ckwald

I have rented an apartment for an October week in Dubrovnik, and another apartment for the following week in Hvar town. The first landlord asked for 1/3 payment down, and I sent her a check (she is in the US). All I have received back from her so far is the cancelled check. The other landlord told me that a deposit wouldn't be necessary, and that I should call him when we got to Hvar. Both assured me that we had confirmed reservations.

Am I being unnecessarily uptight to expect to receive some paperwork that confirms my reservation, gives me addresses, tells me where to find the key, and so forth?

MikeBuckley

Your experience is exactly the same as mine. I'm not concerned, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be.

For half of my vacation, I've got reservations, if indeed they prove to be that. For the other half, I won't be making reservations. I probably wouldn't be so casual about the situation if I had children or senior citizens along with me.

peppermintpatti

Hi ckwald, I don't know if this helps. But we reserved an apartment in Dubrovnik for June. They requested 1/3 down, with the balance due 2 weeks before the trip. We then received a voucher via email for the apartment, after the balance was paid. We booked through an agency. But maybe this practice is common for Dubrovnik. We also reserved a room in Split, with no money down required, and received confirmation via email also. If this doesn't help, then at least this will bring your question back to the top! Have a fun trip! pp

SloJan

When we have rented apartments in Istria, it is no money down and we haven't had a problem. Dubrovnik is a bit more in tune with the international tourist so that is probably why they seem a bit more 'advanced'.

MikeBuckley

Contrast all of the above with a reservation system used by a high-end restaurant in the Washington DC area. They require a $50 deposit per person that is refundable up to 24 hours in advance. That's a first for me, but I don't have a problem with it for all sorts of reasons.

Carta_Pisana

I'm off to Croatia for 2 weeks this September - Trogir, Komiza (Otok Vis), Stari Grad (Otok Hvar) and Podgora (Makarska riviera). In Trogir no credit card needed for the hotel reservation. In Komiza - renting an apartment, no credit card or wire transfer but I need to call 2 days before arrival to confirm reservation. For Stari Grad - tentatively renting an apartment, no deposit or credit card needed. In Podgora - staying at hotel which is requiriing me to wire 150 E to the hotel's account, still waiting for the swift number. I would like to stay at this hotel so I'm going to the believe that they'll honor the reservation.

ckwald

Whew! Thanks all! Closer to when we leave I'll contact these landlords again by email for directions/instructions. (MikeBuckley -- we do have senior citizens along with us -- it's us! But we are going to chill out about this. One way or another, we'll find a place to lay our grey heads).

LowCountryIslander

I've booked an apartment in Hvar for 4 days in September through and agency and they required 1/3 deposit and sent me an email confirmation with the owner's contact information and remaining payment due on arrival.

I've also booked sobes in Dubrovnik directly with the owner and was not required to make a deposit, just call him a day or 2 before arrival and once I get there.

Have a great trip!

Patricia

Hi Carta,
We talked on another thread some weeks ago about Podgora, delighted to see you are going to visit. Which hotel did you eventually decide on? Look out for Cafe Roko, food is not spectacular but always good, great salads and steaks.
Have a great trip.

Carta_Pisana

Patricia - decided to stay at Hotel Primordia - they have an apartment available - working on getting the wire transfer completed this week.

rosexmke

In communication with one sobe owner he asked for a wire transfer and after back and forth email on some bank info he finally said forget it just call when we get there. The one we finally went to did not require an advance. I think it is a lot of hassle for them. I wouldn't worry. Of course there can be problems but it seems typical to have little documentation.

Carta_Pisana

Update regarding my wire transfer - my bank just called me to say there are some problems with my wire - wrong account number, etc. Hopefully this will get resolved....I'll let you know.

NancyD9393

We just returned from Croatia. Most places didn't care about a deposit (I always offered via e-mail), and most places didn't ask for any paperwork. However, we were in the off-season. Two of the 5 places asked for our passports and wrote down all of our vital info from them. One place told us to enjoy our stay and to leave the key and the money in the locked mailbox as we left! I found them all to be very trusting.

Carta_Pisana

My bank is still trying to get the wire transfer completed with the information Hotel Primordia has provided. The Hotel has said that if the wire doesn't go through not to worry about it - just confirm a week in advance. ( So why I needed to do a wire transfer in the first place.....)

Patricia

When we stayed at Hotel Primordia we booked months in advance and they didn't even ask us for a deposit,we paid the bill in full the morning we departed.
I would do as they say, just make sure you confirm close to the date.

Patricia

Carta,
Just a thought, not sure if you will have a car on this trip. If so the Hotel Primordia does not have parking, there is a private carpark a few minutes walk away which appears to be the overflow for all the hotels. Spaces are limited and have to be pre-booked, there is a small daily charge.