Kimkim Trip Reviews for Albania

Excellent dinner and breakfast, convenient location

This hotel was difficult to find, especially after being dropped off late at night. There is no elevator and our room was on the third floor. The breakfast was good and the bed was comfortable

Lovely views from the room

Loved the old-world character of this hotel

The hotel is located within walking distance of the castle and the old town which invites wandering!

Great place to relax

A very attentive staff made this stay lovely.

The pick up from the airport was fine, getting to the hotel was difficult

Out guide in Corfu was great, I don't have her name though. We went to dinner with her and she helped us order traditional food and suggested things to do.

Very entertaining evening, great wine. Beautiful drive to get to the winery.

Unfortunately, this was canceled due to weather. Also it was unfortunate that there wasn't much of an alternative plan.

This was a good introduction to Albania.

Lovely, restful, conveniently located, but a bit difficult to find. Great spot for walking around Tirana. Welcoming staff!

Quiet; lovely; beautiful views

Relaxing; beautiful views, attentive staff, great restaurant

Beautiful hotel; great location; exceptional staff.

Comfortable rooms; great breakfast; attentive staff; lovely setting.

Stunning views; superb location; exceptional breakfast.

Steps away from attractions; attentive staff; great food.

Migen, our guide made this a memorable day.

Our host was witty, welcoming, and entertaining. Wine and nibbles were excellent

Our guide assigned to Corfu was excellent. She provided a very enjoyable walking tour and food sampling. She was attentive, very approachable and entertaining.

I stayed at a winery accommodation that had only three rooms. They hosted a wine tasting around 6 PM, which was very enjoyable. The hosts were very friendly, and the wine tasting was quite generous with small bottles of different wines. It was a very nice and intimate experience.

My last night was spent at a unique agritourism property near the Tirana Airport. It was a quaint place with about sixteen rooms, two restaurants, and a farm setting where they grow their own plants and have cows. It was a neat and interesting experience, very different from typical hotels.

I took a sightseeing tour of Kotor, Montenegro. The town is really beautiful with a huge protected bay area and some neat little islands. It was quite busy with tourists, especially cruise ship passengers, but the tour guide Natasha was excellent and gave a great tour of the inner city, helping me navigate the busy spots.

Super cute Boutique hotel! Clean, comfortable, stylish and quiet for being in the heart of Tirana. Loved the proximity of the hotel to main attractions and historical hot spots. Highly recommended.

Great spot up on the hill and the overall accommodation was good. Beds were comfortable and we loved the pool and sauna. Only complaints was a slight sewage smell in the room and the waiter at dinner was rather rude.

Beautifully located in Theth. Clean but very basic rooms. Our host was great but not clear about how meals worked or the time frame. Food was good and service OK for how busy and hectic it was with tourists. Glad we brought our headlamps as the power went out a few times each evening/morning.

Amazing! Fantastic accommodation and couldn't recommend it enough. The rooms were lovely, stylish, comfortable and clean. The staff was excellent and the food amazing. We loved the patio and enjoying wine while enjoying the awesome mountains/view.

Great spot and loved the view and proximity to the old Bazzar. The restaurant was good and the room was great- stylish, clean and comfortable.

Great spot and loved the view. Good staff and accommodations.

Great spot in Berat. Located in an old and authentic house but nicely styled. Everything was clean and comfortable. Our host was great and food was good. Easy walking distance to all of old Berat and we loved the town.

FABULOUS! Highly recommended and we loved our stay here. The hotel was super cute, clean and an easy walk to everything. The breakfast was exceptional and we LOVED the indoor pool and sauna. The outdoor pool looked great, but we got there too late to enjoy it. Our room was wonderful and we loved being up at the very top.

Amarda was lovely. We appreciated her meeting us and loved our "goody" bag. She even made a few more of our fabulous guide books per our request so we all had one to take home as momento. We had to reach out to her once for clarification, and she was quick to respond. She also rescheduled our boat experience due to weather. We loved all the extra suggestions given and our guide book was fabulous and throuough. We used it several times on the trip.

