No recommended...

We recently stayed here for two non-consecutive nights. The location was just outside the city walls to old Dubrovnik. Ivo picked us us from the airport for about the same rate as a taxi would charge.

If you email/call Ivo months/weeks/etc. in advance he doesn't actually hold a room for you. The first night we were staying there we called him the day before and asked him to pick us up from the airport. I got the impression that this was the only reason there was a room waiting for us. (Note: We had reconfirmed our reservations more than once via email). We told him we would be back in two days as originally reserved (we went to the island of Mljet - it's lovely - you should go and stay at Soline6/Eco-Apartments [--]) and he said to call him again to re-re-reconfirm (yes, this would be the 3rd possibly 4th confirmation). We told him we wouldn't be able to call but to please hold the room for us - he insisted we call anyway. Then when we did call he didn't answer.

Anyway he had agreed to pick us up from the ferry dock and thankfully he did. However once he picked us up he told us he didn't have any rooms available and that we would be staying at his aunt's place nearby. The other place was nearby so we didn't really mind so we went to the new location. Then his aunt wasn't home - and he didn't have the key... nso we sat and waited - backpacks and all. But then she happend to show up and gave him the key. He opened the room and a young british woman screamed with surprise inside. Yup - the room had already been rented out to someone else. We sat in the kitchen and we heard him ask when she had checked in and when she was leaving. She told him she had checked in two nights ago and had agreed to stay for 3 nights... he then came to us and said that she was overstaying her original reservation because "everybody always stays longer" but not to worry (she obviously was NOT over-staying!). So we sat around as he made phone calls around town and finally took us to a third location run by this older woman who obviously had her own rooms for rent and after we got our room we could hear them arguing (we think) probably about how much money they would each get. Anyway this woman was very sweet but didn't really speak English.

So in conclusion everything was okay in the end - but Ivo definitely does not honor reservations. In addition I think when people reserve for "3 nights" I think he's confused and might think that means 3 days/2 nights... I can't really figure it out because the whole time we were staying with him he kept talkign about how everyone loves him and always stays extra long so he doesn't have rooms available,,,

I wish I had someplace else in Dubrovnik to refer people to because if I went back I definitely would NOT stay here! Also if you have strong feelings about personal hygiene then he may not be the man for you...

Ivo and his wife met us at the bus station, and made us feel very welcome. We were given the room without the balcony and ensuite bathroom at first, which wasn't a big problem but we had booked months in advance for the room with an ensuite bathroom and balcony. Ivo was very apologetic and we got the room we'd originally booked the next day.

You are basically staying in this family’s house so it's a bit strange at first, but we got used to the sounds of the kids and the dog around the house. The room was clean and for the price we can't complain. Towards the end of our stay we did think it was a little bit rude but he wanted to show someone round our room while we were still in it! We saw the funny side though.

One thing we weren't so sure about was the tour we did with Ivo. We asked Ivo if he could take us on a tour but we were too late to book so he kindly offered to take us to Split (as he happened to be going there that day with his family). We spent 4 hours in Split and on the way back he said he'd charge us £80 (800 kuna) rather than £140 (1400 kuna) which is what he'd normally charge since he was already going there - we thought it was a bit steep but maybe we're just cheapskates!

All in all we had a fantastic time in Dubrovnik, the location is ideal and the hosts were very friendly; I just don’t think this kind of accommodation would appeal to everyone – if you need your privacy, peace and quiet I wouldn’t choose to stay here but if you’re looking for a cheap place to stay that’s close to everything, this is where you should stay.

My sister and I stay with Ivo, his wife Vesna and his family in May and had a fantastic time. Ivo is one of the most positive people we've ever met and he really made our time in Dubrovnik a special experience. We stayed in the balcony room with the ensuite bathroom which was very spacious and spotlessly clean. The location of Ivo's rooms is perfect - just a few minutes and you're inside the walls of Dubrovnik.

We did two tours with Ivo, one to Kotor and one to the island of Korcula both of which I recommend. The beauty of going on a tour with Ivo is that you can stop wherever you want and he knows all of the best places to go. And you get to eat a home-cooked meal by Vesna (the Julia Roberts of Croatia) which is delicious.

Dubrovnik is an beautiful place, and you'll enjoy your trip even more if you stay with Mr Ivo and family - and you'll have plenty of laughs.

We met Ivo at the bus station in Dubronik, and he offered us an apartment within the walls, with A/C, for about $80US/night. He gave us a ride into the city, and the apartment was perfect. 1 bedroom with bath, and a small kitchen and living room area. It also had a small balcony. It was exceptionally clean, the bed was comfortable, the kitchen looked new, and it was right above Konoba Marco Polo, a recommended restaurant just off of the main square. We stayed in June, which isn't high season, but I would expect to pay much for for such a nice place - over $100 at least. Definitely a good choice!