The IBIS Hotel Skopje
The IBIS Hotel Skopje. I knew before booking that this hotel was centrally located. It most certainly was. It was just a very small block away from Macedonia Square and next to the Marriott. We often stay at this chain of hotels every time we travel in Europe and we've always been happy with the service and quality. One thing we observed though, they are no longer the bargain stays they once were in Western Europe. They now charge an arm and a leg there. Fortunately, in the Baltics, they were very affordable and easy on the pocket. We wouldn't mind returning!
The IBIS Hotel we stayed at in Skopje was value for money. It cost half the price of a night's stay at the IBIS Leiden or the IBIS Earl's Court we stayed at in London. The staff at check in were all very kind and friendly and they all spoke excellent English. Our room also came with buffet breakfast every morning. We were in Europe for five weeks and we paid nearly $200 a night for some stays. Here in Skopje, the room rate was much, much less and we were given breakfast to boot! We were definitely pleased.
One of the lounge areas in the lobby of the hotel
The hallway was similar to the other IBIS Hotels we've stayed at in the past.
A quiet corner in the breakfast room
Upon arrival in Skopje, we took the shuttle by the company, W Transporter, from the airport to the city center. We did some research on the internet and we likewise saw a video about them on You Tube uploaded by two travelers. We intentionally chose a flight that arrived mid day so we could still take the shuttle that had service once an hour a few times in the day. I believe the shuttle stopped working for a few hours mid afternoon and it resumed only early evening. The shuttle company didn't accept credit card payments but they did accept Euros. The cost per person wasn't much. When paying, it is best to pay the exact amount. Change was given in the local currency. The ride took between 30 to 40 minutes. We were dropped off in front of the Holiday Inn Hotel and from there we walked to our hotel, the IBIS.
Given that the shuttle had very weird hours, we opted to hire a car from the hotel to the airport on the day of our departure from North Macedonia. I believe we paid the hotel around 27 euros for the ride back. Besides, there wasn't any shuttle service around 6 am.
The airport was far from the city center. Not wanting to panic and hurry to down to the lobby once it arrived, we purposely decided to leave our room early and wait at the lobby instead. The car and driver arrived five minutes early. It was money well spent for the comfort and convenience.