Hotel Vila Vrbas

We’ll be coming back. It’s a small private hotel with its own parking, right by the raft and just under the bridge. The center is an easy five-minute walk, and the staff were very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. I was especially surprised by how clean the rooms were, with no cigarette smell at all. Highly recommend.

We had fish stew and šopska salata, and even as a picky eater I enjoyed the food. It came to the table very quickly, and the staff were really, really nice. The restaurant was cleaner than I expected, and you can pay in euros. The glass terrace was beautiful, but it was very hot inside and there wasn’t an open window anywhere that I could see. People were smoking indoors, and nobody seemed to care about the corona regulations. Even with those issues, it was a great experience. If those things don’t bother you, you’ll fully enjoy it.

I wished we could have stayed longer. The restaurant and food were brilliant, and there’s a lovely little terrace by the river. The hotel is really nice and centrally located in Banja Luka.

The restaurant is near the river Vrbas, one of the most beautiful rivers in Republic of Srpska, and serves the best traditional food in the City. Be warned, the main restaurant meal for two can feed at least five people. If you can’t finish it, you can ask the waiter to pack it up for you.