Violaine is an amazing travel planner!

Albania | Sep 3 - Sep 11, 2026

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!