Tag: European Road Trip

Zagreb Croatia for Beginners

This capital city to Croatia offered us a rude awakening and some wonderful food!  Next stop, Zagreb.

It is a another sunny and hot Thursday and the temperatures are hovering around 38 degrees celsius.  Our last stop was Keszthely, Lake Balaton, Hungary and now, a short 75 km later we arrive at the Croatian border; it is 11:11 am.

We were pulled out at the border, assumedly because I am Canadian; within a painless 5 minutes of some questions and a passport check, they let us go again. A short distance down the road we had to take a toll ticket for highway use, which will be paid when exiting the road.  The final cost for the toll was €6.41.

By 12:30 pm we already arrived at our prebooked apartment. We phoned the guy who was listed as the contact, and then the problems started.  If you want to read about where NOT to stay, read my review.

Cut to downtown Zagreb. We were desperately trying to find a place to park, but could not understand the system, largely because everything was in Croatian. A nice guy sees us trying to figure it out and immediately stepped in to help. So nice when you realize there are still good people out there!  Basically, different colored parking zones indicate whether you can park as well as indicating various price levels.  You find a ticket machine, buy your amount of time and place it in the windshield.  Ticket machines are sometimes hiding ?.

We immediately set about finding a place to try some traditional Croatian food.  Almost immediately we stumbled on Gostionica Restoran Purger – you can read my review by clicking the name.  After lunch, we went to do some sightseeing.

Sights of interest / Must see in Zagreb:
– Republic of Croatia / Marshal Tito Square
–  Miroslav Krleža Institute of Lexicography
– Museum of Arts and Crafts
– National Theater
– Roosevelt Square
– Mimara Art Museum

Now I will venture to say, we probably missed a lot of great sights, and our time was far too short.  In above list is what we managed to fit in before hurrying our way out of the city.

3 pm, full bellies, once again in the car, exiting friendly Zagreb, destination Plivitza / Plitviče Lakes National Park. We have possibly spoke with the one and only asshole in Zagreb when we tried to get check in to our pre-booked apartment – thank goodness we met so many nice people.

Back on the highway, we pull another toll ticket. which costs us 73 kunas / €9.85 exiting the highway.  What are we learning?  Highway tolls add up very quickly.

After almost 2 hours of driving, we arrived at our accomodation for the night, Guesthouse Samolov, just 30 minutes drive from Plitvice / Plivitza.

Tomorrow, Plitviče Lakes National Park!!!

 

Guesthouse Samolov, Plitvice Park, Croatia – a Review

Independent Motel Guesthouse Review

Name: Guesthouse Samolov
Address:  19B, 53223, Gornje Vrhovine, Croatia

Desperately needing a room after our Zagreb lodging fiasco, we found a guesthouse on booking.com close to the Plitvice Lakes National Park.  Although we had not intended on visiting the forest reserve so early, we rolled with the punches and changed our plans.  Read about Zagreb, what to see and do.

We pulled in late afternoon and our hosts rolled out the red carpet! Such a wonderful, welcoming family. They sat with us at a huge al fresco table so we could complete check in.  All at once a tray with coffee, juice, water and nibbles arrived and we all proceeded to chat amiably as we sipped away on refreshments – a true country welcome!

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Gostionica Restoran Purger – a Review

Independent Restaurant Review

Restaurant Name: Gostionica Restoran Purger
Address:  Petrinjska ul. 33, 10000, Zagreb, Croatia

Looking for a place to eat serving traditional Croatian food, we quite by accident found Gostionica Purger.  We were hot and hungry, had our dog along and were wandering the streets of Zagreb when we spotted a simple restaurant accompanied by an inviting little patio with comfy looking chairs.

A dog bowl filled with water magically appeared immediately on our arrival, along with welcomes and smiles. We sat on the empty outside terrace (probably empty because of the heat); inside was full!  The waiters were traditionally dressed in white shirts, black vest and black slacks which I thought was a very nice touch.

We ordered the following:
– ICE coffee
– Beer house draft – Ozujsko Pivo
– Hashed Meat Dumplings / Ćevapčići na žaru 58 kuna / €7.83
– Mixed Grill / Miješano meso na žaru 105 kuna / €14.20

As soon as we ordered food, two tables were set up with white table cloths, cloth napkins and flatware!

OMG! Amazingly delicious. Hand cut fries, fried to perfection; meat barbecued with real full BBQ flavor. The Mixed Grill was a variety of BBQ meats with Cevapcici, pork chop, lamb, beef and pork loin.

When my coffee was empty, a big glass of ice water appeared, without asking for it!

The staff was excellent; observant, friendly, professional.
Our bill came to a total of 204.00 kuna / €27.54.  Expensive, but not for what you got.

