Kimkim Trip Reviews for Albania

Ed planned a fantastic trip for me based on both the places I wanted to visit and his own extensive local knowledge.
During the trip Ed and his team provided friendly and efficient service and assistance as needed.
I would recommend anyone to book a trip through the team!

We had an amazing trip to south of Albania! As we got so used to from the Kimkim team (and we are getting spoiled after the years), from the first contact with Ed to the final goodbye at the Tirana airport from "Nik" (Kreshnik), our guide and driver, all went great. The trip was as we envisioned in our request: explore as much as possible the "real" Albania, stay away from tourist traps and crowds and get to see how "real" people live. Nik was a treasure trove of history, culture, politics and everything else. He knows his country like back of his hand and he seems to know everyone (and everyone seems to know him....) so he/we were treated like locals. The only downside: we ran out of time (but that was out problem).

Margil was an amazing guide. He was prompt, energetic, extremely knowledgeable and highly personable. He genuinely likes people and loves to show off his country. Notwithstanding this, he doesn’t shy away from its less savoury past snd present. We left with an abiding love for the country and a great appreciation for its people. They are remarkably resilient, hardworking and engaging. We would go back tomorrow, with Kimkim, if we could.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Boka

Tiranë

We stayed, NOT at the Hotel Boka, but the Hotel Art. This was a lovely hotel, perfectly located and spotlessly clean. The staff were excellent and the breakfast was exceptional.

Authenticity & Character

It was an old building that had been beautifully repurposed as a hotel. It was true to the name Hotel Art, with wonderful local and European art at every turn.

Location

Close to the Skandereg Square and east walking distance to all that we wanted to see.

Staff

Nothing was too much trouble. Their English was excellent.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Onufri

The ceilings in the rooms of this hotel were unbelievable. Such craftsmanship!

Authenticity & Character

The woodwork was so very special.

Location

Very central and within east walking distance to most things. (We drove to the fortress)

Staff

When present, the staff were very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Guesthouse Chri Chri

Përmet

This was the only time on our trip that we got to speak with other travellers. It made a delightful change. Gilberto had access to the key to a local, rarely available to the public, orthodox cathedral and he gave us a private tour.

Authenticity & Character

The walls of the guesthouse were made of 3ft thick stone. The outbuildings were original. The road was … an adventure.

Location

While we did not see Përmet, we did enjoy the rural location of the guest house.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Praga

This was a quirky, but charming hotel. It was well situated within walking distance to the market and the castle.

Authenticity & Character

The bedroom was filled with historical pieces and the communal areas were similarly decorated

Location

Staff

The staff spoke excellent English snd were eager to be if assistance.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Riviera

Himare

One got the impression that the owners of this hotel are working very hard to improve the facilities and ambiance of their hotel. It was entirely comfortable, but still in yhrr we process of becoming more.

Authenticity & Character

Location

The location was pretty, but there was not much “activity”. As we were there for two days, without a car, it gave us time to rest up from our busy schedule.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel room was basic but clean and comfortable.

Hotel Panorama Kruje

Krujë

This surpassed our expectations in every way.

Authenticity & Character

It could have been s hôtel anywhere in Europe, but it was an excellent example to of one.

Location

Brilliant!! Even the 6am call to prayer from the adjacent mosque was mellifluous.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Kruja Bazaar - Albania's Best Shopping Opportunity

Kruje

Great fun - colour and movement and a feast for the eyes.

Quality of Experience

The unsurpassed views; the extraordinary history museum I’m the castle precinct and the hotel’s location, combined to make this a fitting hurrah to an extraordinary holiday

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Margil was like so many of the prolly we met - gracious, keen to show their country, interested in learning from us.

Transport

Home-cooked Evening Meal

Përmet

It was a lovely meal, on the terrace, with good company.

Quality of Experience

My grandparents were Albanian. I found myself in Albania.

Food

Loved it. Margil was a great help with this, too, those we wished that he would have joined us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Margil was exceptional. Words fail to do him justice.

