Boungainvillea

The apartment has potential, but at the current price it isn’t fair value. The bathroom especially needs renovation. A flickering neon light, exposed electrical cables, a broken shower head, and similar issues made the stay unpleasant. The air conditioning was also very noisy and made a cracking sound while running. The beds were simply couches. Some investment and repairs could turn this into a nice place, but the present condition doesn’t justify the price.

The villa sits high on a hill with a beautiful sea view, and the village itself is peaceful and lovely. The beach and sea were clean, while the hosts were kind, spoke English, and gave us useful information throughout the stay. The terrace was full of flowers and had a lovely natural view, which helped balance out the limited space indoors. Our room was on the first floor and opened onto the terrace. The old thick walls kept it naturally cool. There was one double bed, a smaller bed, air conditioning, and a TV, although there wasn’t much room for anything else. The bathroom was clean and had a wardrobe, but the water flow was somewhat problematic. Both hot and cold water worked, so showering and basic hygiene were still possible. Mosquito screens on the windows were a nice touch. The kitchen and dining table were outside on the terrace rather than in the apartment, which was actually charming. There was a sink, basic dishes, a fridge, and an older gas stove, though the kitchen equipment could use some updating. Privacy was the biggest concern. The owners’ family lived directly behind the room, and it seemed one of their beds was set up right outside on the terrace. They cooked and carried on their daily life very close to us, almost as if they moved into that part of the house for summer. A more separate area for the owners would make guests feel much more comfortable. The access road was another major drawback. It was unpaved and very dusty, with no street lighting. Although the beach was technically close, the steep, poorly maintained path wasn’t practical on foot, especially with things to carry, so we drove. Parking beside the house along the rough road was also a little difficult, and the car became dirty quickly. I hope the road has been paved by now. That road goes to a well-known beach, but we liked the local beach in the upper part of the village better overall. It had free parking and reasonably priced sunbeds and umbrellas. The accommodation’s two main limitations were the small space and the dusty access road, things worth considering if you’re traveling with small children.

We paid far too much for what we got. It was the most expensive place we stayed at in Albania, even though our family of four slept on two sleeper couches and one couch in the lounge. There were no real beds, and the tiny kitchen had almost nothing in it, including just one knife for four people. The bathroom was outside the room, beside the staff room. In my view, the place was worth about half of what we paid. The one positive was its closeness to aquarium beach.

We only stopped here to park while heading to Gjiri i Akuariumit, but the lady was very polite and offered us coffee and homemade rakia. Sitting with the coffee and rakia while looking at the amazing sea view was a real pleasure. We weren’t there long, but I still highly recommend the place.