Hotel Republika

From the outside, Hotel Republika is a doorway in the wall of buildings the line Zog 1 Blvd. through downtown Tirana. There's a small lobby and restaurant with probably 15 rooms on the floors above.

The staff is friendly and then rates are reasonable, we paid about US$38 for a moderate sized room with a large bed and private bath. When I only had a large Euro bill, the elderly manager ran down the street to a money exchange, and brought back the change (at the going rate, he was just being nice).

It seemed very luxurious to us after weeks of hostels and rented rooms, but it was just a nice, clean, quiet room. Pink. It was so pink it hurt your eyes! And tastefully decorated with paintings of nude women and wild stallions. Toilet and shower and modern with good hot water. The window opened to a quiet backstreet, which is always nice so you can have good ventilation.

The location is great, it's at the bus station end of the main street downtown, so you can check your stuff in and then continue on foot. It's about 5 to 7 minutes walk to the main square, which is probably where you want to go. There are plenty of places to eat an drink on the street and a small grocery store nearby. The street seems safe with the a lot of cops around, patrolling in pairs.

Overall, it's a pleasant place to stay.