3 Best Hotels in Serbia

It may have a taken a couple decades for Iron Curtain-style accommodation to give way to modern European tastes in Belgrade, but boutique hotels like Townhouse 27 are on the rise. Located just south of Belgrade Fortress, the slate gray 1929 building is also known for its collection of drawings, photographs, and sculptures by Serbian artist Gabriel Glid. Rooms here are relatively spacious with a modern, minimalist decor of soothing earth tones. Options from the restaurant/cafe are limited, but the view of the cool street scene outside through the large windows is pleasant enough over a cappucino. Have drinks in the hotel garden just around the corner.

This small inn is centrally located in Belgrade's old town. Its five rooms are comfortable, if somewhat spartan, with multi-tone parquet flooring, brocade upholstery and wallpaper, and white-tiled bathrooms. The staff is welcoming and the affordable restaurant serves generous portions of Serbian classics. Outdoor seating is available, weather permitting

Billing itself as "the first world-class luxury hotel" in Belgrade, Square Nine Hotel works hard to back up the claim with a highly polished interior of stone, bronze, and wood; the lobby is reminiscent of an exclusive men's club of the early 20th century. In each of the five classes of rooms, the same masculine-looking leather and wood are used in the decor, along with woven Turkish rugs, Cumaru-wood desks, Hans Wegner chairs, and Treca de Paris beds. Limestone lines the rain-shower equipped bathrooms. Dining in the hotel's two restaurants — one Japanese, one Continental — also impresses. Some ingredients, like honey, are produced in-house, while wine comes sourced from partner organic vineyards. The excellent subterranean spa, with its 60-foot lap pool, Japanese Ofuro tub, and sauna shouldn't be missed.