Albania: Ksamil

Cloudless skies, loads of sunshine with temps hovering in the high 20s, swimming in the deep blue Ionian Sea and endless eating/ drinking options – this is Ksamil on the Albanian Riviera and I absolutely love it.

We arrived in Ksamil from Corfu. The ferry from Corfu to Sarande took 1 hour and then a 20 minute taxi ride brought us to Ksamil.

Ksamil’s number one attraction is its beaches: some sandy, some rocky, all with exceptional water clarity. Most mornings we selected a beach, hired a couple of sunbeds (10 euros), swam to our hearts’ content, lunched at the closest restaurant, grazed on delicious food like fresh figs, cherries and chocolate donuts sold to beachgoers by enterprising ladies, read, dozed, swam – for 7 idyllic days.  At this stage of our trip (we’ve been travelling for 4 months now), we embraced Ksamil with open, travel fatigued arms.

So many lunch and dinner choices. Could stay for a month and not visit them all.

The laidback beach bar below was our pick for beer, spritz, sunsets and friendly talk. Perched over rocks and out on its own (for the time being anyway), we thoroughly enjoyed it.

There’s been some development since we were last here in 2019. The construction sites then have now morphed into hotels, guesthouses and restaurants, but the slightly ramshackle, easy going Ksamil vibe hasn’t disappeared. For the moment, it’s Albanian investment, not foreign that’s driving the development. ‘Albania is for Albanians,’ a local told me.

We stayed at Captains Residence in a one bedroom apartment that was spacious, exceptionally clean and had the most friendly staff. Opened 3 seasons ago, the grandfather, his children and grandchildren own and operate the site. Family concerns are very much the way in Albania and if it secures all their futures, then that’s got to be a good thing.

Albanian hospitality deserves a mention. Curiosity about our Australian accent, the distance we travel (most travellers we’ve met have a 4 hr flight limit) and their genuine attempts to interact and provide good service were much appreciated in a travel world where tourists can sometimes be treated with indifference.

Our next stop is Dhermi, about 2 hours north, still on the coast. I’m thinking it won’t take much to convince this good bloke to return to Ksamil though.