The Overview

Location! Location! Location! I don’t think there could be any better apartment near the old town, shopping, restaurants and bus access than this location. Stayed 6 nights at Horizont (Apt 704) and it was almost perfect.

The Seven Senses Review

👂 Cadence — Sound (Score: 7/10)

For the initial two or three nights there was very loud music coming from a venue across the street from this building. I went down there to look and it turns out it was a wedding. The venue is some type of hall for weddings and the reason it is so loud is that the building doesn’t have a roof so the noise just goes straight up into the air. I ended up having to use Air Pods Pro in order to get some sleep because silicon noise plugs did not work. After those initial nights though the late night music stopped. If you stay here be prepared with noise cancelling tech.

✋ Unwind — Touch (Score: 9/10)

The bed mattress was a bit thin and I woke up with a sore back a few times but this was the only negative. The apartment is brand new and the AC cooled to freezing levels, the kitchen appliances and washer were stellar in performance.

👅 Palate — Taste (Score: N/A/10)

This is an apartment so no food is served in the building but there are plenty of restaurant options around the area.

👃 Aroma — Smell (Score: 10/10)

The apartment had no smell, just clean from the refresh done by the cleaning changeover.

👁 Vista — Sight (Score: 10/10)

There are two main windows in the apartment, one in the kitchen with the view of a mountain and the city down below and the other with a view of another mountain and the view of the city below. Plenty of light comes in but there are some really nice storm shutters that can be lowered to black out the apartment.

🙏 Sanctuary — Spirit (Score: 10/10)

The host was really nice and gave me some restaurant suggestions. He has his number posted there in the event you should need anything or want any advice. They also offer excursions (for a cost) if so interested. After a few days, the apartment started to feel like home.

🧭 Wander — Instinct (Score: 10/10)

Aside from the annoying late night wedding music, this was the nicest apartment I’ve stayed in 30+ travel countries of travel. If I visit Shkoder again, it will be on my list of places to stay.

The Scorecard

• 👂 Sound: 7/10
• ✋ Touch: 9/10
• 👅 Taste: N/A/10
• 👃 Aroma: 10/10
• 👁 Vista: 10/10
• 🙏 Sanctuary: 10/10
• 🧭 Wander: 10/10
• Overall: 9.3/10

Practical Notes

• Hotel: HORIZONT Hotel Shkoder
• City: Shkoder, Albania
• Chain: Independent
• Room Type: [fill in]
• Rate Paid: $70/night
• Booked Via: Booking.com
• Loyalty Status: N/A
• Points Earned: 400
• WiFi: 94 Mbps down, 105 Mbps up
• Amenities: kitchen, washer, turbo AC
• Transit: Albania has minimal infrastructure for metro
• Cancellation: pre-paid

The Verdict

If you want a place close to all the things you’ll likely do in Shkoder (museums, restaurants, bars, ice cream, shopping, Mosques, etc) then this is your place provided you bring your noise canceling tech with you because Albania can be loud at night. If noise is going to be a big factor for you then consider staying further away from the city center and be prepared to pay taxis or rent a car to move about. Warning: Parking in Shkoder is very limited and difficult.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our full hotel review framework for how we score every stay.