eva guesthouse

I really enjoyed my stay in Gjirocastra thanks to Eva and the family. They are very warm people and I felt I was part of the family. The house was in the city centre.

The guesthouse is simple but very clean and offers everything you need if you do not expect high standards. The bedrooms are big, you share toilet/shower and kitchen with a fridge. The landlord and landlady are extremely nice and very warm-hearted people that make you feel like home from the very first minute. They try to help, whereever they can.

There is no sign on the street and if you're coming downhill (from the bazaar) there's no way you'll see it. It's hidden in a small street between walls. The rooms are more suitable for a museum or Ottoman exhibition than a hotel. There's no table in the rooms or any furniture to be used or place your stuff on other than old chairs. There's no fan or AC. Summers in Gjirokaster are extremely hot. Whilst the lack of AC is understandable in an old (albeit renovated) property, the lack of a fan is unfathomable. The granny is nice and so are the people in the Lori guesthouse down below. Breakfast she served were very nice. The owner doesn't speak a single word of English. Not even 'yes' or 'no' let alone words such as 'tomorrow' which made me feel like talking of astrophysics to a school kid. He spends all nights in the kitchen in front of TV-computer making this basically a shared flat and not a tourist accommodation. I can't understand how during that time he can't learn 10 words of English for working with tourists. The basics such as time, days and dates. The shower/toilet is shared as well and the owner was repeatedly moving my soap away from the shower. The water pressure in the shower is very low making taking a shower a long and tedious process. Last, but by far not the least. Internet connection is horrendous and not working on laptops anywhere outside the main corridor. It barely works on mobiles. The connection speed is depressing. The word 'traditional' has been taken here too literally.

After the targeted hotel was full, we were referred to Eva's parents. The welcome was very warm and we felt at home straight away. The accommodation is clean and simple, although the house is definitely one of the better ones in Gjirokaster. The hosts tried very hard to help with any questions. On top of that, the breakfast was unbeatable and lovingly prepared. We could park safely around the corner without any problems. Would stay here again anytime.