Benjamin Bibinje

We stayed here last year and had a great time. The room and the sea were both lovely, with shops and plenty of places to stroll nearby. Zadar has a large market about 5-6 km away. The hosts were excellent, I'd recommend staying with them.

The second-floor apartment was a letdown, especially after the ground-floor one we loved the year before. We booked again because that first stay had gone so well, but the only unit left was upstairs at the same price. I wish they'd made clear that it wasn't comparable to last year's place. Sure, I called late, but still, be realistic about what it was like. There were problems everywhere: the shower leaked, the air-conditioning filters were dirty and the room smelled on the first day. The attic gallery ceiling was low enough that I hit my head twice, and the walls were so thin we could hear someone snoring next door. The tiny balcony barely fit two adults, if it even counts as a balcony. There wasn't even a hairdryer. Then I asked for toilet paper and was told to buy my own. For what we paid, guests should at least be given toilet paper. After our day trip on the fifth day, we came back to find someone else in our parking spot. One of the owners must have given it away while welcoming new guests. I've never been so eager for a vacation to end. This time we didn't enjoy our stay at all, and they'll never see us again. I gave it two stars only because last year's visit had been so good and brought us back. Otherwise, it would've been one.

The room itself was pretty rough: shabby, with squashed mosquitoes all over the walls, three of them mine. The sink leaked, and there was nowhere to hang clothes or set things down, no rack or chair. The location is the one real plus, just 10 meters from the water. If all you want is to sleep and bathe in your pajamas, I guess it works.

Being right by the sea is the best part. Everything else was a mess: squashed mosquitoes on the walls, a bath mat that looked 200 years old and hadn't been cleaned, and hand towels being passed off as body towels. The sink leaked underneath, and the shower leaked from above. A little care for guests wouldn't cost much. Changing the name won't make the bad reviews go away if nothing else changes.