Visited Sarande and Himare so have plenty more to see, but I found the place and energy so confusing to read. I almost don’t know how to actually summarise whether I liked it or not. It was quite a mixed bag.
The sea is beautiful and there are a lot of good restaurants, cafes and nightlife available if you’re into that. Himare in particular was a beautiful coast, good trip for a friend group or family and beaming with tourists (if anything a bit intense for this reason, avoid staying in the main town if you’re wanting a quiet getaway). I think it would surprise many at how touristy and lively it is. There are plenty of boat trips and day excursions you can take in both places.
While there were a lot of tourists, it’s the first place that I’ve visited where I felt judged/out of place for being a tourist. Nothing outright bad but an underlying energy. Most interactions were okay and some people were friendly but with men in particular there was an underlying intensity, even when the interaction was fine on paper. It felt like I was being judged, looked down on or annoying them just by being present. In the city there are enough people for this energy to be dispersed/varied but it felt noticeable in some moments.
Prices in these locations were lower but not by much compared to other European destinations in the summer. I.e a meal for one in a typical restaurant was around €10-15, a modern 1 bedroom Airbnb/hotel was around €200-300 for 3 nights. Still good just not necessarily crazy cheap.
I found there to be a lot of friction with day to day things (figuring out where buses stop, buses turning up super late, squeezing as many people possible by any means necessary into minivans with 0 seats left). Taxis were usually around, but prone to overcharging you, especially once you arrive at the destination and have no choice. Taxi apps worked when they did, but didn’t when they didn’t. Clunky is the best word to describe logistics and getting around.
It feels like it’s on the cusp of something but not fully there yet in many ways, which is to be expected - tourism is recently on the rise and the country is growing with this.
I would suggest if you’re looking for somewhere different, imperfect but a hidden gem that’s on the rise and rough around the edges, try Albania. If you have limited holiday days from work and want a more straightforward experience with slightly more structure, go to Italy, France, Spain etc. If you want an equally as chaotic but more familiar experience than Albania, go to Greece.
Just my experience that may have been skewed by some personal factors I had at the time, by no means intending to reduce a country to a white person’s 2 week experience.