Petro was awesome! Such a great excursion and we loved hearing about the area and it's transitioning. There was about 15 people on the boat with plenty of room so it was very comfortable and clean. He had water to offer and we loved all the stops we took. The 2 cave swimming spots were super cool and the highlight. This is the way to see the beaches of Himare and to not deal with driving and navigating sketchy trails. The water and the beaches were gorgeous.

Super fun and we loved our host! Great crowd and experience.

Great Location for seeing the city and castle

Beautiful but parking is confusing

Amazing location. Wish we stayed here more than one night.

Rich history and amazing location

Views are magnificient

Beautiful to see and experience but the driver was like a race car driver.

highly recommend this adventure. The entire area is breathtaking and the boat ride gives you a totally different perspective. Shala River was impressive and the water so clear.

Absolutely stunning and we got to see not only Kotor Bay including Perast and 'Our lady of the Rocks', but also a submarine bunker, and swam in a coastal cave.

Amazing wine and staff were amazing and funny.

Amazingly beautiful and very relaxing.

Incredible city. Natasa was very knowledgeable and such a nice person.

This hotel is located right at the base of the Castle - you can walk out the back gate by the pool, take a left and you are at the entrance. Take a right and follow it down the hill directly into the Old Bazaar area. The location couldn't be more perfect PLUS they have on site parking. The staff is super friendly and the view from the terrace overlooks the entire city and valley. We were lucky enough to have a double rainbow spanning the sky. The only reason it is not 5 star; is because the minisplit struggled to keep up. Thus it was a little warm.

Another hotel with an amazing view + onsite parking. The rooms was very comfortable and the A/C worked perfectly. The restarant here is very good and quite popular. Reservations are a must - the first night we couldn't get it. But made sure to enjoy it our 2nd night. It is a special occasion place; most everyone dressed up for dinner here. The only down side - laundry service. Upon check in. I asked if they had laundry service which they confirmed and advised me to bring my laundry down. When I did, they escourted me into their laundry area and showed me how to use the machines. Obviously, a miscommunication. I thought I would pay for the service and have that time to explore town. Instead, I spent a couple of hours doing my own. Oh well - got clean laundry.

Another centrally located hotel, makes walking a breeze. Thank goodness for the parking permit provided with the room. You park at a private lot about 5 minutes walk away; but honestly if you didn't have this there would be nowhere to park. I appreciated that lot! The room was less than desirable. Ours had a tiny high window that looked at a wall- thus it was dark. Even with all the lights turned on; it is a dark room. The walls are stone, which gives it the authentic flavor; but, it also provided spots for cobwebs and little critters. However - the breakfast was the best we had! And it just coming. This is a sit down breakfast where they just serve you platter after platter of items. We felt guilty that we simply could not eat it all. The reason to book this hotel is 1 - BREAKFAST and 2 - parking lot provided.

The Panorama Kruje is the most modern of our stays. The room is HUGE - we could have a dance party in it. The bathroom is also large as the balcony. Our room looked over the old bazaar and castle. The view is stunning! Location also 5 star.

This is a family run hotel and winery. Each villa is a self sustained home. We had a full kitchen, living room, bedroom, and covered front porch. At 6pm, the husband provides a wine tasting event in his winery. They also provide you with a complimentary bottle of their wine at checkin. The villa is very comfortable. We decided to hit the market and make our own dinner that night and eat on the porch. It was lovely. The breakfast is made to order and delivered to your front porch (which has a dining table). There is a menu and you let them know the night before what you would like and when. Super nice family.

The Hotel Astoria is in the heart of Old Town Kotor. Our room looked over the bay and outer wall. The room was large and well furnished with a lovely modern amenity bathroom. We had to leave early the next morning; so they provided us with a box breakfast the night before. Quite nice.

The Great Chimera canceled our trip without notifying us, so we showed up at the dock all ready and excited for our adventure—only to find that no one was there. We were understandably confused and disappointed, especially since we had received no communication about the cancellation. A simple phone call, email, or message would have saved us the time and inconvenience of making the trip to the dock. Definitely not the way we expected the day to start. Hmmmm...

Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing experience. When we checked in, the staff member looked at our Teva sandals and told us they were appropriate for the tour. Shortly after starting, Sarah’s sandal broke, and our guide, Lionel, was clearly unhappy about it. We had already heard Lionel tell someone that he didn’t want to do this tour, and unfortunately, that attitude seemed to carry throughout our experience. He told us that our shoes were completely wrong, but we explained that the person who checked us in had specifically told us they were fine. How were we supposed to know otherwise? I asked if there was any possibility of pivoting to another activity, such as tubing, but he said no. To his credit, he did have an associate bring us river socks, but after that, he simply walked in front of the group. What was most disappointing was the complete lack of information or engagement. There was no explanation of the gorge, the surrounding environment, or anything else that would have made the experience interesting or educational. The entire tour felt boring, negative, and lacking in enthusiasm. Given the beautiful setting and potential for a great experience, we left feeling very disappointed.

This was such a personal, fun, and memorable experience! We were the only people booked that day, so it felt very special and personalized. Our teachers were two wonderful young men who made the entire experience enjoyable from start to finish. We baked bread, made stuffed peppers, Berati beef, and a delicious custard dessert—all while joking, laughing, and listening to music. It felt less like a formal cooking class and more like spending time with friends who were sharing their food, culture, and traditions with us. Afterward, we enjoyed the fruits of our labor. And let me tell you—there was TOO MUCH food! Everything was delicious, and the whole experience was relaxed, authentic, and full of fun. This was definitely one of the highlights of our trip, and an experience we will remember for a long time!

Hotel Rogner in Tirana was very nice. We stayed only one night and the staff were very friendly. There were no complaints at all, and the hotel met our expectations well.

Hotel Mangalemi in Berat was nice but the room was quite small. The bathroom was beautiful and we had a small balcony with a view. The breakfast was the most limited of all the places we stayed, but still fine. The staff were very nice and the location was great.

Kerculla Resort in Gjirokastra was a beautiful hotel with amazing views and a great pool. The breakfast was huge and the design of the hotel was impressive. However, it was located on a hill outside of town, which made getting there a bit challenging, especially driving up the hill.

Arameras Beach Resort in Ksamil had an incredible location away from the busy and crowded town beaches, which we appreciated. The property and pool were stunning and we took many pictures there. The room was a bit unusual and the food was average and somewhat overpriced, but overall the hotel was great.

Camp Nivica was a unique experience but challenging due to the heat and lack of air conditioning. There was not much to do during the hot days, and the first day was rough as my wife was not feeling well. The food was fine, but there was no welcoming or explanation about the camp from the staff. The hike the next day was great and the guide was excellent. We would consider returning in a cooler season to see the camp in a different light.

Hotel Prado Luxury in Himarë was the most luxurious hotel we stayed at, with a big beautiful room and a large wrap-around balcony facing the ocean. The pool was nice and the breakfast was great. The only downside was the presence of many families with young children, which made the pool area noisy at times. The beach had rocky areas but the beach chairs were good.

Walking with donkeys through the Drino Valley was one of the highlights of our trip. The family hosting us was wonderful, and their son spoke English well. It felt like a real, authentic experience connecting with the local culture. My son loved spending time with the donkeys and the whole experience was joyful and memorable.

The farm-to-table experience at Botë Farms was not very authentic for us. It felt more like an American-style agro-tourism setup rather than a real farm. The meal was fine and the people were nice, but it lacked the genuine farm experience we were hoping for.

Great restaurant and rooms. Liked the beach bar and great reason

Ok hotel for what it was location could be a bit more central. Staff weren’t responsive to a maintenance issue in our room.

Everything great but just too far from Old Town.

Room was fun for one night. Tour of the farm was amazing. Restaurant good food but it’s large size meant no charm.

