The west coast of Albania (the East is land shared with others) is about 50 miles at the narrowest from the heel of Italy so plenty of Italian is spoken and Albanians go to study and work in Italy, earning more, and Italians come to study in Albania which is cheaper.
We stayed at La Brisa hotel by the beach below the steep cliffs in Dhermi, reached by a Z bends road down the hillsides. La Brisa means the breeze.
The man doing valet parking sits on a stool facing the entrance, helps you unload luggage, then takes your car to the underground car park.
In the morning the lobby had free water.
The lobby has modern seating.
Our hotel was modern and bright, with clearly labelled buttons everywhere on the walls in the bedroom.
We had a wonderful buffet breakfast in the adjoining Artur restaurant on the ground floor where outside tables are across the cobbled footpath from the beach and where the beach bars blared music last night, flashed neon lights and sent up smoke from flames. Next morning, the buffet offered hot croissants, pancakes with honey, fried eggs labelled as 'eye eggs', fried eggs, probably translated from the German,, yogurt, fresh fruit cut into slices, teas including ginger, or lemon, or red berries.
Our room had no coffee maker. But it did have seats on the balcony. The window of the shower allows you to look from the bathroom through the bedroom to the sea. On day two I discovered the window turns opaque if you press all the four buttons on the shower wall in turn until you find the right one.
In the far north, the Balkans, where we had been hiking the previous week, we had encountered herds of goats, or cows. or single cows followed by an old lady wearing a headscarf. Here in Dhermi, what a contrast. A hotel with all mod cons and more. A handy fold out support for the suitcase. Reception answers instantly when you phone down.
You have a choice. Simple old style Albania in the Balkans in the north, after a long drive. Culture and history in museums and colourful modern hotels staying in the capital, Tirana, where you can walk around the tree-lined centre.
Or beach bars and luxury, after a long drive, in the south west in Dhermi. Or, as we did, some of each.
La Brisa boutique hotel. Nothing small about it. Large bedrooms. Large bathroom.
al stands for albania
The hotel is on Facebook.
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