Vlore in Albania

This could be your next trip if you ever find yourself fantasizing about a city that feels like it hit the snooze button one too many times and turquoise water meets it. I came hoping for a fast seaside getaway and somehow found myself wondering why I ever bothered spending three times the cost for Greek islands, Italian coasts, or anything else that takes itself a little too seriously. Vlore is not serious. Not at all. And that might be its most amazing appeal.

Let's begin with the clear. The beaches truly are that blue. The type of blue that raises doubts about nature's integrity. Palm trees seem a little perplexed as the promenade stretches along the coast in Albania of all places. They nevertheless embrace the position. Walking here early in the morning entails sharing space with joggers, elderly men disputing about football, and the odd cat who quite evidently controls the area.

Then there's the food. You believe you understand Mediterranean food until you sit down in Vlore and someone offers you a platter of seafood that might have been swimming around twenty minutes ago. It is fresh in a way that you will subconsciously judge every frozen shrimp from the grocery store you've ever bought. The portions are also rather large, which led me to wonder whether I was being made to gain weight for something. No, though; the residents only enjoy feeding people. Albania supports like that.

The city itself is an amazing blend: part beach resort with gleaming new hotels and part place where grumbling old Soviet-era buildings still hide about. Vlore is layered and none of them exactly match. Two streets over you could come across a small alley that hasn't changed in forty years while sipping an iced coffee at a cool modern café. Somehow it comes out. Still a view is chaos with a seaside angle.

Vlore is developing faster than you could complete your gelato in terms of civilisation. New eateries, pubs, and beach clubs abound every year. While some are polished and fashionable, others seem like driftwood and hopefulness went into their creation. Either way, you'll still have fun. Naturally nice hosts, Albanians will take personal offense if you depart without tasting raki. My suggestion is to have the drink but arrange to sit down for some time later, maybe even for a long time.

Using Vlore as a base to travel around the coast is among the most enjoyable things about seeing it. Though the views are absurd, the roads can get somewhat dramatic, especially in a why is this road clinging to a cliff kind of manner. Sazan Island and the Karaburun Peninsula entice you with beaches that seem like postcards someone forgot to edit. Boat cruises are readily available, and every captain seems to double as a comedian.

Indeed then, Vlore could not be flawless. That is why you will like it. It is laid-back, unique, reasonably priced, and bolder than your glasses can handle. And if you let it, it could just sneak onto your list of best seaside getaways.