that Rick Steves no longer has it in his book. With only 6 rooms, Max may just be overwhelmed. I'm still planning on staying there--and for one night, too, before going on to Rovinj for a night.
Hope I'm not being an alarmist. Please let me know if you hear back.
Jul 30th, 2006, 06:04 PM
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We didn't ask to pay any deposit for our stay there. Max just required us to reconfirm our reservation with him 2 weeks before the reservation date. Hm....one thing i had noticed during our stay there, he was a bit tipsy and seems that he didn't have a clear mind. He admitted that he had been drinking too much lately...maybe this could answer why he's acting like that to you. Anyway, our stay there was a pleasant one and hope you would experience the same also.
Aug 7th, 2006, 08:28 AM
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Jeff,
No, he never wrote back. I'll re-confirm as well before we leave.If I don't get an answer, we have a car & will move on to, I'm sure, many available rooms along the route.I'm not worried because of the time of year.We lucked out for Rovinj as we booked a B&B on a quiet street near the Hotel Park, 15 min. walk into old town & 60 euros with balcony. I'll keep in touch re Max.
No, he never wrote back. I'll re-confirm as well before we leave.If I don't get an answer, we have a car & will move on to, I'm sure, many available rooms along the route.I'm not worried because of the time of year.We lucked out for Rovinj as we booked a B&B on a quiet street near the Hotel Park, 15 min. walk into old town & 60 euros with balcony. I'll keep in touch re Max.
Aug 7th, 2006, 11:08 AM
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Traveling with rental car from Venice into Croatia in the latter part of Sept. and early Oct. and thinking of going without hotel/room reservations. . .anyone experienced in "winging it"?
What about staying in private rooms?
What about staying in private rooms?
