Old Pub — Hotel in Svätý Anton

We decided to travel by train (or, lacking that, by bus) from Prague to Budapest via Slovakia. We booked a night at a hotel in the district seat of Banska Bystrica, then tried to book three more nights in Banska Stiavnica, but the travel agent reported back, excitedly, that all of the rooms there were taken on account of the Salamander Festival. What? A festival devoted to young frogs? We had to see it, so we persisted. A prepaid double at the Stary Hostinec, a guesthouse located in the adjacent town of Svaty Anton, 5.4 kilometers from Stiavnica, was the best the agent could do for us, so we took it.||||Svaty Anton sports a big country house of some former Bulgarian prince and a kind of dude ranch, and not much else. The bus to Stiavnica costs 0.45 to 0.60 euros and runs several times each day. Stary Hostinec -- the Old Guest House in Slovakian -- is a restaurant/beer garden/road house with ten double rooms upstairs. Parking is available. Our room was clean and spacious, constructed of pine planks, with modern fixtures (including a TV and a small refrigerator) and historic touches (including a traditional dress hung on the wall). There was wi-fi in the restaurant and courtyard. The restaurant operated all day and offered excellent, filling food and drink at very reasonable prices. At 35 euros per night, the room was a bargain. The young women who alternated working reception were very helpful and nice.||||Stiavnica wasn't that interesting -- the festival honored the apocryphal salamander who was spotted with a gold nugget in its mouth, setting off a Slovakian gold rush several centuries ago -- and we ended up taking an expensive cab ride from Svaty Anton to Budapest, but if you are traveling that way, I recommend Stary Hostinec. It's the way...

EDIT (pre pani majitelku): pardon, slo o masove pirohy, nie gulky. Studene a zle chutiace masove pirohy. spravne si pamatate, ze sme sedeli pri detskom ihrisku na terase. co uz si spravne nepamatate je: a) ze nas na terasu poslala casnicka, pretoze sme sa pytali na moznost spojenia stolov vpredu a navrhla terasu ako alternativu b) ze ani zdaleka nebol podnik plny, ked sme prisli, ani ked sme odchadzali. Na prednej terase sice boli obsadene 4 stoly, ale vnutri len jeden, vsetky ostatne vnutorne boli prazdne c) ze na zadnej terase sedela dalsia rodina, ktorej asi niekto zabudol vysvetlit, ze sa tam neobsluhuje, kedze vosli bocnou branou a casnicka ich obsluzila bez problemov. d) z uvedeneho vyplyva, ze obsluha vedela, ze sedime na terase. Kamerovy system som neskumal; je mozne, ze tam naozaj nebol. Ak casnicka dokazala zabudnut, aky je den v tyzdni, mohla zabudnut aj na to, ze nas usadila na terase, uznavam. Absencia kameroveho systemu problemom s pamatou urcite neprospeje.

Poprosim nastavit si system v zariadeni a nasledne mozete vyzadovat jeho respektovanie.

Cela Vasa odpoved v style neuprimnej lutosti ("mrzi nas to, ALE...") je skvelym potvrdenim, preco sa uz nikdy nezastavim vo Vasom podniku.

Aby som nebol len kriticky, ponukam Vam navod, ako korektne komunikovat so zakaznikom pri negativnej recenzii: "Ospravedlnujeme sa za Vasu negativnu skusenost. Mrzi nas, ze sme Vam dodali jedlo, ktore nesplnalo nas zvycajny vysoky standard. Zial, v dany den pracovala casnicka, ktora sa zaucala a kvoli naporu ludi to bol pre nu narocny den. Mozem Vas uistit, ze ak k nam zavitate nabuduce, uz sa Vase problemy nezopakuju a rada by som Vam ponukla X% zlavu z Vasej objednavky ako napravu. Pekny den."

Tato recenzia patri restauracii, nie ubytovaniu. Mozno je toto jedina restauracia vo Sv. Antone, ale urcite spravite lepsie, ked sa jej vyhnete.

Objednali sme si 5 polievok a 9 hlavnych jedal. Uplne vsetky boli studene. Jedlo bolo na stupnici od fakt zle po priemerne. Presolene, prilis mastne polievky, nijako nechutiace studene halusky, polotovarove masove gulky, preprazene hranolky. Iba lekvarove pirohy boli OK. Zly gurmansky zazitok vynasobila fakt katastrofalna obsluha; Dlho sme cakali na jedalne listky aj objednanie.

Obsluhujucej casnicky sme sa opytali, kolko bude trvat priprava nugetiek kvoli diabetickemu dietatu. Inzulin treba podavat 15 minut pred jedlom. Odpovedala, ze nugetky prinesie do 15 minut. Prizvukovali sme, ze netreba nugetky nosit vopred, len sa potrebujeme zariadit. Trvala, ze necha odkaz kucharovi a prinesie nugetky o 15 minut. Po 30 minutach sme sa jej opytali, ako to vyzera s nugetkami. Ohradila sa, ze napisala listok kucharovi, ale maju vela objednavok a vybavuju ich postupne. Nugetky priniesli po 45 minutach.

Je mozne, ze casnicka bola nova, ale ked je tanier bokom a prekrizeny priborom, je pripraveny na odnesenie. Netreba sa trikrat vratit a opytat sa, ci je treba nieco odniest. Staci odniest opusteny tanier.

Pre mna osobne vsak bolo najhorsie, ze sme si objednali kuracie prsia sous vide zabalit. V jedalnom listku je uvedene kuracie prsia sous vide s hraskovym pyre a ryzou. Priniesli nam kuracie prsia so salatom. Pytam sa, ci prinesie osve aj ryzu a pyre? "To ste nepovedali!" Je odpoved casnicky. Hovorim, ze v listku je uvedene prsia s ryzou a pyre. Ona, ze nie, to je bez prilohy (?!!). Tak sme poprosili aj o ryzu, ktoru nam buchla na stol so slovami "prelozte si do obalu". Pri plateni nam bola nauctovana ryza aj opekane zemiaky (ktore nemal nikto). Az pri pokladni sme zistili, ze casnicka priniesla kuracie prsia so salatom z casti jedalneho listka "vikendove menu" (je piatok). Rozmyslam, ci mam casnicke diktovat aj dni v tyzdni. Asponze ryzu z uctu odstranili, za chybu sa neospravedlnili.

Summa summarum jedlo zle, studene, rozhodne nie hodne cien 10€/porcia (4€/liter citronady?!!), obsluha pomala,...

An excellent Slovak village experience. If you're looking for 19th century Slovak countryside charm, this is the place for you. The wooden building is fitted in a traditional style reminiscent of the village house of the 19th century and its warmth will embrace you whether you're on a summer holiday or looking to heat up in during the harsh winters of central Slovakia.||||The food is a chapter on its own. The chef makes everything by hand and all of the ingredients and foodstuffs are sourced ethically and locally from nearby farms. The sheep's cheese is divine, the klobasa is delicious and the bryndza is exactly like grandma used to make. Forget mass produced conveyor belt food - every meal is prepared carefully and with love.||||To top off the experience, the service is excellent as well. Run by the mayor of the village and his wife, they will strive to make you feel at home away from home and will make sure that your experience is a good one....