Staff very helpful. Biggest complaint was the heat was not on in the restaurant at all and it was cold. Room heat only on late afternoon. Limited menu available. Rooms basic.

Amazing in every respect

Enthusiastic but way too much information and hard to follow. Did answer questions and insights on Albania which was great. Got us into the bunkers for free. 😊

Great guide.

This was a trip highlight and amazing

Hard to understand guide. Didn’t understand our questions. Not a city food tour and we have done many. Did have tastings of several dishes in one restaurant.

Great guide. Lots of history and insights into Montenegro.

Guide wasn’t prepared for city closure due to economic summit and things to do. We wanted to go to House of Leaves and he knew this the day before when it was open. Went to Bunker 2 at our initiative and he knew very little about it. We just read the signs in English. Well meaning person but Mickey Mouse and a bit of waste of our time as a guide for us.

Good company and safe boat in high winds. Adapted tour very well in high winds.

Lovely hotel. Top of the mountain so to spesk as actually within the castle grounds. Road leading to hotel was excellent with parking

Excellent friendly staff. Location at hotel was at the top of a steep road, but no complaints from us as it helped work off the calories. Nice view of the city.

Excellent location. Staff friendly and helpful. Accommodation clean and fresh. Ideal hotel

Beautiful hotel, fantastic location ,dtunning views, lovely breakfast

Wow! Superb accommodation on a mountain with stunning views

Just wow 👌 waking up to wild horses meandering through the camp. View was something special to behold. Food prepared onsite was delicious and we loved the peace and solace of the camp. Stunning!

Ideal location very welcoming staff. Amazing view. Staff done our washing for a very small fee which was very welcomed. Excellent breakfast.

Superb hotel overlooking the sea. Sumptuous breakfast. Friendly staff. A shock to the system coming to a touristy part on our travel itinerary but a nice change for a bit of down time & relaxation

This guesthouse was located in the most beautiful area on top of a canyon providing incredibly scenic views. The food provided was absolutely amazing and the hosts were kind and gracious, going above and beyond for my friends and I to ensure we had a fantastic stay.

Our stay at the Berati Castle Hotel was fantastic. The hotel is in the old part of Berat, which gave us a real feel for the history and culture of the city. The ambiance was exactly what we were looking for, and the location made it easy to explore the beautiful “City of a Thousand Windows.

Staying at Camp Nivica was a really cool experience. The scenery was absolutely breathtaking, and it was made even more interesting by the presence of a Swedish film crew shooting a documentary. The setup was like glamping, and it was a refreshing change from traditional hotel stays.

We did get to explore Berat, and it was a lovely experience. The city is just beautiful, and the architecture is something you don’t see every day. The atmosphere in Berat was calm and relaxing, which was a nice change from the chaos of Tirana.

This was a huge letdown. What we were expecting was an easy ride up to the foot of Mt. Dajti, take a cable car to the top, and then gently ride down winding country roads with a nice lunch break somewhere. Instead, we ended up riding through city traffic, which was a nightmare, and then up a steep, dirt road filled with heavy construction traffic. It was brutal and not at all what we signed up for. The guide didn't even mention the cable car anymore. My wife had a bad accident on this trip, which just added to the frustration.

Great location, clean rooms, lovely breakfast.

This hotel had such amazing character. The owners were friendly and helpful. The hotel was in a great location. The breakfasts were delicious.

Great breakfast options! Centrally located.

Beautiful traditional Albanian house converted to hotel! Fabulous hosts!

Nice hotel! Rooms a bit dark.

Great location close to old bazar and castle. Great restaurant!

A clearer itinerary for our time in the city would have been better so we could plan things we would do on our own.

Excellent overview of the castle.

Excellent stay. Best breakfast!

Very nice hotel in a nice location in downtown Tirana, close to the local market, many restaurants and shops. Friendly staff and very nice breakfast. The only issue was the air conditioning seemed to be turned off at night which was nit fun in the hot weather...

Remote, relatively inaccessible location but terrific experience with the host family.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

This surpassed our expectations in every way.

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

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

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

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.

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