Would I eat here again?  Yes!!! When can we go?
Dog Friendly?  Yes

Negative:  Shows they have internet, but it did not work.  Internet is so important when traveling…

Gostionica Restoran Purger
Petrinjska 33, 10000 Zagreb
Tel: +385(0)1 4810713
E-mail: [email protected]

Open:  Monday to Saturday: 7:00 am to 11:00 pm

Where NOT to stay overnight when in Zagreb.

Studio apartman, Zagreb, Croatia – a Review

Independent, Motel Hotel Review

Name:  Studio apartman also goes by the name Niko
Address:  Aleja Pomoraca 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Why did we book this place?  Well, it had a wonderful array of offerings, including  dog friendly, close to attractions, washing machine and so much more.  Additionally, the 9.7 star review average on booking.com is practically unheard of!

We arrived at 12:30 pm.  The address is an apartment building, so we phone the guy – and then the problems started.

He informed us he would be there in half an hour to an hour to let us in.  We told him that would be fine, we could go grab a bite to eat in the meantime.  Then he asked if we still wanted the place to which we replied of course, we would go for lunch and return. He said ok and then questioned us a second time if we wanted the apartment. Nervously, we asked why. He said the hot water did not work, so we would only be able to have cold showers.

After a quick discussion between ourselves, we suggested a discount was in order and then we would still stay. He refused. So we told him no thank you and he instructed us to contact booking.com to get our money back.

Booking informed us that he had indeed contacted them and was requesting (demanding?) 50% of the booking cost!  We proceeded to explain to them why it was completely unfair and incorrect.  They graciously agreed to cover the difference and give us a full refund.  I do not believe this to be fair or correct, but it was certainly very courteous of them.

Now, when we were ready to settle in, eat lunch and do some sightseeing, instead had to start figuring out where we would stay.  Due to the time of year and short notice, we were unable to stay in Zagreb.  It was a huge disappointment, but an excuse to return!

Would I recommend staying at Aleja Pomoraca 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia?  No, based on our experience, no.  That being said, it seems like we are the only ones who had such a horrible experience and maybe it is almost perfect?!

How much would it have cost for 1 night? €40

We have possibly spoke with the one and only asshole in Zagreb when we tried to check in to our pre-booked apartment - thank goodness we met so many nice people.

 

Leander Haz 21, Keszthely, Lake Balaton – Review

Guest Apartment Hotel Leander Haz 21 in Keszthely, Hungary; independent motel review.

First Impression:  Beautiful, quaint, charming – clean and extremely well kept.   Bonus:  Dog Friendly!
Find out more about our experience in the area: Lake Balaton, Keszthely, Hungary.
Check In:  was uncomfortable and unfriendly
The lady who checked us in spoke absolutely No English or German, although the sign on the gate stated that “FLUENT” english is spoken.

The fully furnished bachelor style apartment is spacious enough for two people.  Our area was on the ground floor.

Accommodation:  Walk into a living / sleeping area with a small table with 2 chairs, book / shelving stand, small tv on a stand, wardrobe, big bed, 2 bed tables.

Through one door is the small kitchen with a small table with 2 chairs, stove, oven, small fridge, microwave, toaster, coffee machine, kettle, pots, pans, dishes, glasses, flatware, dish detergent, one tea towel, one sponge and a garbage can.

Through the other door is the bathroom with toilet, sink, shower and 2 bath towels. There is liquid hand soap and many shampoos. Not sure if these are included in the stay or left behind by previous guests, so perhaps not in every accommodation, nice touch in any case.  There was also a hair dryer and a bucket with mop.

Outside is a beautiful garden with flowers, fruit trees, grass, sitting areas (too bad they do not make the smokers go there) and a huge vegetable garden in another area.  The woman who checked us in is constantly working in the gardens.  There are seating / relax areas in the inner garden as well as tables along the guest apartment fronts.

Our Experience:
– Dripping shower; solution: lay it on the floor
– No fan or air conditioning.  The heat is drastic and in combination with mosquitos and other guests intruding on privasphere, there should definitely at least be fans.
– Lots of mosquitos at night – must close the window. No fan or air conditioning so very hot.  Our only relief was to open the window after turning out all the lights and electronic devices.
– Woke up in the morning to people sitting at the table directly outside our window, smoking and yakking. The table is right outside our window – look at the picture of the bedroom – it means they may as well have been sitting in our room! We get up, put some clothes on (who knows how long they have been getting a free show), and close the window. Hot again!
– The woman is a total bitch.  Really, I do not understand why she is in this business…
– Need a car to go everywhere

Would I stay here again? NO
It is really unfortunate, because the place is gorgeous, clean and for the most part relaxing.  However, the above mentioned problems combined with a thankless, rude manager / owner? is an absolute reason to not go back and not recommend it to anyone else.