Grandstay Apartments 008

The apartment was comfortable and clean, with a great sea view, and the bed and couch were very comfortable. The building is new, though it sits in the old part of Durres. There’s a grocery store downstairs, two elevators that were never a long wait, and good access security with a front door code and an elevator key fob. The apartment faces the main street, where cars honk and dogs bark at night, though it gets better after 11 pm. There were a few small ants in the living room. The shower floor looked very old and dirty, and there’s no toaster. The coffee machine uses K-cups. Bring your own toiletries, tea towel, and paper towels; they only provide a small amount of toiletries for one day. We bought large water bottles and toilet paper at the store downstairs. The balcony gets full sun from about 3 pm, but the AC unit blows hot air there, so it’s hard to use. Getting in was a bad experience. Before arrival, the owner gave no directions, even though I had texted to ask. There was no parking anywhere nearby, no street address, and I didn’t know which door led to the building entrance. After 24 hours of travel, we were dragging heavy luggage around in the hot afternoon sun and asking people for help, but no one helped. Two kind men on a side street finally called the owner for us. We had a SIM card but couldn’t make calls. Only then did the owner tell us which entrance to use, the front door code, and where to get the keys. I understand they may not want to share that information in advance for security, but they could have told us to text when we arrived. The check-in email said the “front desk is open 8am to 8pm,” which was misleading because there’s no receptionist or front desk. The listing details were Grandstay apartments, fl 4, apt 16, building entrance 2, Durres, Sept 2025.

The location is amazing, and the staff were friendly and explained everything. The apartment itself was great, but cleanliness was the reason for my 3 stars. The bathrooms hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly, and the shower still had hair from the previous guests. There was also a strange smell sometimes, like weed.

The host from GrandStay Apartments made me feel at home, picking me up from the airport and suggesting hidden gems around the city. They were so friendly and helpful. The apartment was spacious, super clean, and had everything I needed, including parking, which was a lifesaver in Durres. It’s right in the heart of the city, yet inside it felt like a calm oasis. The balcony view was unbelievable, like a postcard. I spent my days exploring and liked coming back to relax there with a glass of wine. I highly recommend it for a Durres getaway.

A clean, peaceful spot for a holiday near the sea. The location in Durres is the best 🩵