Transport

I’m not going to lie, the Jaz was the one thing we would have changed. It was poorly air conditioned, poorly sprung and underpowered. It’s a good thing the countryside kept us diverted.

Berat - Exploring The "City Of A Thousand Windows"

Berat

We love the city of Berat. It’s like no other place. The sunset tour of the castle was breathtaking

Quality of Experience

Dinner at Lili’s was so much fun! Everything was designed to relax us, make us laugh and feel very special.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Brilliant

Transport

We walked everywhere (except up to the castle).

Tirana - Welcome to Albania's Chaotic Capital!

Tirana

We initially thought we would self drive, but a friend who lives in Albania convinced us otherwise. Thank goodness. Hectic, doesn’t begin to describe the traffic. Tirana is so much prettier than I had anticipated and so rich in history. We loved it.

Quality of Experience

It suited our interests. It was tailor made for us.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Driving through morning peak hour was probably the one time we really appreciated the mighty Kaz

Gjirokastra - Exploring Albania's "Stone City"

Gjirokastra

Gorgeous city! Loved everything about this place. Don’t miss the markets.

Quality of Experience

It was very easy to get by with just English, wherever we went.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a great time on our trip to Northern Albania and Kotor. Ed was very responsive and helped us with reservations before hand. Kreshnik was a very fun guide and made sure we had a fun and safe trip. While all of the trip was enjoyable the highlight for us had to be Valbone and Theth. While the weather was not fully cooperative it was still a great hike and the area was beautiful.

We could not have asked for a better guide…..competent, thoughtful, knowledgeable with a focus on our safety at all times . Nik’s love for his Albania was palpable and infectious.

The whole trip was amazing, well planned by Ed. Our guide Nik was amazing, really friendly, accommodating, welcoming and really made the trip. Would recommend for sure.

Nick, our tour guide, did a fantastic job showing us his beautiful country. At our request, this was a personalized tour with some new destinations which sometimes presented challenges. Nick was always able to handle well any unexpected circumstances. The ride in the tour bus was at times a bit rough, but that is to be expected when traveling some not so good roads in a four wheel drive vehicle. The food was excellent, specially the salads and local ice cream. The pace of the trip was perfect for two retired couples and Nick was ready to assist with any question or necessity. Great experience. Thank You.

Trip was great, well coordinated, Jared was always immediately available with help / guidance along the way, even when I was abroad. I would recommend Mostar for future guests in place of Travnik day trip, but all else was interesting to see. Jared is the best!

We have recently completed two amazing weeks is Albania. In planning the trip we were keen to really see the country, taking in many of the main sights. Ed put together a wonderful itinerary taking into account our specific wishes and really listening to what we wanted. Originally we had planned to self-drive but in the end opted for a driver and guide. This was the best decision. Ardi was fantastic and having him with us for most of the journey (Ed stepped in a for a few days) really made a difference. Their knowledge of Albania meant that we were really able to enjoy the country and learn about its past, present and future. They were also great company. Their ability to adapt the itinerary as required meant we enjoyed unexpected experiences and were able to get closer to the local people. We came away having fallen in love with Albania and can’t thank Ed and Ardi enough for putting together such a fantastic trip. We would love to travel again with Drive Albania.

I have visited more than 40 different countries and this was easily one of my favorite vacations of all time! We visited Albania, Kosovo, Northern Macedonia, and Montenegro through the company Drive Albania. These countries were wonderful and should be seen by all!

My friend and I were supposed to travel in 2020, but Covid canceled our flights so we postponed for 2021. Ed gave us constant updates through all the covid related issues and planed everything during a very turbulent time. He answered all of my questions promptly (even if I asked multiple times). He adjusted the itinerary based on our new flights and even arrange for two additional friends to join half way through our tour making us a group of four. Ed personally picked everyone up from the airport (on three separate flights on three different days) and drove for hours to ensure the group was fully united! We had the pleasure of touring with Ed for a few days, and Ardi for the majority of our vacation. They were both knowledgeable, professional, made wonderful food suggestions and were delightful company! Our tour was so thoroughly planned and went so smoothly, that our group began to joke that Drive Albania was controlling everything including the weather! We had a unique tour group with two people who frequently vacation together; later joined by two less experienced travelers. Ardi was quick to assess everyone’s needs and resolved any potential issues (caused by us) so seamlessly, one would hardly know that anything was out of sorts.

