Hostel Mali Mrak
Zagreb, Croatia
Need a break from generic hostels and commercial routines? If you’re looking for a place with sublime atmosphere, local culture & genuine hospitality, then Mali Mrak may be the place you’re looking for. Run by a couple of friends from Zagreb, we keep our hostel (and guests) passionately away from the nondescript miasma of the tourist market, are easily considered a unique spot by the travelling community for 10 years already, having hosted countless backpackers from everywhere.
Important Note: we don’t host binge drinkers, sour and complicated people (yes, you know if you are one of those :)).
· This house is the home of Fenris, a unique dog and mastermind.
• Each floor has AC, the hostel is pet and bike friendly, you have a secure garage to store in. People with cars have free parking in a safe, public area
• All beds have privacy curtains and individual power sockets
• The house features 3 kitchens, one of them a huge outdoors kitchen located in our vibrant, green garden. You can even cook there while it’s raining.
Food is good and affordable in town, but cooking is a lovely thing and brings people together, so make good use of it :)
• If you're visiting in late summer/early autumn, the garden is giving an abundance of grapes - you're free to pick them as you sit, as they literally grow over our heads.
• Bring padlocks, we provide the lockers + there's a safe for specific things if you feel the need
The House itself is organic, cosy, and full of details, we do everything local and handmade, with lovely clean dorms that are constantly upgraded and decorated, you won’t see mass produced boutique crap here.
We're not fans of commercial tourism and our culture of hosting is a counterpoint – we consider travelling an exchange that is more than just getting people drunk on pub crawls and peddling rubbish schemes. We don’t sell alcohol (feel free to bring your own, ask for recommendations, Croatia is wine country and the beer culture is budding) but pour good local wine and Turkish coffee daily for you, compliments of the house - you’re really welcome to have a good time here as long as you know how to drink and stay respectful (see caveat above, we're not a party hostel and, to make a point fyi - in all of 2017, one guest puked B-))
About us: We handle things in an honest and spontaneous way, the sense of community has high value here and as long as you respect the house and the people in and around it, you’re considered part of the fold and you’ll have all our knowledge, resources and experience at your disposal. Common sense and efficient solutions are favoured here and if you appreciate such things then you’re welcome to hop aboard.
Things to do besides exploring the city (we’ll cover you with smooth local insight anyway, all of us are native to Zagreb and make it a point you really see the city if you are interested)
- Lots of hiking here, we’ve got a mountain in our backyard :) Ask for recommendations or join us if a group comes together
- Bike tours, Zagreb has great areas for that and we have really nice routes in store.
- Introduction to the specific market culture of the city. Something precious in this day and age. For all who are interested, ask and join me /Igor/ on a market day (it’s a bike tour, we provide FREE use of bicycles for that, you’re welcome. Ask, it’s a pleasure)
- More, but it’s a secret.
Additional perks & special abilities:
- Left handed people get a discount (yes, it’s not a joke. Why? Figure it out, Sherlock :))
- Ambience plays a huge role here (a collection of 50+ lamps graces the house).
- Since we support artists (residencies available, ask!), don’t be surprised if you stumble upon the occasional concert, a jazz school of singers or a poetry evening.
- The longest stay at the house was 3 years, the shortest 5 minutes.
- You can rent bikes, and if you’re staying longer (4+ days) they’re free.
- Wi-Fi is sexy fast, 24/7
- We offer really good prices for travellers who wish to stay longer in Zagreb, especially in off season. Ask!
Location: Read the directions here on Hostelworld on how to find us, they’re easy and precise. We are not central if that's a thing for you. We prefer to stay outside the tourist zone and yet have quick access to the city centre - we're located in an ordinary, safe neighbourhood and Zagreb has an excellent, 24/7 public transportation system that connects you directly from the hostel to everywhere else, you’ll need 15 min by tram to the centre. Make sure you buy the cheaper tram tickets (4 kn or 0.5€, inside the tram @driver), it's very affordable and actually a cool thing to support public. Closest hiking spot is 15 minutes from the hostel on foot, but Zagreb has many other locations as well, we can help with that.
For those who are traveling on a budget and have certain skills- if you can and feel like it, feel free to contribute / upgrade the house in a specific way - we love that (you’ll notice a ton of stuff people have done here) - create something and in return you can get a discount, free food and/or stay. You certainly wouldn't be the first, and we are known to support travellers in many more ways than just giving convenient bed prices. Contact us via email for details on that.
Please note:
The City Tax (10 kn per person per night or cca. 1€) is NOT included in the room price you book online. We have to charge it in any case, and since many wonder what that is, here goes: it's not something any hostel makes up, it's just that - a city tax that goes to the state of Croatia, a way for the state to make money. We must charge it, and keep it separately because of account keeping, so we rather choose not to incorporate it into the bed price (that means: raising that same price for said amount and proclaim 'no additional tax') and charge it separately and show it on your bill.
Cards are accepted, but the 4% bank fee is paid by you, not the hostel!