I've been in hostels that are dank, sinister and smelly in my time; I've also stayed in hostels which are nicer than my house; Buzz Hostel in Zagreb doesn't fit into either of those extremes, but it's certainly the hostel that's left me feeling most ambiguous and peculiar about.

Buzz Backpacker's Hostel at first glance seems to be a winner - their nicely designed website (they also have a hostel in Split) is packed with nice photos, information and directions.

The location is a bit far out from the center, about an half an hour's walk, and is sandwiched between two tram lines, so access to the heart of the city is pretty simple.

However, I couldn't help get the feeling they've been a little bit disingenuous about the location - in their blurb, they bang on about Kvaternik Square; I'm sure it's a charming place to hang out, but the reality is, backpackers are usually only in town for a short stay, and usually want to get straight to the popular stuff in the city center, not the most convenient square to the hostel.

Not only that, their information on Kvaternik Square doesn't clearly specify why it's such a major attraction, and the info seems to be a blatant grab from Wikipedia.

The directions given to the hostel in their leaflets and on the website are also rather confusing and far more convoluted than need be - it reads like Blackbeard's
treasure map. Staying there only one night, we figured out far easier ways to get back to the hostel.

The hostel itself is indeed located in a quiet part of Zagreb, tucked away down a residential street away from the busier roads with tram lines, Kralja Zvonimira and Maksimirska Cesta. It doesn't look like a hostel - it looks like a Croatian residential apartment building converted into a guesthouse, and unfortunately doesn't have the character to shake off that first impression.

Staff are on hand twenty four hours in their tiny reception area - so tiny you can't turn around wearing a backpack in it - and seem bored but friendly; the young woman who welcomed us was happy to answer all our questions and offer recommendations for places where we could eat in the centre.

The whole place is done up in bright modern colours - violent purples, garish greens - which makes it look quite young and vibrant, but only serves to make the place seem even smaller than it is. I couldn't help noticing that it's been almost completely decked out with furniture from Ikea - we had the exact same bed in our first apartment in Brno, a town where almost EVERY cheap pub and restaurant kits themselves out with Ikea gear!

On the ground floor with the pokey reception is also a narrow galley kitchen (utensils by Ikea), a fridge with a few cold drinks and beers, and a small "Common Room" with sofas round the outside, free internet on the computer, and a flat screen mounted on the wall for Playstation sessions.

Perhaps this common room also enhanced my peculiar feeling about the place - there was certainly nobody in it when we were there, and it looked like it had never been used.

From my experience of hostels previously, the most successful and inviting ones almost always have some raucous bar or balcony or kitchen or somewhere where the travellers staying there spend far more time than their rooms or dorms; in some cases, more time than the city around them.

This common room was not the kind of place - there was no one in there chatting, drinking, flirting, being pretentious, as you'd expect in a hostel. I remember when I was little, going to visit relatives "up north" with my parents; these relatives spent most of their lives in the kitchen, but had a "front room" which they barely used except for special occasions - that's what Buzz Backpacker's Common Room feels like; an old fashioned Front Room.

On the plus side, there is a nice leafy garden out the back with swing chairs; however, you need to keep your voices down after 10pm otherwise they'll have the neighbours on their backs.

Our double room (squeezed in under fifty quid, the maximum we'd consider paying for a hostel room) was a bit on the small side, but again packed with newish modern furniture, and had access to the balcony, which looked out over the street. Thankfully, they also provided an electric fan, which was a life saver on a very hot and sticky night in the Croatian capital.

Keeping up with the guesthouse theme, there's only one bathroom per floor, so there was a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing up and down the hall to see if the bathroom's free; I've never been one to stand outside in my pants waiting for the next available opportunity.

The bed was very comfy, although if you consider staying at Buzz, and fancy a lay in next morning, try to book a room at the rear. It is situated in a quiet residential area as stated in the blurb - what they neglect to mention is the residents either side of the hostel have very big dogs, and every time another dog walks past, you're treated to a "Dog Chorus" - not the best thing for a sleep-in.

Buzz Backpacker's Hostel is not a bad place to stay, although it borders on a negative rating in so many respects. Not a bad location, but they've been a bit sneaky about it; they call themselves a hostel, but in reality is more of a guesthouse, and prices reflect that, particularly on the private rooms. Clean and pleasant, but no atmosphere; also no food, no breakfast, and nowhere immediately to hand to grab a bite if you roll up in the middle of the night.

Satisfactory, but I'd recommend doing your research on other places in Zagreb, and really think about what you want and need before booking up at Buzz.

(This review first appeared on Ciao! under my username Midwinter.)

We stayed for two nights in August in a private double room.
The room was bright, clean and airy and had a comfortable bed.
Bathroom was clean and not difficult to get access to with only 3 rooms on each floor.
Staff were cheerful, helpful and friendly.
Location was quiet and only a 5 min tram ride into the main square.
Would definitely recommend this hostel to other travelers.

We stayed here a couple of nights and we a really bad experience from the beginning.In fact, I stressed with several e-mails that I 'd like a double room booked for all the night, because we arrived in the morning by train and we would have been sure to arrive and sleep a couple of hours. But only because we arrived 2 HOURS BEFORE, the room was booked and the hostel was full. We had to sleep in the common room a couple of hours. Than we had to pay for the 2 nights also if we SLEPT ONLY 3 HOURS in the first night. But in this situation they earned a double amount for the same night (from the couple who wnet off at 7 and from us). Such an horrible behaviour to get the most advantage from the situation. Staff very unpolite, wouldn't understand the situation, only want he money. We had booked a third night but we have cancelled. Then the room was small, no air conditioning only a fan, very basic furniture. The bathroom was terrible and very dirty with only one toilet and shower for 2 double rooms and a dormitory so we took the shower near the reception and we had to wait for the hot water maybe 15 minutes. For sure I will not come back in the future and I will say to nobody to go.There are better places to stay in Zagreb, cheaper and nicer.

Room was clean, as was shared bathroom. Location was safe. Night time was quiet. Staff was very helpful with excellent English language skills. Telephone had free long distance to land lines around the world. Location is bit out of the very city center, but tram service is only a few blocks away. Kitchen was well stocked and also very clean.

wayne and sally