I had spotted this Iva Old Town accommodation on booking.com and, although its position in a residential courtyard was not especially decadent, it had excellent reviews and looked clean and well organised. It was also conveniently located, and after the limited sleep permitted by an early flight I had no desire to spend the afternoon transporting myself across the entirety of Belgrade. And it was cheap.
The lady at check-in was friendly and engaging, apologising for her English which was to be honest better than average for English people. When she showed me to my room she said that “I hope you like it cool” which delighted me as I like rooms to be something between freezing cold and very cold. The air conditioning arrangement met my expectations, hiding me away from the extreme heat outside.
Incidentally, I like notes like this, I might usually stay at corporate Accor hotels (well, Ibis Budget) and so when it is a family operation, it’s rather nice for them to play on that.
I like free chocolates as I can frequently be bribed to not notice that the window has fallen out or something similar.
It was all clean and comfortable along with being sensibly organised. The television looked quite large and modern, not that I turned it down.
There was also a compact private kitchenette with a sink, kettle and small fridge. It was considerably better equipped than necessary for someone whose principal catering activity involved opening the complimentary chocolates. The accommodation doesn’t offer evening meals or breakfast, so this is a handy additional offering.
It was all keenly priced, quiet and easily accessible from the centre of the city, making it an ideal accommodation for my first night in Belgrade. I did look at booking the other two nights of my stay in the city at the hotel, but they were fully booked. I also doubted whether I would have got more chocolates, but who knows….