This Sunny Mediterranean Country Offers The Most Affordable Luxury Vacations In Europe
Beautiful as it may be, not to mention incredibly historical, Europe is not typically associated with budget-friendly vacations, especially if we’re talking about the sun-drenched Mediterranean:
According to Budget Your Trip, a 5-star hotel in Dubrovnik, one of the most popular destinations in Croatia, will set you back by an average of $241-a-night––and that’s excluding food, services, and the equally-not-cheap flights getting there from Newark.
All in all, local prices have been rising higher and higher since the end of the health crisis, and we even started wondering ourselves at one point whether the dolce vita dream was even accessible anymore… until we stumbled upon Albania:
Mediterranean Paradise Without The Crowds
Located in the Balkan Peninsula, only one country down from Croatia (that being Montenegro), and just north of Greece, it is an up-and-coming resort destination that, for many decades, flew completely under the radar of most Americans.
This is now changing as a new airport gears up to open in the coastal city of Vlore this year, and major development projects, from new train routes to new museums, are given the go-ahead.
Albania is a Mediterranean country that, in many ways, even beats its famous neighbors on the unspoiled beauty front: it is home to unspoiled white-sand beaches, natural parks traversed with mountains, and it has its own share of manmade wonders.
Think Gjirokaster, a city built almost entirely out of stone and a UNESCO World Heritage Site at that, or the ancient Butrint, an abandoned yet well-preserved Greco-Roman settlement featuring a uniquely-flooded theater and early pagan temples.
Ksamil is a laid-back fishing village hugged by turquoise waters, and further up the Ionian Coast, Dhermi is a typical Greek-style, whitewashed town bestriding a rugged hill, overlooking the ocean, boasting unruffled beaches and oozing Old World charm.
In short, Albania is a hidden paradise waiting to be discovered, and the good news is, it is most definitely on the cheaper end:
How Actually Cheap Is Albania?
If you’re planning a high-end, luxury trip to Albania, Budget Your Trip estimates you’ll be spending $76 on meals per day, $42 on local transportation, and $109-a-night on hotels, for daily expenses of $221, or a weekly total of $1,547.
Let’s break down some of those estimates:
Booking a 5-star bed in Priam Luxury Resort in the trendy Vlore will set you back by $139 per overnight per adult: high-floor standard room with ocean views, access to an outdoor swimming pool, and only 765 yards away from the paradisiacal Ri Beach.
Over in a much sought-after Ksamil, oftentimes dubbed the Maldives of Europe due to the crystalline quality of its seas, staying at the beachfront Melina’s Seaside Retreat next May, at the start of the season, will run you up a mere $46.
Looking for that all-inclusive pampering instead? The local offer surely isn’t as vast as in Cancun, though the private beach-facing Premium Beach Hotel, near Golem, has all-paid-for deals starting at $257, a Mediterranean restaurant on-site at their disposal, and even spa facilities.
Let’s have a look at food and transportation costs now:
$10 Meals By The Seaside
According to Numbeo, an inexpensive meal in a local restaurant in Albania can cost as cheap as $10.64, while a three-course presentation for two in an upscale eatery averages $47.90––considering you’re splitting the bill, that’s not much.
We asked Google what’s the most expensive restaurant in Tirana, the Albanian capital, and the first result is Rossini Restaurant, an Albanian-Italian fusion serving elegant dishes in a timeless setting:
Sharer appetizers are around $26.61, with a variety of cheeses and seafood on the menu, salads are between $8.52 and $13.84, the most expensive soup is only $7.45, whereas a pasta dish costs a maximum $13.84, and a beef fillet, the priciest item available, is $30.87.
Desserts cost from $5.85 to $6.92, and a glass of wine would be $4.50.
Onto transportation, bus tickets cost a negligible $0.43, but this is a luxury getaway, after all, and you’ll likely be using a lot of taxis (there aren’t Ubers in Albania):
The normal tariff per 0.6 mile covered is $3.19, or if you’re renting a well-equipped car to get around, the average daily price is $92 (and the liter of gasoline is roughly $1.96).
This Is How Open Albania Is For Americans
Last but certainly not least, Albania is one of the most open, friendly countries towards Americans across the pond:
Not only do they not care if you’ve been in a Schengen country in determining how long you can stay in the national territory––they’re not even in Schengen, mind you!––they allow U.S. passport holders to remain an entire year.
Prolonged, 365-day vacation, anyone?
Now, Albania is not the easiest country to fly to if you’re coming from America: even if a new airport is opening in Vlore this year, we suspect it will primarily host low-cost operators from within Europe as opposed to Transatlantic flights.
Still, it’s not impossible: flying to any major European hub, be it London, Paris, Frankfurt, or Amsterdam, you can then book intra-continent tickets flying to Tirana and, soon enough, Vlore for as cheap as $17.85, especially when booked through WizzAir.
Alternatively, you can fly to Corfu, an island in Northwestern Greece, and get a half-hour ferry to Sarande, one of the gateways into the Albanian Riviera, and another short commute to the increasingly popular beach town of Ksamil.
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Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.