Hotel Granit

Transferred here due to building works at our booked hotel. Great location on the Lakeside, Swimming pool and Terrace pleasant, Many of the facilities closed. All inclusive is of a very poor standard, Food leaves much to be desired and alcohol even more! If you’re expecting European all inclusive standards, then think again. However, the shortcomings are more than compensated for by the fantastic location! Guests be aware, the rooms are very small and rooms on the ‘garden side’ of the hotel only have Juliet balconies. The hotel in itself is quite isolated, and taxi ride into town is recommended.

We visited as a couple early June for a week and really enjoyed ourselves. The hotel and pool were clean and well kept. Rooms were dated but we don't mind as long as they're clean. We had a lake view and the view was stunning. The all inclusive bar is minimal, soft drinks are available to free pour however alcoholic drinks consisted of a beer, Gin, Vodka, red or white wine and Rakija (Macedonian Spirit) this is previously mentioned in other reveiws so we were aware of it. The only all inclusive bar is at reception level which is 3 floors above the pool level. However - there is a pool bar but it wasn't open at the time we stayed due to the season not officially starting. I believe this should be mid-late June. We found all staff friendly and as helpful as they could be, if they didn't know the answer they would say! WiFi was free and decent speeds as well as reaching to the far end of the pool. If you get chance to go in the lake we would highly recommend as it's so fresh and warm!! As a vegetarian I always check hotel reviews and had seen the food wasn't fantastic for veggies however there was always a large selection of salads, breads, fruits, cheeses, potatoes ect but we did eat out a lot. Breakfast was good with a wide variety of hot and cold meat, yogurts, fruit, cereals, hot and cold drinks, cheeses, breads - we had this every day and a couple of lunches in the restaurant. The all inclusive drinks did end at 10pm but I'm not sure if this was due to the season not officially starting or if this is just their policy, there was background music but no entertainment. The centre was a 1.45hour walk for us at an average pace but it's worth the walk and wander as there's some lovely bars and restaurants on the way as well as getting a variety of views! I would recommend the hotel and we would stay again however if you are expecting a massive selection of late night drinks, food and entertainment this isn't for you. They are a country relatively new to tourism (UK tourism has only been going 2/3 years) and you can tell it's being worked at however it isn't what a lot of people 'expect' compared to some countries with a good reputation for tourism.

We stayed here last week, friends from years ago. We were assigned a double room that you couldn't swing a cat. Went downstairs to reception and asked for a twin. Was told I had to commit to purchasing a different room before she would look!!!! It turns out that the only twin left was a room with the lake view costing €140. This was a theme met by many arrivals. Half the hotel was not open, and there were lots of empty rooms. The food was below par so we ate put a lot. Watch out for the taxi's, average was €5 to the centre but was conned €20 on 2 occasions. In general I would stay in centre, apartment for 3 nights.

We have just arrived home from wonderful week at Hotel Granit - In short, the rooms yes are dated but are very clean, beds are comfortable and shower was hot! Breakfast was fine, eggs, bacon, meats fruit etc, lunch and evening meal, food is limited but we always found something (by the middle of out stay we figured out the best time to go for food so it was nice and hot) the home made chips were lush!! Drinks, only 1 bar is all inclusive (up 3 flights of stairs if your at the pool) soft drinks, beer vodka etc, absolutely fine for us. Pool area was pretty empty while we was there, sunbeds arnt the comfiest but was okay, pool was fresh but nice. Lake is much nicer to swim in, take water shoes :) We also hired the paddle boards from the hotel to go on the lake, views are just insane out there. Small shop a 10 min walk down the road, the town was about an hours walk and you can kind of walk around the lake with a few de-tours, the center is lovely!! Costs 300denar in a taxi to get there. The boat trip to St Naum on a small boat was $25 each, and was such a good day out! ALL of the staff at this hotel were great, especially Anna, always had a smile on her face. Light music on a night only, but we met some amazing people which made out trip! We were really dubious after reading the reviews but it was fine, the most beautifully perfect location, clean rooms, food and drinks fine, im not sure what people expect when booking. We will 100% be back to North Macedonia!! Thank you Hotel Granit :)

Lovely location and very helpful staff. I feel that they are still getting to grips with what looks like being a popular tourist destination but they are doing really well! Very helpful staff.. especially so when you fall out of a canoe, cut your ear open and need to go to hospital!!

