Hotel Shaka

The meals were a highlight: tasty food at dinner, also available at lunch, plus morning juice and delicious rolls. One morning there was even a kind of cake. The staff were friendly and around all day. We didn’t get in until about 2 AM because of public transport problems, but the manager was ready to show us to our room as soon as we arrived. Hotel Shaka is a cozy place near the coast, and we’d definitely recommend it.

I booked this budget place at the last minute after realizing Rimini and the villages along the Adriatic Coast are entirely beach resort towns, so prices run high. At €38 a night, this was the cheapest I found. It was okay, and at least I had A/C, though I can understand why someone might still call it overpriced.

The owner was a big help whenever we ran into problems, and when we had to leave very early for an excursion, he made sure we still got breakfast. We could take anything we didn’t finish along as lunch. There were lots of breakfast choices each day, and the staff really spoiled us. We were close to the beach, and our room was clean and spacious. There were two of us in a room for four, so we had lots of room. The air conditioning worked, which was a blessing in the heat, and they cleaned the room every two days. Our flight came in late on the first night, but the staff were still awake so we could check in right away. On our last day, we had to walk to the train station very early, but the owner drove us there so we’d be safe. We really enjoyed the holiday and would recommend the hotel.

The location is good, and the staff were very friendly at check-in, but the rest of the stay was awful. The whole place was the dirtiest we’ve stayed in. Photos suggested the hotel had been updated, but that wasn’t true and felt misleading. The room had a tiny, ancient closet bathroom with a broken shower handle on the wall and a floor drain. No bathroom window, and the smells were repulsive. The bed was the worst we’ve slept on, and there were ants everywhere. We knew there were dated budget options nearby and that you get what you pay for. We chose this one because the photos made it look like efforts had been made to update it. A deep clean and real improvements are needed before I’d stay here again.