Touristy by Albanian standards (Sarande)

Member Name: dangaroo

Product:	Sarande
Date:	15/04/09 (53 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Accessible sea, not too busy

Disadvantages: Some tourists and a bit dear

Well not exactly, it's not that overloaded with tourists and doesn't possess as many clubs blaring out in your face music but the chances are that if you've gone to Albania, it's to avoid tourists a little bit and enjoy a pleasant country without Northern European tourists in their white shorts, shoes, socks and beany hat gorping into their Daily Mail. Saranda does get a handful of curious day-trippers from Corfu and is even a bit of a destination in its own right.

Saranda is in a gorgeous location, with a short gulf seperating itself from Corfu, a palm tree lined promenade with a small white beach and jade coloured sea. There's not quite as many high rise buildings as say Praia da Rocha in Portugal or Benidorm but there's a lot by Albanian standards and this is definitely the playground of Albania's criminal millionaires.

There is bars, restaurants and hotels resorts of Western standards, quite often at reasonable prices. Originally an Ancient Greek settlement there is not much evidence of that today other than in Butrint about 20km away. There is a castle on top of the hill though, this is located in a nearby village and was used to attack Corfu almost 500 years ago.

I have to say I didn't stick around very long because it seemed to touristy and expensive in comparison to the rest of the country but I really enjoyed the journey across the hills from Gjirokaster on a road which at that time (5 years ago) was said to be the subject of frequent hijackings - so a bit of fun really.

This place doesn't really feel like Albania at all but if resorts are your thing then it's one of the more low-key one on the med

Summary: Day Tripper destination