Tuzla, as I can see during our visit, is still recovering, infrastructure-wise and economically from the Balkan war in the 1990’s. I will post more information about the city’s history and my impressions in the next upcoming entries but I found this excellent summary of the last Balkan war made by the BBC really helpful – Balkans war: a brief guide. This will give some background about what happened in this part of Europe 20+ years ago.
Our room at Heartland City B&B in Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
We are only staying here 1 night and the next day we will be leaving for the capital, Sarajevo. You might want to check out our full road trip itinerary here – Epic Balkan Road Trip: 13 Days, 4 Countries, 8 Hotel Stays, 1,302 Kilometres, 7 Border Crossings and 14 Security Checks
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The location of the B&B hotel is great as it is just around the corner from the old town. There is free private parking just beside the B&B and the rooms were clean and stylishly presented. We slept very well here. Breakfast, which was included in the rate was buffet-style and you can order warm eggs as well. We had a juicy and tasty omelette which we enjoyed very much.
I only have an evening picture of the B&B Hotel. The ground and first floor are the restaurant-pizzeria. The upper floors are the rooms. Ours was in the topmost level going through 3 flights of stairs.
We were given the topmost room and this is our view. Not much but it is just around the corner from Stari Grad (old town centre).
Heartland City B&B is also a restaurant-pizzeria so they serve lunch and dinner every day. We didn’t get to eat their pizzas though but the restaurant was highly rated on Tripadvisor. We also saw locals frequenting the place, so it must be that good. I managed, however, to order some wine to bring up to our room.
Interestingly, the owner of this pizzeria and B&B has lived in the Netherlands for some time. She right away spoke Dutch to me which surprised me a bit but appreciate a lot her effort. She must have fled the country during the war and settled in the Netherlands as a refugee, and then went back when the war was over. Many people, especially those with properties in the Balkans, have come back. I did not ask her the details of her stay in the Netherlands as I do not like to pry unless they offer their story of course.
My friend Bubbles really liked her way of treating customers as she went all the way to please us. She scored high on Bubbles’ customer service rank, as well as on the omelette she served for breakfast, which was so far, I have to admit, the best we’ve had in this Balkan road trip.
Breakfast at Heartland City B&B and the delicious omelette.
Perhaps the main drawback here is the absence of a lift, especially if you are staying at the topmost part room, which we did. I do not mind taking the long flight of stairs but when you are carrying a luggage almost half your weight, it’s not funny at all. We were glad though that the hotel and restaurant personnel helped us with bringing our luggage to our room, as well as bringing them down when we checked out.
This hotel was the second runner up in terms of the longest flight of stairs we have encountered. The first prize goes to our hotel in Mostar and the third runner-up was in Dubrovnik. I guess this is what you get when staying in places like these and in boutique-ish types of hotels located in old city centres in Europe.
Early in the morning at the ground floor of Heartland City B&B Pizzeria.
Destination: Tuzla (Tuzla), Bosnia & Herzegovina
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All pictures were taken by a point and shoot pocket camera or a smartphone.