Beach holidays in Albania

Albania has a long coastline on the Adriatic and Ionian seas. Much of it is very pretty with many sandy beaches, virtually untouched by main stream tourism. Identifying beach resorts in Albania and obtaining sufficient information about them to plan a vacation is still not easy. The Albania beach holiday travel tips that follow are intended to help identify and describe three of the country’s beach resorts.HimaraThe small port of Himara is situated at the foot of the Keravnia mountain in southern Albania, about eighty miles north of the Greek border and nearly opposite the Greek island of Corfu. As well as its close geographical proximity to Greece, the local inhabitants are mainly Greek speaking and the general atmosphere of the area provides an insight into how Corfu must have been in the days before mass tourism arrived.  Himara Travel Tip:You will find several travel web sites listing accommodations in Himara. If you feel insecure about making your own arrangements in such an undeveloped country, holidays in this resort can also be booked through Sunvil, an ABTA tour operator.Dhermi and Drymades BeachesSeveral spectacularly beautiful beaches can be found in the Dhermi and Drymades area. There is even an over-sized, open air club called the Havana Bar on the main Dhemi beach. But otherwise the beach has made few concessions to tourism. The sea here is crystal clear and must surely be amongst the cleanest on the planet.Between Dhermi and the next major beach at Drymades, there are numerous pebble beach coves located between picturesque, rocky outcrops. They are all totally deserted and most are ideal for swimming or snorkelling.Drymades Beach is enormous, yet even at the height of summer, there are usually very few people to found on it. It has one relaxing little beach bar and behind it is a campsite and beach bungalows. There is also a holiday village complex offering good accommodation in the form of villas, cottages and hotel rooms. The complex has been developed tastefully and does not in anyway spoil this beautiful area.Drymades Beach Travel Tip:Consider staying at the Drymades Beach Complex if you are looking for a high standard of accommodation at very reasonable prices. Golem Beach Mali Robit ResortMali Robit is a resort, situated on the Adriatic coast at Golem Beach. It is situated about 30 miles from Tirana, the capital of Albania and six miles from the port of Dures. The beach here is sandy and provides safe bathing.  It is a resort with a spectacular backdrop of rugged mountain scenery but it has made more concessions to tourism than most, with its beach being one of those long, straight, sun-bed and parasol types you find all over the Mediterranean. The major provider of accommodation is the Mali Robit resort hotel. This offers modern facilities, forty five apartments and five villas. There are other modern hotels at Golem beach and plenty of other types of accommodation.Golem beach travel tip:Although there is plenty of unspoilt places to visit in the surrounding area, only consider this resort if you prioritise high standards of accommodation and tourist facilities over staying in the "Real Albania"Go to Albania now – before it is spoilt Albania remains one of Europe’s poorest countries and it may take some time to develop its tourist potential to the extent where it becomes a mass tourist attraction. However, development of beach resorts in a country that is desperate for income can often occur haphazardly and without official sanction or well thought out planning. A picturesque village one year can be turned into a mess of half built concrete shells the next. Sadly, there are already plenty of examples of this having occurred. The best travel tip for enjoying the tranquillity and beauty of Albania’s coastal areas is to go now before it is too late.