Mövenpick Hotel Lalëz Durrës — Hotel in Bashkia Durrës

Not 5 star and best avoided. We visited late September/ early October and nothing was open, the pool had been drained and it was very isolated with no infrastructure or transport options around.

Pros Rooms were spotless and spacious. Staff and locals were very friendly The beach is lovely

Cons The internet was patchy. The local taxi driver was dangerous, spoke no English and drove at speed into oncoming traffic. Didn’t give us change (around €10) so we had to use him for a return visit and then bumped the price up more than what the hotel had quoted us sun beds at the beach aren’t available from October. No towels provided and everything was dirty. After a few days the umbrellas and sun beds were removed. The beach bar was closed. Breakfast selection was average and not vast. Pastries were stale and there were wasps in the jams. The hot food at breakfast was cold every day. Cold eggs and sausage was all that was available for “hot” food. Air con existed but wasn’t keeping the room as cool as it said. It was set to 18C and was probably 24C at its coldest. The location is very remote with no local transport options. You must hire a car if you want to explore. No water in the outdoor pool. We were told on day one that the outdoor pool would be available all week. When we arrived at the pool a day later all the water had been drained. In 30C weather I would expect to have an outdoor pool at a 5 star hotel in early October. We spoke with the manager who told us it was a technical fault. This coincided with the day all the local businesses closed for the season. She told us she didn’t know how long it would take to be fixed and the same day men were clearing all of the sun beds and umbrellas from the poolside. A little coincidental for a technical fault. Indoor pool was locked when we tried to access it. We had to ask to be shown a different route. No aircon in the indoor pool. The jacuzzi jets weren’t on and there were broken tiles. It is very remote and there are very few shops or restaurants around so it felt very isolated. You’ll pay €65 for a return taxi to Durres. The hotel food in the restaurant was 3star at best and overpriced. Restaurant had ran out of a lot of food. Water was in short supply and despite being provided free, it wasn’t forthcoming. No coffee, mugs, glasses or water in the room when we arrived and kept getting them removed and not replaced during the week so constantly had to call for cups, water, coffee. Every single day. This got really annoying. Spa was closed. Acqua restaurant closed. The “private” beach area is connected to beach bar rather than operated by the hotel. There is lots of rubbish by the sun beds that isn’t cleaned and we had to move our beds each morning and bring our own towels. Locals (non-guests) were using the sun beds but non-guest foreigners were being charged €25 so it wasn’t private at all. There were only around 10 beds left out for guests when we were there as the rest were being cleared away so it felt a little ridiculous to be allowing others to use them given they were in short supply. Housekeeping kept leaving our balcony doors unlocked/ wide open every day despite us leaving them locked every time we left. This was very troubling and left me feeling unsafe. I had asked the hotel months in advance if they could provide something special for my partners birthday as there were no shops nearby where I could get a cake etc and they advised they’d be happy to provide a cake and prosecco. I checked again a few days before his birthday and they advised this was still the case and was scheduled for the day of his birthday. They didn’t provide anything. Given this was our last day and they were aware we complained, this seemed spiteful and petty.

There really was nothing to do and nothing on offer apart from a few books for sale! We also had “acqua” branded robes and towels which seemed to come from a different hotel. Not the movenpick brand. Really poor and disappointing. It has so...

