Renting a Sobe in Croatia
 

I piggybacked on another post regarding this but figured I would get more info if I posted my own. We will be in Croatia for 2 weeks in May/June and I was wondering if there is a website that shows rooms available. Has anyone gone this route and stayed in a private home while in Croatia? I would love to hear of your experiences. Is it difficult to find one in May? I have done this in Prague and it was wonderful.

The typical ways of renting a sobe is to either go to the tourist office, when you get into town, or go directly to the "landladies" at your point of entry. With the former way, the owners get a smaller percentage of the revenue and you probably pay a little more.

The landladies are a really interesting phenomonon in Croatia. When you arrive in Dubrovnik on the ferry you actually run the gauntlet of aggressive women who are trying to convince you to rent from them! I'm sure it would be quite the adventure choosing one and negotiating (in a language with no vowels!) for the right accommodations. I traveled alone and stuck with hotels!

I recommend going to a tourist office when you arrive in a town. They're very helpful and easy to find. No, you'll have to trouble getting a room in May and June. They're very inexpensive and interesting - they're either in a home or in a building with apartments. Let us know how it works out for you. Enjoy!

You shouldn't have any problems getting a room in May. I would do what Rebecca suggested and go to the local tourist agency. I've had good luck with that. I've also had luck just approaching a house that has a sign that says "sobe" "room" "zimmer" and just checking with the owner if there is a vacancy.

Hi, We have stayed in Sobes many times over the years and May shouldn't be a problem. Just one tip, if you rent through the local tourist office, if you stay for less than 3 nights there is an additional 30% supplement.
Have a wonderful trip to Croatia, its a magical place.

i was in croatia in october and reserved a sobe ahead of time via the web. i highly recommend it. takes the stress out of arriving by bus and having to negotiate w/the eager women swarming at the bottom of the bus steps. i can't remember the exact website, but you should be able to find the site on the forums. i believe that's where i found it. you can view pictures of the rooms, see their locales on maps and compare prices. i would send out a wave of emails in the evening and wake up to a wave of replies letting me know availabiity and price, and then i confirmed w/the one that i wanted. i ended up renting a room in Villa Adriatica. it was beautiful, superb location right outside one of the town gates. roughly $60/night. the family who owned it was really nice. they lived in an adjoining apt, so you didn't feel like you were underfoot. have fun! i loved croatia and only wish i had had more time! don't be surprised if they ask for a wire transfer of a deposit. this is what i did, and it worked out splendidly.

Was this the web site that you booked from? I have been checking it out and it look like there are some nice places! http://www.dubrovnik-area.com/eng.asp

We rented from www.i-reception.com. You can choose the location you want, we stayed within the walls in a 2 bedroom apartment that had a terrace with wonderful views of the rooftops, the Adriatic, the port, etc. There are pictures of the exterior and interior of the apartments they offer.

The owner lived next door and was very gracious. We had reserved a taxi through the same web site, and she met us near her home. We loved staying within the walls, even the daily hike up the steps.

I've stayed in private rooms in several places along the Croatian coast. There will be lots of rooms available in May as the peak season doesn't start till mid-July. In some places, you can book them through the tourist office or through travel agencies, and in many places people will offer accommodation. The same thing happens on many Greek islands and in tourist resorts in eastern Europe. Incidentally, I don't speak Croatian, but I believe "soba" is singular and "sobe" is plural.

Sorry, it was www.i-reception.net (not com). We stayed there in May 2003.

This thread took me back to 1969 and the days of Josip Broz Tito.

My girlfriend and I had crossed into Yugoslavia from Trieste on a whim, and after a couple days found ourselves in Senj, a little place with beautifully clear water and views of islands so white and bright they made your eyes ache.
We ran into a gauntlet of would-be landlords and landladies at the tourist office, and decided it would be interesting to stay with a family. We spoke no Hrvatski and they spoke no English, so the common language was German.
For a few extra dollars we ate with them one evening. I still remember their son, who couldn't have been older than 10 or 12, slugging down a half-liter bottle of beer. The highlight of the evening was when mom, a devoted Tito-style Communist, said something I didn't quite catch about about Americans. Evidently it wasn't flattering. Dad, who had worked hard to land us as renters, leaned across the table and thumped her between the eyes.
Quite an interesting evening.
Hope you find the soba of your dreams.

In Sept 2002,we booked an apartment through this website for Dubrovnik and had a nice, small apt. They offer different types of accomodations for different areas and have a secure website for booking.

http://www.adriatica.net/main/entry.htm

kvick, I love your story! Makes me think about my Croatian collegue in Silicon Valley with his American wife. I asked him if she would mind having to go to Malasia with him for 6 months and he said "A Croatian wife does what her husband tells her to."

OK...........

Eurotraveller this is for you since I know that you are going to Croatia. This might be of use to you.

http://www.hr/hrvatska/language/index.en.htm

It pronounces basic Croatian phrases

Great, Sue! I always make a point of learning a bit of the language of the country I am visiting and now I will know how to pronounce a few things! Thanks!

I had a backpack on and was nearly run over by sobe renters everytime the ferry docked. In Dubrovnik it was intense!

We only stayed in Sobes in Croatia. Some are better than others, but people seem pretty much upfront with what they have to offer. You can always choose not to take it once you've seen it.

The best sobe I stayed in was in Starigrad. The ferry docked and the passengers cleared out. It was early April and no one expected tourists there yet. We started to walk into town and the portmaster offered us a ride, and ended up inviting us to stay in his amazing house with separate apartment when he found out we didn't have a place to stay. We were invited for drinks and dinner, gave them computer lessons, and had a wonderful time.

Crazymina, we had a similar experience in Starigrad. We took the ferry from Split and didn't have a room reservation. We got talking to a man who called his aunt on his cell phone, and then drive us to her place on the edge of town. We had a room upstairs separated from the main house. They were so friendly - they offered us something to drink every night. We progressed from juice to wine to schnapps! They couldn't speak English, by the way. Where was your apartment?

Our was in Starigrad, right by the water. From our Patio we had a nice view! I am trying to think of what building it was near (some old restaurant I think) but I can't think of the name.

Ours was separate from the main house too....think a lot of people there add on in the hopes of making a little money. In Croatia, I wouldn't stay in anything else but a sobe.

http://www.istra-tours.com

You will love Croatia. I have been traveling there alone, every summer for the last four years. It is my favorite place in the world. My favorite places are HVAR, BOL on BRAC island and Dubrovnik. It is easy to find a place to stay and the range is great depending on what you are looking for. The first time I went, I stayed in hotels, which are very nice, but can be expensive. Hotel Excelsior is very nice in Dubrovnik. www.hotel-excelsior.hr I have stayed at sobes offered by the women waiting at the bus station and they are nice when you need a place to stay, but I have found they are not always the best, meaning price and location. It's best to find a website where you can actually see the place. You can find a single room to an entire villa for yourself. Rooms do sell out in Dubrovnik during the peak season, so it's best to make plans in advance there. I have met the best people and made some close friends by staying at sobes. On Bol...there is Bol Tours. www.boltours.com. There also is www.nik.hr (travel agency)...I know there are several websites and travel agencies, (Just don't have them right now)...Research under "Adriatic". The Croatian YHA Website is www.hfhs.hr. I will be in Croatia July 11th-August 21st. Anyone wishing to hook up while there, email me. Great a great trip!