#llogara

[vongli]

Deer in snow

Llogora Tourist Village, Albania

[travelalbania]

Llogara, Albania

[caraalee]

Albanian Riviera: Saranda, Butrint, Ksamil

After leaving Fier in the morning, we headed to Vlore for a quick stop then continued down to Llogara toward Saranda. The drive from Fier to Vlore took about 45 minutes. We stopped to enjoy the beach views and got coffee at a cafe by the sea. I was able to get an Americana—hooray for giant cups of European coffee for my basic self! We walked along the beach for a bit then continued on our coast-side road trip for some of the grandest views of my life.

Llogara Pass

We made it to Llogara Pass in about an hour and a half. There were beautiful views of mountains all along the way. We were on a mission, so we didn’t stop until we got closer to the Pass, but I’d recommend stopping along the way to take photos and take in the sweeping mountains. 

The views were so majestic! It started drizzling a bit, so we stopped in Kështjella Restaurant for quick cappuccinos. There was a power outage, so they were limited in what they could offer. But I’m glad we stopped there because the restaurant had an outdoor seating area overlooking the sea, so we took advantage and snapped photos as the rain let down. It was a nice view, but I was a little skeptical about how nice Llogara Pass was. I’ve just seen many great views, so I wanted to lessen my expectations in case they were comparable. I’m happy my doubts were proven wrong!

It was amazing, and our photos and videos don’t do it justice—which is why all the photos on the Internet seemed mehh to me. But wow! It was stunning. Although it was really cold all the way up, the grand mountains along the sea were really incredible and worth the chill. After we had our fill (and were getting numb from the wind), we kept on driving down the winding mountain. It was the prettiest drive I’ve ever been on with beautiful landscapes all along the way. We stopped quickly in Himara to take a break, stretch, and use a restroom. 

Settling in Saranda

We ended up making it to Saranda a little before 4 p.m. and met up with our Airbnb host. The apartment we stayed at was so nice! It was very modern, clean, and had a balcony! We love balconys. 

For dinner we went to Mare Nostrum Cusine, which had a great view of the coast.

We shared wine, veggie qofte, and petulla (fried dough) on the house. I had seafood linguine, and Roobz got the seafood paella. Yummdiddly! 

Butrint

The following day, we visited Butrint, an ancient Albanian city. It was raining, so we hung around the apartment and played cards until the rain stopped. I needed coffee, and the closest cafe was closed, so we went to Hotel Illyria, which was very nice, and the hostess was really sweet. We found out the prices were about $40 a night (for Albanians...tourists will need to inquire separately!), so that could be an option if we ever return to Saranda. 

Butrint was about a 20-minute drive and 800 leke (~$7) to enter. The ruins were really cool—we saw the Venetian tower, amphitheater, Roman mansion, museum, and, of course, those views from the top! 

The head of Dea/the Goddess of Butrint was waiting for us at the top—Roobz was very excited about that because every household has their own Dea.

Ksamil

For lunch, we went to the Panoramic Beach & Restaurant in Ksamil, which was like 6 minutes away from Butrint. Oh man...it was awesome. Good food, good views, good fun. It was 3 p.m., and beach season hadn’t started yet, so we were the only ones there. We got Korca beers, salad, kos, fries, and bread to share. I got the levrek (seabass), and Roobz got steak. Very delicious. 

We asked the waiter if we could lie on the beach, and he gave the OK, so we hurried to eat so we could enjoy the sun and sand. 

The beach was gorgeous—some of the bluest water I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, the clouds were determined to destroy our whole lives, and they kept blocking the sun. But we made do and enjoyed some fruit on the house (so nice!) before heading back to the Airbnb. 

Lëkurësi Castle

We dropped our beach stuff off then went back out to see Lëkurësi Castle, a recommendation from Eri. It was an 8-minute drive, and we were kind of “sure whatever” about going, but, man oh man, what a view! 

There was not much information about the castle itself, so people mainly go up for the views. We saw the whole city of Saranda as the sun was setting a bit and got some ~*~sick photos~*!~* After our photoshoot, we went to the grocery store to get some apples and cherry tomatoes (YUM), along with ketchup chips (LOVE) and tzatziki chips (I liked!). We enjoyed our wine (made by Xhaja) and snacks on the balcony to watch the sun go down. How magical. 

I probably could have used one more day to enjoy Saranda itself. It was a lovely honeymoon-like getaway with everything to enjoy: food, beaches, views, a castle. But we were on a tight schedule, and Gjirokaster and the Blue Eye were waiting for us!

[xhemilbeharaj]

Prishet maunia, bllokohet rruga në Llogara (video)

Prishet maunia, bllokohet rruga në Llogara (video)

Vlorë – Nje automjet i tonazhit te rende i prishur ne Llogara tek vendi “cesma” ka bllokuar rrugen ku si pasoje radha e automjeteve nga te dyja anet e saje ka shkuar ne dy kilometra, pohojne per Alb365 burime informacioni nga vendgjarja.

Ne redaksi kane nisur foto e video.

Sipas ketyre burimeve nje maune eshte prishir duke pesuar defekt qe ne oren 05:30 te mengjesit te sotem nderkohe qe…

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[dariobrainandheart]

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#mototouralbania Dopo il passo del #Llogara e dopo la magnifica litoranea di montagna che corre lungo la riviera albanese siamo fermi a #Jala per un bagno al mare. Come primo giorno di Tour non è affatto male! (presso Folie Marine) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzTIry8hhoB/?igshid=1r86c8zhpwuu5

[dariobrainandheart]

#Repost @travel.brain.and.heart • • • • • #mototouralbania Dopo il passo del #Llogara e dopo la magnifica litoranea di montagna che corre lungo la riviera albanese siamo fermi a #Jala per un bagno al mare. Come primo giorno di Tour non è affatto male! (presso Jale Beach- Albania) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzTZsfthMTv/?igshid=1dejdhz23dgsd

[dariobrainandheart]

View this post on Instagram

#mototouralbania Dopo il passo del #Llogara e dopo la magnifica litoranea di montagna che corre lungo la riviera albanese siamo fermi a #Jala per un bagno al mare. Come primo giorno di Tour non è affatto male! (presso Folie Marine) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzTIry8hhoB/?igshid=pn0aqrfmanbt

[dariobrainandheart]

#mototouralbania Partiti da #Tirana Passati per #valona Mangiato a #Llogara #relax e #mare a motori spenti. #travelsbrainandheart (presso Castle Himara) https://www.instagram.com/p/BzGVHAhC8-2/?igshid=axnhi5t1c7q1