Esplanade Zagreb Hotel

Esplanade Hotel Zagreb is a classical historic luxury 209-room hotel built-in 1925 to provide accommodation for passengers of the Orient-Express train that operated between Istanbul and Paris. Today the Esplanade Hotel is one of the best in the country and was my hotel of choice on a recent trip back to the Croatian capital.

My experience started with a warm welcome at check-in followed by a nice surprise in the room. Welcome amenities of high-quality chocolates and fruits. The room had a classical design, a separate bathtub from the shower and exclusive L’Occitane products. A product that for years have been used by the famous Four Seasons brand. Esplanade Hotel is actually similar to a Four Seasons experience with professional service and high standards.

The experience followed by a fantastic dinner at their restaurant, Zinfandel’s Restaurant, which is part of the Michelin guide. I have probably experienced more than 80 Michelin-starred restaurants and my experience at Zindandel’s was one of my best restaurant experiences ever. The service and attention to details were very impressive as expected, but what made it extraordinary was the food. A great risotto followed by Kagoshima Wagyu A5 as the main course. I have tried wagyu before, but I don’t recall having ever had such a tasty piece of meat in my life. I often prefer just eating vegetarian food, but no vegetarian food I have ever had can compete with the taste of this exclusive piece of Japanese beef. Well done.

The location of the Esplanade Hotel is right next to the main railway station, but the hotel has done a great job with sound isolating as my room felt quiet despite the very central location. It was easy to explore Zagreb on foot and I really enjoyed my visit to the Croatian capital.