Lauren
Google
I will start with the positives - very helpful and friendly staff who are always available. They speak great English and will go out of their way to help. Good breakfast. Perfect location in the centre with everything nearby.
Next the negatives - the cleanliness was just not up to scratch. We stayed 3 nights and the whole time we were there the shower block was not cleaned. This is not good when the showers are shared by so many people. There is mould on the walls of the shower cubicles and the showers do not drain well, and the cubicles are tiny. So while you shower you are standing in a dirty puddle trying to get dressed, bumping into very dirty walls. People leave clothes and belongings all over the shower block and they are not removed. The bunk beds in the dorm room had signs of bed bugs (black debris around the base of the wood and a blood spot on the curtain). No storage in the dorm meant the room was always messy and chaotic. The hostel is a party hostel and there was often noise until late, with people coming back to the dorms late and leaving the lights on and making noise, waking people up.
Its a good place to meet people and as a base for Tirana, and I can only assume this is why it has such good reviews. But an honest review can not ignore that the showers and bunks were unnacceptably dirty. It was our first stay in Albania, so we accepted maybe this is how hostels are in the Balkans. But now we have seen the standard elsewhere we would not stay again and would not recommend. There is better in Tirana for the same price.
There is also a large crack in the ceiling in the private room which looked unstable to us, this needs attention as it could be dangerous.
