Mini Hotel Vesna

The staff were polite, and it’s a very good place for foreigners to stay.

I picked this hotel on Booking.com because it was in the central district, and the day before arrival I called to ask about checking in early. They said yes. Check-in was at noon, and we arrived at 6:30, calling again at 6:45. The place turned out to be a group of purchased apartments on the ground floor of a high-rise residential building, with a locked door. After a few knocks, a sleepy receptionist let us in and said there were no rooms available. We were told to walk around for another hour or hour and a half and come back. It started raining, so we had to wait around for that long. When we finally checked in, it was a different room from the one shown on Booking. The room smelled bad and smoky, despite the no-smoking rule. The listing said there would be air conditioning and a fan, but neither was there, and mosquitoes bit us at night. When we went out for a walk, the receptionist, who also seemed to handle cleaning, asked us to cancel the Booking.com reservation because we might have trouble over getting the wrong room. Fortunately, we stayed only one day, and the walk salvaged the trip. Comfort clearly isn’t what this hotel is about. Choose somewhere else.

For the price, I’m happy with it. The beds are comfortable, and everything is quite clean, including the fridge, oven and mirrors. There’s hot water, shower gel, slippers and all the basics. Plenty of dishes and cookware too, about 2-3 of each. The balcony is nice, the air conditioner is new, and there’s a little counter at reception for morning snacks. Everything looked good; I couldn’t find anything to complain about.

I wouldn’t rely on this hotel. We booked a room and arrived to be told there was no space. When we asked why they had confirmed the booking, they said that sometimes guests extend their stays and they hadn’t known. They then suggested we find somewhere else. Based on other people’s reviews, I get the impression the management sublets apartments, which may explain why they confirm every Booking.com reservation even when there are no rooms, then offer more expensive accommodation as a fallback.