Choosing the right accommodation & guesthouses with all the amenities you need is important and can make a big difference to a successful trip. We realise that finding the right accommodation can be time-consuming and sometimes quite stressful. That's why we've put together a short guide below with some suggestions, ideas and tips.

What can you expect at the Peaks of the Balkans guest houses?

The quality of the accommodation along the route varies greatly and ranges from from simple hostels and bungalows to charming and cosy guesthouses and luxurious hotels.

However, they all have one thing in common: warm Hospitality and a spectacular location in the middle of the impressive Cursed Mountains.

Almost all guesthouses along the Peaks of the Balkans Trail offer all meals, including dinner, packed lunch and breakfast (more on this below). This is not always a given in the larger cities, but if meals are not available, your guesthouse should be able to recommend a nearby restaurant instead.

Almost all of the guesthouses we stayed in also had Hot showersSome offer private rooms and excellent local food. Most bathrooms are shared and occasionally located in a separate building outside, although some of the newer accommodation also offers private bathrooms.

Considering how remote some of the villages are, the accommodation options are generally excellent and reasonably priced.

Peaks of the Balkans Accommodation - Costs

On our trip, the accommodation prices were between €40 and €55 per person per night, including all meals.

In the larger cities, you can of course push this scale even higher if you are looking for luxurious accommodation. But we found plenty of nice accommodation in this price range and didn't feel like we had to compromise on comfort.

Prices may vary slightly from place to place, and in the summer monthswhen the area is full of visitors, the Rising costs for accommodation.

In general, you can expect the following prices for accommodation along the Peaks of the Balkans:

• Private room in an upscale guesthouse/hotel: €55 (per person/per night)
• Shared room in a standard guesthouse: € 40 (per person/per night)

A fixed price per person is also usually charged for accommodation, regardless of whether you are staying in a private room as a single traveller or sharing a room as a couple or group.

To make things easier, this price often includes all meals - Breakfast, dinner and a packed lunch. However, some guesthouses have a room rate including breakfast and the option of adding dinner and/or a packed lunch for an additional charge.

Packed lunches often cost €5 per person, but range between €3 and €8. Dinners can cost between €10 and €15 per person.

I recommend enquiring with the hosts after booking what a full-board package with all meals costs.

Food & catering in the accommodation

Overall, the food was fantastic - hearty, plentiful and just what you need after a long day on the mountain or on a chilly morning in the mountains.

The Portions were always very generous and the hosts were happy to provide extra bread or other meal components if required.

The Breakfast usually consists of a combination of tomatoes and cucumber, eggs (either fried or as an omelette), bread with jam and home-made cheese, deep-fried batter (Petulla), mountain tea and/or coffee.

Mountain tea (Caj Mali) is a ubiquitous herbal tea brewed from plants that grow in the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula, while coffee is often served Turkish-style - small, strong and black.

The Lunch is sometimes packaged and given to you, but usually a spread of tomatoes, gherkins, homemade cheese and bread or rolls is laid out at breakfast for everyone to help themselves to. Sometimes there is also a piece of fruit.

At the Dinner you can look forward to all kinds of delicacies. The last meal of the day was always a huge spread of very traditional local dishes, often served as a family, but sometimes shared between couples or individuals.

The evening meal usually begins with a Bean or meat and vegetable soup (Hats off to the incredible soups we ate at Chalet Rrusta and Bujtina Tinari!), followed by a salad of cucumber, tomatoes, cabbage and cheese, bread, Burek and roasted peppers.

Other popular dishes are Speca me maze - Grilled peppers in a creamy sauce (delicious!), intensely flavoured Rice or potatoes and grilled chicken.

Some of the smaller guesthouses will ask you when you would like to have your meals, but most follow a schedule of 7am for breakfast and 7pm for dinner. Don't be late for meals, because the other hikers won't wait for you.

Many guesthouses also have a fridge where you can buy drinks in the evening - the most common are beer and soft drinks, which usually cost between €2 and €4.

For vegetarians or people with special dietary requirements, there is sometimes an option to cater for these. Be sure to discuss this with your restaurant beforehand.