This hotel truly has some serious potential. It’s a beautiful property on a stunning piece of land, with well-maintained gardens (huge shout out to the gardeners — you’re doing amazing work!). The reception staff are mostly friendly, and visually, the hotel looks 5-star.||But that’s just it — it looks 5-star. The service, however, doesn’t match. And if you read other reviews, you’ll notice that same recurring theme.||Let me start with what does work:| • The grounds are lush and clean.| • The rooms are well kept, and the cleaners do a great job.| • Silvja — a standout member of staff who deserves every bit of praise I can give her (more on her below).||Now to the issues.||First, the hotel management team needs a full reset. I met one of the managers and she genuinely looked dead behind the eyes. No warmth, no energy. When you’re running a 5-star resort, hospitality starts at the top — and that energy was sorely missing.||The rooms need maintenance. In more luxurious hotels, there’s usually a seasonal refresh — maybe a coat of paint or furniture touch-up. I don’t think that’s happening here. That said, the cleaners work so hard and it does help mask this.||The breakfast situation was a joke. The chafing dish heaters don’t work — so unless you show up at 6:00 AM, the food is cold. It’s such a small thing but makes a huge difference to guests. A temporary fix? Just get 2 or 3 microwaves! I didn’t go back to breakfast after Day 1 because of how bad it was.||The beach staff don’t even check who’s staying at the hotel. They just demand payment for sunbeds. I had to speak to someone directly, and only after that did a manager apologise. Also, the beach towels were completely gone by 2 PM — no system in place to collect, clean, and return. Again — small issues, but they add up.||If you’re flexible, not fussy about hot food, and just want somewhere aesthetically pleasing and cheap, you can survive here. But I would absolutely think twice before coming back.||Now, on to Silvja — truly the ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star of this hotel. I was organising my mum’s 60th birthday and the service would’ve been a disaster if it weren’t for her. She was in constant communication with me, supported me throughout, and even came in on her day off to make sure everything was okay. If she were managing this place, it would be running the way it should be.||To the hotel owner:|👉🏾 MAKE SILVJA THE MANAGER.|She cares. She gets it. She goes above and beyond. And she’s your only shot at turning this hotel into what it could be.||I booked over 10% of your total capacity (80 rooms) and hosted multiple events. The general manager made me wait an hour, arrived unprepared (despite messaging her for 8 months) and because of that lack of clarity, I ended up paying an unexpected €200.||I travel often with large groups. This was a missed opportunity — not just to impress me, but to make us loyal returners. And it wasn’t just me — another guest from a separate group actually turned to me and said, “is it just me or is this place… weird?” The service energy is off.||To top it off, I had gorgeous setups done by Esi Events (incredible team!), and did the hotel even ask for photos for their marketing? Nope. This tells me they’re not operating for the guests — or for the long-term success of this hotel.||So again — to the owners, if you see this:|✅ Replace the current management team.|✅ Promote Silvja.|✅ Focus on service and hospitality — the real heart of a 5-star hotel.||And for future guests: just ask for Silvja. She is the reason this place...

Negatives|- booking cancelled without my knowledge 10 days before my trip; a second email address was available, and no attempt to follow-up was actioned, despite me emailing in March asking to prepay the accommodation- they knew I was definitely coming|- phone lines don't work and was laughed at, to my face, by the reception manager who proceeded to hand me a business card after crossing out the landline number; this is highly embarrassing, irritating and rude, and Accor who run Mövenpick hotels didn't know either|- emails not responded to, even though phone lines don't work|- email from Accor Customer Care ignored|- charged over twice as much for a downgraded room; i really had no option but to accept the increase and the offer of a comp night and breakfast until I could contact Accor after my stay|- took over three hours to check in, with staff speaking about me in front of me in Albanian, which they were aware I didn't speak, which is outrageously unprofessional |- no pool available and blithely informed that "we have a beach." Super, for someone who has a severe shellfish allergy. I was not informed of this until I asked how to get there|- incidentals not charged on departure, nor have I received an invoice. The process was slow and laborious, and I had already offered a French couple a lift to the airport after the taxi they booked with the front desk was not actually booked, so I had to leave|- loudly playing football in the outdoor bar area until 10pm, followed by cheering and excessive noise and fireworks; the hotel seems to cater primarily to Kosovar visitors, and the remaining guests just make up the numbers|- Gold member Accor status not recognised and had to request my complimentary drink three times before being issued it|- food in the restaurant is often served tepid, and the team seems to forget that something has been ordered. Waited 10 minutes for a pot of mayonnaise, by which time my warm food was stone cold||Positives|- Fiona came to the hotel on my day of arrival to speak with me after the mess that was made of my reservation, but really gave me no option but to accept her offer or go elsewhere - her actions were appreciated, but an official complaint has been lodged with Accor regarding my booking, this shouldn't take away from her abilities and experience in dealing with the issues|- Housekeeping Manager Stella, who helped me locate a lost car key and was incredibly generous with her time and suggestions|- the team is friendly enough, especially the barman and the night teceptionist, but they lack experience, knowledge, and a level of professionalism expected of a Mövenpick Hotel, the properties I have stayed in over the past twelve months - Zagreb, Tallinn, Novi Sad and Sarajevo, are far superior|- the property is beautifully maintained by housekeeping and maintenance |- the beach bar is great for a relaxing evening||I am awaiting resolution of my official complaint with Accor Customer Care, but I have to consider my options carefully before booking here again.|It won't be for a while as I have urgent medical issues to deal with, but, considering my loyalty to Accor for years now, I probably would.||Changes definitely have to be made, though the teams' experience will grow, but attitude and attention are not something that...