Hotel Maren Durres

Some parts of this place feel oddly designed, neglected, or broken. Don’t look under the beds unless you want to be shocked by the dirt. WiFi is available but so slow you give up trying; phone signal and data are poor too. The bathroom light is too dim for makeup or shaving. The shower is spacious but has no screen, so water spills across the floor, and there’s no drainage. Beds are firm, which may not suit anyone used to a softer mattress. Breakfast is basic, with many of the few items unavailable when you want them. The so-called coffee is like weakly tinted water. Staff seem uninterested and unmotivated. Guests get one umbrella and two sunbeds, but they’re filthy and in such poor shape they look a hundred years old. No alternatives are offered. You get stuck with poor spots in certain beach rows, but never know which ones because the beach attendant tells a different story each day. Broken sunbeds seem to be set aside for hotel guests while the decent ones are offered for sale. The beach and sea aren’t run by the hotel, but their state could affect a decision to visit Durres. Public beach areas are strewn with rubbish and smell unpleasant, while private beaches are a bit cleaner. There’s debris in the water, including human waste, and seaweed that can irritate your skin and leave marks. The children’s rides nearby are surrounded by litter and even attract rats. It’s all very off-putting. This felt like a world away from typical seaside accommodation.

Everything looks fine in the pictures, but the apartment we got hadn’t been cleaned at all. The bathroom was so dirty I couldn’t shower. At reception they took my reservation number and code, then later canceled the booking in my name and acted as if I had done it, even though I was staying there. They had no problem charging me $180 for the room that was available on Booking, then canceling it. I have proof that I paid and stayed. Once you’ve been here, you won’t come back. Be careful and stay safe! This is nonsense you’re writing.

The reception staff were friendly, and the private car park had 24/7 access, about a five-minute walk away. Our first room had a broken air conditioner. We asked the next day to switch and got the same room one floor down; they fixed the air conditioner that afternoon. Nobody spoke English apart from the receptionist. The hotel is a little tucked away. The beach and water were full of cigarette butts and rubbish.

The beach and ocean views were really nice, and I enjoyed the experience. Breakfast was almost nonexistent, though. There was no tea or coffee included, either at breakfast or in the rooms. Also, drinking water isn’t available inside the hotel.