We spent six nights in North Macedonia: three in “Skopje”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/203391-review-sightseeing-in-skopje-part-1-the-old-town at the “Hotel De KOKA”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/accommodation/203347-review-hotel-de-koka, before travelling southwards to Lake Ohrid where we stayed at the “City Palace Hotel”:http://citypalacehotelohrid.seasonsnseasons.com/.
Check in was friendly and efficient and we were soon ensconced in a rather stunning corner room (103) with lake view and balcony. A double door meant it could be made into an apartment with the next-door room.
The large entrance had wardrobe with safe, robes and slippers and space to open one suitcase. The double bed had individual duvets, plenty of pillows and bedside tables, with lighting and two electrical points on each side. There were several rugs on the practical wooden floor, but helpfully were the non-slip variety. A large circular pillar created an indoor seating area with comfortable armchairs and coffee table. The floor to ceiling windows provided the lake view and the ceiling was studded with tiny lights which resembled stars when dark. A mini bar was stocked with alcoholic, non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, but still had plenty of room for our own purchases from a nearby small supermarket. There was a telephone, desk with lamp, chair and plug points and a wall mounted TV. Complimentary WiFi was available everywhere.
The bathroom was a reasonable size with open shower with powerful hot water which didn’t spurt all over, a decent hairdryer near the mirror, good lighting, plenty of space for toiletries and hooks for towels including a heated towel rail and a loo which flushed well. A string of blue lights in the shower flashed on and off randomly.
A sign pointed down to the basement spa, but there was no information available and we were too busy to indulge anyway.
Breakfast (from 7.30am to 10am), was served in the ground floor restaurant with the window tables having lake views. There were three juices (orange, red berries and apple), but no yoghurt although there were two cereals, including muesli. Fresh fruit included bananas, apples, peaches, plums and sliced melon. There were lots of various meats, cheese, tomato, cucumbers, olives, three dips including a spicy ajvar or red pepper, and two types of borek. Coffee was from a machine but was good and we enjoyed lingering with a piece of honey-soaked cake from the small selection. Bread was disappointingly white sliced, although towards the end of breakfast, we spotted warm pretzel type breads. There was a small hot selection of fried eggs on toast, pieces of omelette and unappetising looking sausages.
On our second night, a huge storm delivered a torrential downpour around 5pm, and bearing in mind there was still a high chance of rain, we ate in the hotel restaurant. To prolong our evening, we ordered G&Ts with a garlic dip and bread sticks to nibble on. It was then going to be a shared appetiser of chicken Caesar salad and a main of pork and vegetables (mainly because our other traditional options of sarme and stuffed peppers were off as they took too long to cook). Unfortunately, everything arrived at once, so we concentrated on the hot dish (similar to sweet and sour pork), followed by the salad, dressed with honey and mustard, and finished with the excellent dip and bread. The charming waiter spoke only a little English, but having ordered a bottle of white wine, checked when we wanted it served, brought an ice bucket and kept our glasses refreshed without being fussy. The total bill came to 1,670 Denar/£25 which we thought was great value as we’d thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t feel overstuffed.
There are a number of hotels along the shore of Lake Ohrid, but we’d certainly recommend the City Palace.