I had room on third level with lake view. The view was beautiful. Food was excellent, room was comfortable and very clean. Personal was very pollute. Internet was very fast the pool is great and parking is free near the hotel. I recommend this hotel.

The views of the lake and the sunsetting over the Albanian Mountains from the terrace is wonderful. The grounds of the hotel are well kept and there are some nice shaded sitting areas where you can read play cards or simply admire the views. There is no entertainment at the hotel which was a nice change. People were very friendly and it was a pleasure to meet some of my fellow travellers from the UK, The Netherlands Germany France and Iraq, but that's where most of the positives end. ROOMS The rooms are dated and small. just about big enough for two. They were cleaned daily and the towels were changed daily. We booked a room with a lake view and all we could see was a conifer tree, so ask for a third floor room if you book with TUI and want to sit on the balcony and watch the sunsets. STAFF were pleasant and helpful especially the reception staff who spoke English. BAR The way the bars are organised could be improved. We all know that with all inclusive your choice is limited, but there is only one all inclusive bar that is inside by the reception. This meant that if you were on the lake side or by the pool you couldn't use those bars and had to go up at least 3 sets of stairs to get a drink, not good if you had mobility issues. The bar had the usual limited range of drinks and tea/coffee available however the coffee machine and soft drink machine really needed a good clean and no tonic water. (I went to the local supermarket and brought my own).Why you can't use any bar is a mystery. however the beer, wine and Gin are very palatable and free flowing. FOOD The food really lets the hotel down. The breakfast had a range of cheese. cold meats salads fruit and yoghurts. There was also sliced bread for toast all of which was nicely presented and tasty but the hot breakfast was awful. Fried eggs and omelettes that had been cooked hours before and all dry and congealed. Lunch and evening meals were slightly better with grilled meats fish and stews, typical for Macedonia, but again they were cooked hours before and left to dry out and were just warm enough not to be classed as a cold buffet. I opted for the stews. Top tip go early when the food is a bit fresher. Fortunately it's cheap to eat out. There is a lovely restaurant about 800 meters from the hotel, left across the beach to the main road, next to the supermarket, Simple food grilled meats and stews but fresh and warm Meal for 2 with beers about £12. OUT and ABOUT Ohrid is easy to get to about 5 euro's in a cab. lovely historic sights and city centre. Boat trip to St Naum and the bay of bones 13 euro's from Via they pick you up from the hotel jetty. Taxi to Struga 15 euro's . In short the hotel was just good enough to get 3 stars and TUI need perhaps to evaluate if it's good enough for their portfolio.

There is an awful lot to recommend this hotel. The views of Lake Ohrid are spectacular and the hotel has direct access to its own private beach. It is located a short taxi ride away from Ohrid itself. Unfortunately although it is close to a bus stop (our main reason for choosing the hotel), very few buses were running when we visited in September. The staff are pleasant and friendly (particularly Anita on reception) and the rooms are cleaned daily. Towels are also changed every day. As a relatively new British tourist destination, Macedonia is attracting slightly more adventurous tourists and certainly when we visited, this made for a hugely entertaining visit. The evenings were spent in the charming company of our fellow travellers - we barely noticed that there was no hotel entertainment as the hours passed by in convivial company. The hotel plays background music, which certainly adds to the atmosphere. The main way that this hotel lets itself down is through the food. Breakfast is usually my favourite hotel meal but food is cooked and then left out for up to three hours resulting in lukewarm congealed omelettes and fried eggs. Not pleasant at all. The same is true of the chicken which was invariably over-looked and dried out. However, there was always lovely fresh fruit at all meals and salads for lunch and dinner. This hotel is billed as Four Star but if you're expecting the kind of four star hotel you'd get in Greece or Turkey, you're going to be disappointed. However, if you lower your expectations and use it as a base to explore this amazing area, you'll be assured of a memorable and enjoyable visit.