Rose Garden Hotel

We cannot recommend this hotel more! We spent two days here between Saranda and Himare and from the moment we arrived it was like you had stepped back in time. Nikos is amazing and nothing is too much trouble. The hotel is in an incredible location bordering on the castle and a two minute walk to the castle and about 4 minutes into the old town. The rooms are gorgeous fairytale traditional Albanian style with super modern bathrooms. Huge comfortable beds and assorted pillows, regular memory foam etc. Views from the hotel are unrivalled looking out over the entire city from the very top of the cliff. The hotel has a sensational pool area with umbrellas and sun beds and the Pool is cool welcome and refreshing after the 34 degree temperatures. Pool never closes so our family enjoyed many night swims which a lot of other hotels don’t allow. Breakfast absolutely delicious with made to order choice of eggs and then a big platter of breads, pastries fruit vegetables and cheeses brought to the table. Amazing coffee that Nikos prepares and there is an in-house chef Ergy who cooks delicious lunches and dinners if you choose. We went for a lunch which did not disappoint. All round one of the best hotels we have ever stayed in! No trip to Albania is complete without a visit to this hotel!

What a beautiful hotel! We stayed here one night to visit Gjirokaster. To come here with the car is a bit difficult, however as advised in the other review we messaged the owner and he said that we needed to video call him when we are beginning of Gjirokaster (at the large road). We called him and he guided us to the hotel. This was a really nice service and really welcome, since it is difficult to navigate through Gjirokaster. The staff was very nice and we could make use of the swimming pool after sunset, if we stayed quite, which was very nice! The room was also very nice. It was very spacious and the bed was also very nice! The view on Gjirokaster was also very beautiful! The breakfast was really great. We could choose what we would like and they served it to us. This was very luxurious, since we are used to a buffet form. This hotel is also very closeby everything. When you walk out of the back gate you can walk to the castle or to the old city center (5 minutes). The location is great as well!

The most problematic part of our stay at the hotel was getting there. We had completed some research on the location before arriving so we knew the approximate location of the hotel. When approaching Gjirokaster old village it is best to approach in an anti-clockwise direction. Be prepared for narrow and windy cobblestone streets but at least once you do get close to the location, there are some helpful direction signs. On arrival there is ample car parking and via back steps taking you past the swimming pool it is only a short walk to the centre. We booked a deluxe room which was lovely. Very large with huge sofa as well as king bed and great views over the town, Great shower with very nice soap. Everyone is very friendly. The pool is a big plus, plenty of sunbeds to relax around after a day walking around the old centre. Breakfast the following morning was a set meal but very substantial with omelette, tomato, cucumber, dough balls, fresh fruit, cake, bread, jam and coffee.

Gorgeous setting right below the castle with a spectacular view. Lovely pool, super comfortable and spotless rooms and most attentive and accommodating staff and manager. Nico is terrific! And we were a group of 29! We had such a wonderful stay and hope to come back.