Beach and Beach bars in Dhermi, on the west coast of Albania, called the Albanian Riviera

 

The beach bars at Dhermi blare out throbbing music from about 9 am to about 11.15 pm. For example, the song Macarena. 

Some bars have bean bags on the sand, in neat rows under the thatched umbrellas (closed at closing time). Flames are in between the drinkers. 

Our hotel, La Brisa, meaning the breeze, has a private beach across the pedestrian promenade. 

The stylish restaurant Artur, (Arthur's) is Balinese style. The owner had another style of restaurant in the capital Tirana.  

And a row of cigar shaped links cordoning off a square of the sea. A public beach is at the far end.

Angela On the shingle beach with hotel loungers and parasols at Dhermi Beach, SW coast of Albania. Photo by Trevor Sharot.

Hotels are along the promenade and up the hillsides. More are being built. 

All good news. For the hoteliers, Albanians, and visitors.

Useful Websites

https://hefinde.com/products/water-shoes-2?dicbo=v4-6r1NEpn-1077638467

Cows On the Mountain road to Dhermi, south west coast of Albania

 

Cows on the z bend, steep mountain roads in South west Albania. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The roads have barriers. All the same, you don't want to get in a confrontation with a cow.

A tunnel for cars is being built through one of the mountains at ground level. This will save half an hour on the journey from Tirana to Dhermi. Good news for hoteliers, locals from capital Tirana who come to the beach for the weekend, and foreign visitors who will spend less time driving to Dhermi beach, or driving even further south  to cheaper Sarander seaside which is more distant from the capital.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania

Kosher Hotel in Albania, at Dhermi

An amazing, quirky little hotel. Antiques and amusing decor. Local mosaic floors. Every room, staircase, corridor has items to attract the eye.

Only six rooms. People seeking kosher food might find it on booking.com  

The hotel is also popular for week long stays, and for Tirana business people working all week, with children at school, but looking for a weekend away. 

Solomon has a shop in Tirana. He started a synagogue on the outskirts of Tirana. Solomon has the key. We drove past it to see it. It is modern with high walls. Apart from the name, nothing significant can be seen from outside. You need to contact Solomon.

Regarding the hotel in Dhermi, it is a short drive uphill from the Dhermi seafront. Solomon's son David is extending the hotel with a rooftop swimming pool.  

If you are interested in Jewish locations in Albania or elsewhere, they are interesting people to talk to.

Where Next?

Where else can you go to try Jewish style or kosher food? Greece has recently opened the long envisaged Jewish museum. Next nearby country of interest would be a stop in Montenegro, at Dukes kosher hotel.

A three centre holiday in Albania: La Brisa Hotel, Dhermi, south-west Albanian coast - contrast with the cultural capital, and the remote hiking north

 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.

www.labrisa.al

al stands for albania

The hotel is on Facebook. 

Dhermi, dear (expensive) but delightful promenade below cliffs, with beach bars, on Albania's south-west coast

 Dhermi, on the coast of Albania, is known as the Albanian Riviera. We drove there from Tirana.

We turned off at a lakeside. Two restaurants were at the start of the waterfront road. We drove around, ignored the pedestrian area and went back to the first two restaurants because we could park our car outside. The restaurant we chose had a small waterfall. A cat meoued until it received a morsel of chicken. 

Vlore Beach

We stopped for a drink in the delightful beachfront of  Vlore. A long flat beach with lots of thatched beach umbrellas, and wooden loungers. A mile of modern and traditional hotels in bright colours.

Our drinks stop at Vlore included a Prosecco costing a modest 2.5 Euros. No food available.  

The Alliraj, Pr Murat Terraci, L Uji L Fitchie Vlore.

Dhermi Cliffbase Beach

Dear but delightful Dhermi is over a switchback mountain. We descend to sea level and a road at the foot of the cliff, behind several skyscraper hotels, ends up at ours. The valet parking man, waiting, siting in the car park, immediately comes across to help us unload.

La Brisa Hotel

La Brisa Hotel Upmarket Beach With a Promenade of Noisy Bars

The hotel has valet parking. The man on the desk is all smiles. Our room on the 3rd floor overlooks the sea. 

What delightful luxury. We have a sofa in the room. 

Looking out to sea, on the balcony, are two wooden chairs and a small table on the balcony. 

The wide desk area is plenty big enough for two of us to sit at our laptops. The main chair has a proper back.

The bathroom is big. the bathrobes have the belts threaded through the loops. Plus point.

But only one bath towel. I phone down. The man on front desk asks, 'only one toothbrush?' Perspicacious? Or a frequent problem?

The housekeeping girl arrives grinning, with the extra towels and toothbrush.

 I sit at my laptop using a balcony chair. It is hard to sit on - but I have two pillows on my side of the bed so one of the pillows becomes the chair cushion.

Artur Resturant

The restaurant Artur next door, off the lobby, with another entrance from the beachfront, turns out to be under separate management. So we discovered when we asked to have the dinner cost added to our hotel bill. Very odd. So breakfast is not in the hotel but in the restaurant under different management.

I have half a bottle of Gewurtztraminer. I ask if the lemon chicken comes with any vegetables. No. Not one. I frown. 

To compensate for no vegetables, my husband and I share a salad starter. Cheese and rocket and tomatoes. 

My main course, chicken, arrives. The waiter has given me french fries.

Delightful Desserts

You can see the desserts in the glass cabinet. I plan my meals backwards from dessert.

The dessert was a pie with cream and crunch. Trever had a tiramisu which was a great success with pistachio.