Firstly the name of this hotel is misspelt onTrip Adviser; it should read Vila with one 'l'. This is the oldest hotel in Tirana and still has plenty of majestic glory though all the facilities have been updated and modernised.
Vila Tafaj is ideally sited within 200m, of the main square and for a tourist this is ideal because you can walk the whole city from here. From the moment we arrived we felt welcome; the doorman ensured that we could park right outside the hotel and he kept an eye on our car. The receptionist spoke fluent English and was charming. The hotel was built before 1924 and having been modernised without destroying its character means that there are a maze of passages to the bedrooms. These range from small singles to large, four person rooms and they are all ensuite. The decor of the rooms is slightly on the dark side but they are extremely comfortable with free water, chocolate and J2Os are provided in the minibar. I am well over 1.85m tall but the bed was absolutely fine.
There are a small number of birds/animals in cages on the way to the restaurant and they are extremely well cared for. Caged animals and birds are part of the culture in Albania and obviously the writers of the other reports on Trip Adviser had not travelled around the country much.
There is modern and airy dining room that serves well prepared and well cooked meals ranging from pizza to local dishes (the deserts are top quality). There are a range of wines available and they are not all italian (which makes a change in Albania) they serve a number of local wines and beers. The staff in the dining room are outstandingly efficient and helpful.
If you want to stay in a friendly hotel with plenty of character rather than a sterile, americanised box this is the place to stay.

I stayed here for a week with some colleagues. The hotel is not bad: location is good, very clean, friendly and English-speaking staff, very speedy internet (plugin in room - wireless in meeting room) . Good tv screens in the restaurant and bar to watch to football world championship. The son of the manager/owner was temporarily stepping in for his father and he did a good job. We had a 35-person meeting in the hotel and he was efficient in arranging lunch etc. (of OK quality). The (young female) receptionists are friendly but when we were there had to literally put up for hours with Italian middle-aged male guests who kept "chatting" to them for hours - (where would you still hear "see you later alligator" delivered with winks?). no manager to intervene in sight, was rather demeaning to them. The animals in cages are indeed not a fine sight - although I must say reasonable care is being given, the biurds seem ok, the raccoon however is definitely less happy. My bed was just too small for me (or I was too big for the bed..) and the matress not so good either so did not have a decent night of sleep.
Note: No BBC World or CNN on TV. Still I liked the hotel!

This is a fine place to stay if you are visiting Tirana. It's comfortable and you feel cared for and safe. The staff speak English, so there would be no problem with ringing them direct to make a reservation.
It has a good restaurant and is just a few minutes walk from Skanderbeg square, where the airport buses arrive.
I would definitely book here again if returning to Albania.

Spent two nights at Villa Tafaj and loved it. The location is very central to the main square. The staff speak good English and are very helpful. Nothing was too much trouble for them. The rooms are very clean, spacious and comfortable. The bathroom was excellent. The Villa also has an excellent restaurant with some great local and Italian dishes. Breakfast was quite a pleasant change from the usual in Albania. The price of the double room and the food was very reasonable, particularly for Tirana. Would recommend this hotel highly.

John and Jan
Australia