The House of Dollma , Inside Kruja Castle

What we loved the most was the welcome and the personal attention that the host Salahudin and his wife Rudina had for us. The care, check in and great breakfast were plenty and tasteful. The egg allergy was taken into consideration. We were given directions for great food on top of the mountain and within the area. Clean room and bathroom, big white towel, hot shower, water, cloth hangers and great atmosphere! Thank you! A tip: Bring only a bag or small suitcase to the House of Dollma as the castle cobble stones aren't easy to bring big luagages. From the entrance of the castle keep right, go down through the small alley towards the bottom of the castle area at the back you'll find House of dollma. The signs are small sandcolor arrows. Enjoy!

Cool location inside the castle walls Very friendly host welcoming us Impeccable cleanliness

Have to carry bags for around 10 minutes from car (inevitable for the location)

During my stay I noticed a lot of things I liked about this hotel that made it feel like a home away from home and definitely worth going back to. The delightful hosts Mr. and Mrs. Dollma go out of their way to make your stay as nice as possible, whether that be through helping with special requests e.g. boiling water for you, or serving authentic breakfasts which the hosts get the ingredients for at the local market. Another example is, if you urgently need information or advice, and the knowledgeable Mr. Dollma somehow doesn't already know it - he'll be making calls for you, even late in the evening. It felt to me like their mission is ensuring that, even after you have checked out, your experience of not just The House of Dollma, but Krujë overall, will be memorable. - It's very easy to get to all museums, restaurants, the bazaar and monuments from the hotel - it's all just a few minutes away. And on the way, you experience a little of what it's like to still live in the fortress. - You are surrounded by nature in almost all directions, with multiple possible hiking routes, including two to the top of the mountain Krujë rests against, to The Temple of Sari Salltik. - The possible views from the hotel room windows are spectacular: I had a view on Tirana, the slopes and hills that lead to it, and on one very clear day, could easily see the Adriatic sea. - During the day and night this area is shielded from any noise. It's very quiet, in part due to the still in tact thick fortress walls but also thanks to Mr. Dollma's renovation work. If you leave the windows open in the night, you can softly hear the crickets, or close them and use the available air conditioning if you need it. - Situated in the mountains, the air is extremely clean and far less polluted than in big cities, this is even noticeable inside the house.

This goes for a visit to any part of the fortress/castle of Krujë: bring shoes with good grip / some friction. Almost all pathways to the buildings are still original, which were apparently designed to slow potential attackers down. I went there with shoes that have almost no friction soles and I can say, the pathways still work as originally intended.

Can't say enough good things about this property and the man who looks after it. The newly renovated building is gorgeous. The bathrooms are very slick. The quaint courtyard where you eat a delicious breakfast is an oasis. The proprietor is generous and charming. And the location, nestled within the castle walls is stunning value. An important tip, though: because parking is a 10-min walk on castle cobblestones, leave big suitcases in the car and carry a smaller bag in.

Truly - there's nothing negative to say. The rooms are bigger than other castle properties, but they're not Holiday Inn giant.