Square Nine Hotel Belgrade

Square Nine is our splurge, and the hotel that most travellers with a generous budget choose in Belgrade. It occupies a sleek seven-storey building from 2011 on Studentski trg, the leafy square by the university, with a calm, design-led interior in an Art Deco spirit: warm woods, leather, marble and mid-century furniture. With only 45 rooms it feels intimate rather than grand, and service is attentive and personal. The facilities are the best in the old town: a naturally lit 18-metre pool, a Sisley spa with sauna, steam bath and an Offuro hot tub, a ground-floor restaurant, The Square, serving modern European and Serbian cooking, and Ebisu, a Japanese restaurant on the seventh-floor rooftop with views over the city. Expedia lists it as a five-star property with an exceptional guest rating of 9.6.

Location and getting around: the hotel is at Studentski trg 9 in Stari Grad, about 50 metres from Knez Mihailova and around 100 metres from the Belgrade Fortress, so Kalemegdan Park is a two-minute walk and Republic Square about seven. Dorćol’s cafes and the Danube are downhill to the north, and Skadarlija is a short walk east. Nikola Tesla Airport is about 25 minutes by car, and the hotel can arrange a transfer for a fee. Day tours to Novi Sad collect guests from central hotels.

Rooms: room types run from Superior and Deluxe rooms to Junior Suites, all with Nespresso machines, minibars and Hermès toiletries, and a quiet, residential feel. Higher floors look over the square and the rooftops.

Who it suits: couples on a special trip, business travellers and anyone who values a pool and spa in the heart of the old town. It is less suited to travellers who want a lively social lobby.

Good to know: breakfast is charged separately unless included in your rate, valet parking is available for a fee with limited spaces, and the spa requires reservations for treatments.