Velipoja Grand Europa Resort, Affiliated by Meliá

After leaving without staying, I kept getting calls and texts from several different numbers. One man even claimed to be “the sheriff of the police.” It was intimidating and alarming. While I was at the hotel, I also noticed people following me around the property, and felt watched, targeted and unsafe. I was traveling with cash as an American, and it seemed clear to me they were trying to take advantage of that. I had booked Velipoja Grand Europa Resort, Affiliated by Meliá through Booking.com, with a confirmed booking secured by my card. At check-in, the receptionist immediately demanded cash. The next day they said the card “didn't go through” and asked to hold my cash, but when I checked my account, I saw they had already taken the payment. That felt like a shady attempt to get more money from me, and the contradictory explanations made me uneasy about who could access my personal information. This was one of the most unprofessional and threatening experiences I've had while traveling. I don't recommend it to anyone who values honesty, professionalism and safety.

The breakfasts are really tasty and the hotel is great. But it has one serious drawback: there's no first aid kit. When I needed help stopping blood from a wound, I couldn't do it because there wasn't even a bandage.

The dining room food was barely average, and people in our tour group suggested eating somewhere else. There were also problems in the rooms: the drapes looked luxurious, but the trees on them were lying on their sides, the fridge door couldn't open all the way, and the air-conditioning was lame. When we arrived by bus, we were excited by the waterpark, beach and the mention of indoor and outdoor pools. Then we heard about all the extra charges. You had to pay for a resort deck chair and to swim in the indoor pool. We couldn't use the outdoor pool because it was too crowded, though there were only three people in it. The waterpark closed at 5 pm, so we couldn't enjoy it. Would I recommend the hotel? Only because it's close to the best restaurant in Velipoje, Norma Restaurant. 😀

The beach manager was very rude when we spoke to him. His response was, “If you like it or not I don't care. If you want to stay or you want to leave, it's your business.” We drove from Tirana to Velipoja for just one day with my family and chose the Grand Europa Resort beach. When we stopped at the beach bar for coffee, we tried to use the toilets but they were very dirty. A waiter told us they didn't have a cleaner for the toilets. The situation felt critical and could lead to illnesses for the clients using them. I'll never go back. It was the worst experience.