ALBANIA! THE BEST ALBANIAN RIVIERA BEACH RESORTS & THINGS TO DO (inc. Butrint, food & boat trips)

Albania is a massively upcoming, undiscovered tourist destination which is now on travelers radars. Considering it's location next to Greece, it's amazing more people haven't been visiting, but now is its time. This video shows how amazing the Ionian Sea is - so clear and turquoise - and the best beach/seaside resorts to stay at in the country. My favourite resort is Dhermi which has a lovely beach as well a village in the mountains which tower over it. Lukove Beach is also very nice and, for the time being, is still quite quiet if you want to escape the crowds. Ksamil is the jewel in the crown of Albania's resorts and is often liked to the 'Maldives of Europe ' - it IS beautiful, but be warned, it is also busy as a result. I feel like tourists have really found this place in recent years. A fun thing to do here is to take a boat trip to the 4 Ksamil island. If you hire a pedalo you can park your pedalo and hang on the quiet Ksamil islands for the day. I didn't do this because I didn't have time, but I'd love to have done it.
Another great thing to do on the coast of Albania is a daytrip boat excursion. I did one from Saranda with Pegasos Travel and Tours. It was really fun and the ship stopped at the remote beach of Krorez for a few hours. Krorez is only accessible by boat so nobody else is there apart from whoever is on that boat. A delicious lunch with fresh grilled fish is also included and the boat even has dancing and a FOAM PARTY on the way back to Sarande. This was great fun.
Also a must-see from Saranda or Ksamil is the archaeological site of Burtint which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here Roman ruins sit side by side with Hellenic ruins which date back to the 6th century B.C. And there are some very cute turtle residents here too.
The food is superb in Albania by the way, and I show just some of the amazing dishes I ate in the video. Lots of fish, calamari, octopus, seafood pasta, salads and grilled vegetables as well as some excellent Albanian wines. Who knew Albania even MADE wine? But they do and it's seriously good. Go check out the organic wines made at Uka Farm just outside Tirana - www.ukawine.com

[@Nick-lr9yo]

Lovely..

[@joemichaels4231]

Another GREAT video Jo !!! The water reminds me of Cozumel!!! Stay safe and in touch my friend! Happy Traveling!!! XXX

[@gowithjo1]

Thank you so much Joe - the water IS like Cozumel, you're quite right!!! Good comparison...this is nearer for me to get to though lol! XXX

[@davidcartwright5591]

Looks wonderful Jo . For so long Albania was the “ hidden “ gem . Look what we were missing out on . As an employee in a sensitive area , it was said “ we knew too much “ , I wasn’t allowed to go to travel to many countries , Albania was definitely a no go destination . I could travel there now as I’m no longer subjected to ban , however, it’s a long way from my now home in Australia , so your video is extra special . Thank you .

[@gowithjo1]

ooh now I'm wondering what your job was!!! Fascinating...yes Albania definitely open for business and looking mighty fine!! There's a video coming out later today about hotels in Albania!! Those are looking lovely and excellent value too. Now is the time to go...before the rest of the world cottons on!!

[@aimeerogers4542]

What a beautiful country! Is English widely spoken?

[@gowithjo1]

Yes Aimee - English is very widely spoken - I had no problems being understood. Particularly the younger generation. In fact, Albanians are multi-lingual due to their proximity to Italy and Greece too. A lot of them also speak French..it's remarkable how good they are linguistically!

[@martinhelmut3776]

Looks great in Albania especially the bikini girls......you seem to have lots of fun and there seems to be no reason to stay in rainy central Europe

[@gowithjo1]

Glad you like the look of Albania - it is particularly great and even better for not yet being on the tourist map!!! yep, sod the central rainy Europe - we should all go there. London weather is AWFUL at the moment. Not summer at all. Perhaps the worst summer ever...