Don't Go Home With Strangers in Dubrovnik

When I told people I was going to Croatia, they said, ‘Oh, you will stay in people’s homes. Old ladies will meet you at the train or ferry or bus station and show you photos and it is the way things are done.’ In Hvar, I asked around (I had a hostel but I was curious) and no one wanted to rent to one person. So if you are traveling alone, make a reservation in advance.
I tried the meeting thing at the bus station and it had disastrous results.

When I told people I was going to Croatia, they said, ‘Oh, you will stay in people’s homes. Old ladies will meet you at the train or ferry or bus station and show you photos and it is the way things are done.’ In Hvar, I asked around (I had a hostel but I was curious) and no one wanted to rent to one person. So if you are traveling alone, make a reservation in advance.
I tried the meeting thing at the bus station and it had disastrous results.
I gave my name to a boarding house in Dubrovnik but met this cool woman on the bus, and decided to see what the prices were if we got a room together. We also befriended these Englishman (two young guys from Bristol!) and decided to see if we could all get an apartment together. The Englishmen were mostly concerned if we were close to the pubs and clubs.
We met this girl at the bus station and she showed us a map and how this house was only 10 minutes walk to the Old Town and it was the same price as the boarding house, and I liked Rachel and figured it would be cool. Petra promised us the moon…well, two beds in each room, two rooms. We figured it would be like a hostel.
Wrong.
We arrive to an apartment with a bedroom with a large bed…queen sized probably (I can no longer estimate as I regularly sleep on ferries, trains, and bunk beds). The other room has a small fold out couch bed. WTF??
So we complain and complain and lower the price to 100 koona per night (as opposed to 120). And my Lonely Planet warned me about the scam artists at the bus station. So book in advance…at least in Dubrovnik.