We stayed in this self-proclaimed “3* hotel” in December 2007. The main observation about this establishment is that it is actually not really a hotel. It is in fact nothing more than a slightly upmarket hostel or a basic B&B (I would say the facilities are equivalent to a 2* B&B rating in the UK). At approximately £50 per room per night it was poor value for money, especially compared to some other establishments nearby, which may not be better, but are certainly cheaper than “Zenit”. This is approximately the price you’d pay in the Travelodge in the UK, and Travelodge is much more comfortable than Zenit. The location is the only redeeming feature of “Zenit”, as it is very central.

We were allocated the room A5, which together with the room A6 is a part of a converted flat located in a residential block of flats, and is separated from the main building where the reception and breakfast room are. It had nice parquet flooring in the bedroom covered with some rather tatty runners/rugs and a lovely view over a car park. The furniture was modern, but very basic, cheap self-assembly type (one wardrobe, 2 bedside cabinets, and a bed, all matching design) with the manufacturer’s instructions on how to assemble the furniture still in a bottom drawer of the bedside cabinet. In addition there were 2 blue faux leather armchairs, but there was no coffee table, desk or dressing table. The bed was too soft and uncomfortable. The mattress was old and worn out, not surprising when they don’t use any mattress protectors. On the upside, we did get a proper duvet cover in crispy white bed linen. The handles of the bedside cabinets were loose, about to fall off. The wardrobe was placed next to the window, partly blocking the radiator. There are no non-smoking rooms in Serbian hotels at all, so our room also smelt of stale tobacco smoke from the “smoked” furnishings.

The mini bar was located in the wardrobe and it’s contents were rather pricey (£2 for a small can of cola or a 330 ml bottle of beer. There was also a pricey cereal bar listed on the minibar menu as a “macrobiotic desert”!). However, many shops and bars are nearby, so no need to use the minibar, and you wouldn’t want to spend any time in the room anyway as it is so basic.

Bathroom was ok, although it could have been a bit cleaner. There was some liquid soap/shower gel provided, but no other toiletries.

The heating in the hotel was good; too good in fact. There were 2 huge radiators in a room, about 9 m2, and another in the tiny hallway in front of the bathroom, separated from the bedroom by the door. Despite both radiators in the bedroom being switched off and the door into the bedroom being shut to minimise heating from the hallway, the room was so hot that we had to open the window to cool the room down before bedtime (it was –5 degrees C outside). The room was still too hot during the night, and we couldn’t figure out why.

The electricity plugs were hanging loose from the wall and cellotape was used to secure the boiler switch in the “on” position (presumably to prevent guests from switching it off). The boiler itself is located in the bathroom. The AC and some other appliances were plugged into the 3-way extension lead, which was hung over the radiator. The property would most likely fail British fire safety regulations, but I suspect the hotel doesn’t have to fulfil any such regulation in Serbia. The door that leads to both rooms A5 and A6 has a lock, which if left locked when the room(s) are occupied represents a serious fire hazard as the key is required to unlock it from the inside. Rooms themselves are fitted with safety locks that can easily be unlocked from the inside. Also, I could not see the fire alarm in the room.

We particularly requested a double bedroom for 2 persons but the room was prepared for one only (one pillow on the bed and only one glass in the room). Fortunately there was another pillow in the wardrobe, so we did not have to call the unfriendly young boy that checked us in.

Breakfast was ok overall. The coffee was made fresh to our liking; you could choose from espresso, Turkish or instant coffee (believe it or not, instant coffee is available on the menu in all Serbian bars and it actually costs more than real coffee). No one here knows what americano /long black coffee is, so we had to ask for “a very long espresso served in a cappuccino cup and topped with water to the top”. Tea-drinkers should always explain exactly what they want when ordering tea as you may get herbal or fruit tea. The fruit yoghurt served for breakfast was revolting (really artificial and probably had no actual yoghurt or fruit in it) and of dubious imported origin, which is simply ludicrous in a country that has such a massive selection of various sorts of fermented dairy products.

We only stayed one night. The place is way to basic for longer stays.