Guesthouse Durmitor Magic

They were a wonderful family, so kind, and the accommodation felt very cosy. We were allowed to use the kitchen, and they even taught us a few Serbian words. A great option for travellers wanting a little rest between hikes.

The room we were given didn't match the photos at all. It was more like a passageway to another one-bed room, and the person staying there had to walk through our room to get out. She seemed just as uncomfortable with that setup as we were. The host was friendly, but when I pointed out that this wasn't the room we booked, they didn't do much about it. Since we arrived so late, I didn't feel I could just leave. The shared bathroom was also used by the family living there, so if the place is full, as many as 12 people may need to use it. The floor squeaked so badly I could hardly sleep. The fridge smelled awful, and there was a bug inside it. It was a very disappointing stay, and I wouldn't book again. In the photo, I marked the entrance to the second room. Whoever stayed there had to pass through the room we were given.

We stayed for seven nights. The house was clean, attractive and well located, with WiFi. You could do laundry if you asked, and the breakfast, when it was more complete, was nicely cooked. We stayed on to explore the national park, so the place wasn't all bad, but the service had some serious problems. The room arrangement was the biggest one. We had booked a triple room but arrived late and were put in a double room of about 8 square metres. We were tired and the price was low, so at first we let it go. Then we heard snoring and found a connecting door: guests in the other room had to pass through ours to get out. The next day we asked to move, and the owners did move us, so we booked more nights. During the week, though, several people stayed in that connecting room, and many were angry. Some asked to move, others wanted refunds, and nobody seemed to stay there more than one night. The owners just said they understood and were sorry, without taking action. If the shared-room arrangement had been clearly stated on Booking, some people might have accepted it, but placing guests there without warning felt dishonest. Breakfast also varied. The listing promised a continental breakfast, which I understood to mean things like sweet items, eggs or tomatoes. The first morning we got that. On the second, it was only three slices of bread and honey, not enough for two people heading out to hike. I read other reviews and realized this was a recurring issue. We asked for a fuller breakfast on the following days and got it. Here, it seemed you had to ask, or you'd receive very little. The family may be nice, but their behavior felt odd, and this wasn't the warm, welcoming guesthouse experience we wanted for meeting local people. The final problem came the morning before our last night. They asked if we were leaving, even though we'd confirmed an extra night the day before and they'd written a receipt. They said three people had booked the triple room and told us to go to another house. We had rafting planned that morning and were stunned. We refused, then went rafting worried they might remove our luggage. That left us feeling the place couldn't be trusted.

One concern is the layout: two guest rooms are connected by a single exit, so someone in one room has to walk through the other to leave. It didn't affect me because I was the only guest. The breakfast shown in the Booking.com room photos looked decent and included in the rate. What I actually got was coffee, a few bread slices, and two servings of honey and butter. The host wouldn't provide the breakfast pictured.