Traveler Hostel 2

Fantastic staff who were very friendly and went above and beyond for us. The hostel itself was clean, fairly easy to get to from the city centre, and also had a pool which is always a win!

Nothing.

The entire staff, particularly our host Julio, were very courteous and helpful; the location is very convenient to plenty of restaurants, and the main bus station is 20 minutes away. You can rent bikes; the pool was much needed and refreshing; laundry service is available.

For us, staying in a room with a kitchen, there was a beam in the middle of the kitchen that was a bit tight to navigate around. But it was merely an inconvenience. We were there 10 days.

Lugnt och bra område, trevlig stämning och pool.

Märklig pelare i vägen för köket i mitt rum (samt ej inkopplat vatten i kökets vask), inget problem för mig då jag ändå inte ämnade laga mat.

★★★½ The owner and staff here are so genuinely warm and kind that I extended my stay despite having real reservations about the condition of the place after the first night. That says everything about them — and I want to be fair to both sides of that. The outdoor area and pool are a genuine highlight — an absolute godsend in the Albanian summer heat. The AC is efficient and works well. On those fronts, top marks. The 3½ stars reflects the condition of the place rather than the people running it, who deserve far more. With a bit of investment and attention to the basics, this could easily be a 4½ star stay. I hope they get there — they've certainly got the heart for it. Good to know: no lockable lockers — keep valuables somewhere secure. Kitchen is functional but missing basics like tea towels. Pool and AC are excellent. The people here are wonderful.

The hostel itself needs some work. It's only been open a year but appears to be an older building — possibly converted — and feels as though it was handed over complete with its existing contents, which is particularly noticeable in the kitchen. There's an eclectic collection of odds and ends in there rather than a considered setup, and it's missing basics like tea towels or paper towels. The bathroom in the dorm I stayed in needed a thorough clean, particularly the toilet. Worth noting too: the lockers aren't lockable — which reflects the local culture of trust, and I completely understand the spirit of it. In practice though, when you don't know your bunkmates, somewhere secure for passports and valuables would be reassuring. As it happened, my fellow guests were lovely — but it's worth being prepared.