Traveling with Ardi and Ed felt more like visiting with friends than traveling with a tour company. They ate with us, joked with us, and even joined our group selfie photos.

I am typically an anxious person, but on this trip, I was completely at ease! I can’t remember the last time I went on such a stress-free trip, and I know it was due to the thorough planning and good decisions of Ardi and Ed. I will definitely return to the Balkans, and travel with Drive Albania when I do!

We can't even say how wonderful this trip was! Both Ardi, and Ed were very good. Not only did they show us fabulous sights, nature and culture they introduced us to the locals and gave us fabulous service! The places they chose were great and the places we stayed were historical but very comfortable. I highly recommend Drive Albania. We have traveled to many places in Europe. This was probably one of the best. Don't wait until it gets expensive, go now! Because it is very inexpensive for what you get! But the country is changing fast! Go have a RAKI and a espresso!

Our guide Alban was amazing - a veritable font of Albanian history, knowledge and culture. He is very well educated and speaks fluent English and French. Our group of three spent 8 days with Alban traversing the length of Albania and definitely want to go back. As avid hikers and a vegan with a highly specific diet, Alban tailored the trip with our needs in mind and always made sure I was well catered for, The historic sites are interesting, the country side is beautiful, the people are warm and friendly and almost everyone speaks fluent English. This country should be much better known for Americans...

Our review is highly positive for Alban and Evasion Albanie but also for Albania as a whole.

We had an outstanding trip Ed designed a trip around our preferences and Ardie our tour guide was amazing making sure everything was organised correctly while remaining flexible enough to try extra things, his recommendations were always spot on. I would recommend Drive Albania to anyone wanting to visit this part of the world

Kimkim were great to deal with. Was a bit nervous to use them as hadn't heard about them in our part of the world but wouldn't hesitate to use them again.
Ed was also wonderful to deal with. Always quick with replies and happy to make changes and answer my endless questions. He certainly gave us an itinerary to suit us.
Our guide Ardi was brilliant. Can't praise him enough. He quickly assessed what we liked and didn't like and would make small changes to the itinerary, after consulting us and Ed. We loved the fact he was so generous with his time and we really enjoyed the fact that we ate most nights together and he shared his insights into the people and its history. One time we went off road and stayed almost on the edge of a cliff in a canyon. It was wonderful to be in such a beautiful part of the world and feel like we were the only people there.
Albania is a wonderful country and will always have great memories of it's people and places.

We had a fantastic time in Albania! The sights and beaches were terrific. Kakome bay was spectacular, Gjirokaster was extremely interesting and notably, getting an opportunity to drink Turkish coffee and Raki with the proprietor from the Zekate house was a real highlight for us.

A special mention for our guide Franko. He exceeded expectations. He provided expert knowledge of all of the places we visited and structured each day to meet our needs: sights, coffee stops, and dining. He was also a wealth of knowledge about Albania, its interesting history, and answered all of our questions! He is also a funny guy and very easy to be around which was perfect for our adventure in Albania.

Also to note, Xheni was very accommodating when planning our adventure and did a great job including everything we were looking to experience!

On our last day in Albania, we were thinking about when we would be able to come back and see other parts of the country - with Franko, of course!

Thank you for all of your help with organizing a memorable and special holiday for us!

Take care,

David and Jim

We recently returned from a wonderful holiday with the kimkim team exploring by road from Dubrovnik to Tirana, traveling through Montenegro, Kosovo, and Albania.

