Mondial Hotel in Tirana

Can you tell me if you have been to this hotel? Is it very close to restaurants etc

Are the rooms nice and particularly are the single rooms nice?

Would you recommend it? If not, which ones would you recommend as a really nice hotel with good facilities but not at outrageous prices?

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Mondial is a good clean hotel with an excellent reataurant. The only issue I would have is that it%26#39;s a twenty five minute walk into town, and there are hotels as good bang in the centre. If you have a car, no problem.

Try a search for the Miniri or the Villa Tafaj if you want nearer the Sheshi Skenderbej....

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To the above advice for Miniri hotel in Tirana.

I%26#39;ve stayed there 4 days in autumn 2005.

Located just between 2 roads which end at St.Teresa square (3 minutes walking distance from the hotel), the very downtoun at easy access.

However, during the traffic hours it is noisy due to lacking isolation. In addition, late night/early morning hours the sound of police cars are frequent issue. I%26#39;d at least advice to book a room on the upper floor (I was on 2nd or 3rd).

At check in they ask to keep your ID document, and it is not for payment guarrancy (I suggested to pay cash immediately all my stay); they stated it in case of nighttime police check. Well, after I stated that police is welcome any time but I won%26#39;t let them retaining my ID, it was returned to me. Reception clerks speak good English.

The hotel facilities- at the floor level of reception desk: small cafeteria faced to St.Teresa square (open air and covered areas available), small %26quot;rest place%26quot; equipped with TV, sofas and tables; and restaurant with good and cheap food (mainly standard European dishes). There was a public PC but it was covered and appeared not operational.

The staff in cafeteria does not speak English but friendly and it%26#39;s easy to place your order with the assistance of the receptionist.

I was only once in the hotel restaurant (preferred to go to other places just in order to extend my %26quot;view%26quot;), and the waiter was quite enough English speaking.

Lacking elevator.

Room was cleanED- it%26#39;s for sure. But it does not mean it was clean.

Room was in general poor maintainance- everything old, faded and with visible evidence that it was regularly not cleaned well.

The bathroom was below any average level of cleaness, however there were signs of renovation in progress there.

A device designated for air conditioning was available but not actually working, so during the hot autumn I was pressed to choose btw the street noise and air conditioning by opening the windows.

It is worth to mention (contrary to the stories about the theft risk in Albania) that there was nothing stolen/used of my belongings (especially usage of perfums during my hotel stay is frequent issue even sometimes at EU countries and much-much better hotels; same for pouring out shampoo/bodywash and refilling the bottle with water)

As for the internet :) I was assured they do provide i-net connection from the room if I have my laptop with me.

And it was true- dial up connection was available, poor quality but available anyhow. But once I log in i-net, the hotel phones get blocked, and in some hours the receptionist sends somebody to ask me to let the line free.

In addition, I got virus regardless all the security measures.

You can rely on the reseption staff to order reliable taxi for you, and also it is worth to visit the lobby of the hotel if you need information for.. Croatia :) - it is full of brochures for Croatia there, same was in my room. Nice :)

In conclusion.

My colleague will work in Tirana several days soon, and the first advise I gave her was %26quot;Do not book Miniri%26quot;. I think this summarizes my feedback.

Just would provide very positive feedback for the staff, very friendly and nice people. I liked them.

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you really made me lough stela thats is excactly what you find in a lot of hotels in albania unfortunately the competition and survival makes people lie just to get some custom, I am an albanian that lives about 5 minutes walk from miniri hotel and get really frustrated when you dont get what you excpect but thats life

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hi and sorry for late reply, all my trips merged due to late/cancelled flights due to fog (well, that%26#39;s also life, right,)

hope I didn%26#39;t make you feel bad, it was not my intention, I just wanted to provide clear idea about the actual condition to the others.

My country also experienced and experiences difficult times, furthermore in the so called developED countries there are also samples of poor service and/or maintenance, I just experienced several last week and even yesterday in Austria, being in hotel of 1 nice local hotel chain, 1 private mountain hotel, and 1 international chain hotel.

For Tirana... I heard my Italian colleague have been in Sheraton (if I%26#39;m not wrong) and was satisfied

As for my colleague who just was n%26#39;t have time to discuss, so yet I don%26#39;t know where she have stayed and how was it.

Promise to provide feedback once I know.

When I have time, I%26#39;ll check whether I wrote above about my relations with some Albanian people (interpreter pls. those from the hotel staff), to be 100% sure I was not fixed to the negative things.

May you all have very good X-mass, or whatever the holiday is for any of you

Stela

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Old post from 2006

No need to reply

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