Grand Duka Hotel & Spa Reviews

I stayed at Grand Duka Hotel & Spa from 1st to 8th August 2025 as a solo traveller on a 7-day vacation in Durrës. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this hotel and feel compelled to share my experience to help fellow travellers make informed decisions. As someone who travels frequently (180+ days a year), I have extensive experience with international hotel standards. Despite its 5-star label, Grand Duka does not meet the basic expectations associated with this category. 1. Payment Issues: The most serious issue I encountered was a duplicate charge for my stay, even though the room had already been prepaid. While the hotel eventually refunded the overcharged amount after several days, they refused to cover the additional banking and currency exchange fees I incurred due to the error. Even worse, the management stopped responding to my emails once I asked for clarification on this matter — which I find highly unprofessional. 2. Location: The hotel is located inside a worn-out shopping mall, which detracts significantly from any sense of luxury. The atmosphere feels commercial and impersonal, not at all what one expects from a 5-star property. 3. Facilities: SPA: The hotel’s name includes “Spa,” which naturally raises expectations — unfortunately unmet. The sauna and Jacuzzi are very basic, more reminiscent of a private apartment setup than a professional spa facility. Gym: The gym is extremely limited in both space and equipment. It feels like it was built simply to check a box in the 5-star requirements, but it is not functional or usable for any serious workout. 4. Housekeeping: Cleaning routines were inconsistent and frankly surprising. On multiple days, room cleaning was not done before 16:00, which is far from acceptable at this level. 5. Breakfast: The breakfast offering is very limited and uninspired. Variety, quality, and service fall short of what any international traveller would expect from a hotel claiming five stars. In conclusion, despite the hotel’s branding and online presentation, my overall experience was far below expectations. Between payment mishandling, unprofessional communication, subpar facilities, and poor service standards, I cannot recommend Grand Duka Hotel & Spa. I hope this honest review will help improve the standards for future guests.