Our time with Ed and Ardi was very special. We came on board late in the piece after Ed and our traveling companion Lynette had created a well thought out itinerary having John and myself feeling like privileged children free of all responsibility. Together they chose excellent hotels and the way Ed and Ardi pampered us with special stopovers, luggage handling, smooth check-ins, finding the right roads and car parks, getting us "there" on time had us feeling absolutely secure and safe. How could we ever have managed such a relaxing holiday without such tailored service? At no time did we worry about anything at all even though we were in countries that we knew little about and with language barriers. With Ardi's charm and language skills, we were free of worries at border crossings or barriers between ourselves and the lovely people we encountered.
If we were to try to describe the stunning landscapes of Montenegro and Albania we would run dry of superlatives. The topography of these countries is simply breathtaking. The thrill of discovering real medieval history in towns like Dubrovnik, Cetinje, Kotor, Gjakova, and Prizren was an exceptional experience. The tragic political history of the Balkans although so recently experienced feels by now to be part of history, what we did appreciate was to have local guides arranged for us who were able to deliver information on important matters, bringing a gravity to our experience of a real lived environment that appears on the surface to be a postcard photographer's dream but has by contrast layers of history both recent and ancient that should never be forgotten. In Tirana, they managed to find us delicious food experiences and despite drama on the streets, we felt very happy and privileged to be there among such charming people. Altogether we could not have asked for a more relaxing travel experience while enjoying all the benefits and stimulation of countries more commonly known as intrepid travel destinations.

Ed and his team - Henry, Megi and Ardie were friendly, accessible, knowledgeable and professional at all times. Our trip was well organised and tailor made perfectly as Ed listened and responded to all of our requests - his recommendations for restaurants and ‘tourist’ attractions were great. Communication was prompt at all times. We never felt alone. Accommodation was perfect as were all the staff. It’s difficult to name anybody in particular but Rosa and her family in Lin were extremely hospitable - we felt very much at home. Henry, our guide was fun and ‘sociable’. The hike through the mountains was amazing, highlighting the beauty of the Albanian alps. We have travelled extensively throughout the world and without a doubt the Albanian people were consistently friendly, happy and willing to help at all times. We would highly recommend Ed and his team for anybody travelling through Albania.

I really don’t know where to start. My trip to Albania so exceeded my expectations and I think a lot of that is owed to Ed Reeves who listened to me about what I was looking for in my trip and planned it for me perfectly! Also, he was always very quick to respond to my emails with all my many questions. Then there were our two guides/drivers, Henri Manushi and Elton (I forget his last name )who were absolutely incredible. The 10-day trip that Ed planned was in Southern Albania and it was for myself and my 26 year old daughter. Much of the travel took place on rocky dirt roads that often ran along or through mountains. We always felt totally safe in the hands of Henri (and Elton) . Their skill on this type of terrain was impressive (as well as a lot of fun) . There are so many memorable places and experiences that I have. One of my favorite was when we set off on a picnic lunch. Henri had heard about an area and set off to find it. We followed dirt roads and then left the roadway for a path that he made his way through which eventually opened up to the most beautiful spot. We set out a blanket and had a wonderful lunch and then afterwards we all just lied on our backs and enjoyed the beautiful clouds. It was just perfect!

This was a fantastic experience and tour … absolutely gorgeous scenery … and very few tourists to compete with. Ed's Drive Albania put together a custom itinerary through 4 countries. Our guide - Ardi - was absolutely fantastic … at the end of the trip we consider him our friend and have invited him to visit us in Florida. Ardi was always making sure we were being taken care of and even modified the itinerary at our request. A very high service level.

We agree with the write-ups that traveling in the Balkan region is safe - we never felt uncomfortable or unsafe … although it did help to have Ardi who spoke all the languages needed and knew the roads very well. We stayed at 2 guest houses which really personalized the experience … and off-roaded for a couple of days in the mountains which was one of the highlights of the adventure. We have a ton of pictures and very fond memories of our Balkan experience.

I would absolutely use Drive Albania again.

Ed and Ardi were unfailingly polite and available to help us with every request.