Hotel Restaurant Bujtina e Gjelit

Food: The hotel offers delicious traditional Albanian cuisine that guests rave about, with meals served in a beautiful setting around the pool. Breakfast receives mixed reviews but is generally considered decent, with homemade options available.

The most wonderful spot in the middle of Tirana. If you want a place you can go to every time you want exclusivity and a beautiful view, you go there. Was here with a friend for the first time today to test the pool and the place is like a piece of paradise that helps you connect with yourself. Wonderful atmosphere, bird sounds, small turtles and all the beautiful green color all around. Exceptional staff, I must say the manager of the place is a wonderful person, capable for the job like no other I have ever seen before. Very friendly, attending to every need and trying to be helpful even for things that he is not obligated to. The rest of the staff were friendly and great too, the food was fresh and tasty. A person who values inner peace, should go there and find it. Considering I’ve tried many luxurious places around all Albania and have not even seen 50% of the effort and service I got here, this is my Top #1 place and hardly believe anything can top it off.

My wife and I stayed here for 3 nights in late September, ‘23. It was chosen by our tour company for a small-group visit to the Balkans, but it is the kind of place we would very likely consider if we had been on our own, and we recommend it highly. The Bujtina & Gjelit is in a pleasant residential area about 15 minutes by taxi from the main square. The hotel management was very helpful in arranging taxis for us, including to the airport for an early flight. Given the horrendous traffic in Tirana, driving ourselves would have been very difficult. The fares were very reasonable, about 5 euro to the square and 20 euro to the airport. The location shouldn’t deter anyone from using the Bujtina & Gjelit as a base for exploring Tirana. (We highly recommend the “Free” walking tour that departs from the main square – it was very informative and enjoyable.) The hotel has a cute, rustic design that we thought was very charming. The wings of the hotel form an open air atrium with an attractive swimming pool in the center. Weather permitting, the restaurant tables are arranged around the edges of the atrium. The restaurant is excellent and we wound up eating dinner there three times, as well as breakfast. There are other restaurants nearby that might be good alternatives. Our room (313) was reached by taking an elevator up one floor, then a short flight of stairs to another floor. This odd arrangement was probably the result of an expansion into adjoining buildings at one point in the hotel’s history. The room was very large and attractive, with wood paneling and open beams. There were windows on one side overlooking the side street by the hotel and on the opposite side overlooking the hotel roof top and atrium. There were two double beds, night stands with outlets, a desk, a small refrigerator, and a built-in armoire. Wifi was weak in the room but ok downstairs. The wall mounted a.c. was quiet, effective, and best of all not directed at the beds. The bathroom was very large and had an open tub/shower that unfortunately made it difficult to not get water on the surrounding floor. There were shelves on either side of the sink plus a large flat area for storage. The staff was very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. The included breakfast was pretty good – some pastries, juices, packaged yogurt, veggies, meats, and fried eggs that would have been better if they were kept warm. The made-to-order coffee was very good. Overall we enjoyed our stay at the Bujtina & Gjelit and recommend it if you like a comfortable, friendly place with lots of character.