My ladies and I booked a girls trip to Ksamil, Albania last summer. We chose Ksamil based off, you guessed it, an Instagram post. We’d seen the iconic Ksamil Albania beaches while scrolling our feeds, and thought – we must go #basic.

We booked our flights a few months in advance and didn’t start researching until later. As I began browsing beyond Instagram, I noticed Ksamil Albania beaches may be different than I thought. Shocker…

So, what’s wrong with Ksamil?

First, the beaches are small and overcrowded. Second, most travelers are young partygoers or young couples with small children. Third, most of the hotels are small and family-run, and can’t accommodate a large group.

Rather than go to Ksamil, we chose to stay in Saranda for the first half of our trip. We absolutely loved it there and I’d highly recommend skipping Ksamil and going north towards Dhermi and Gjipe beach instead. We stayed at a lovely family owned apartment close to the beach and local restaurants. This was my favorite part of our stay in the area. Penthouse apartment.

Ksamil Albania beaches and nearby beaches

• Monastery Beach – nearby
• Lori Beach
• Puerto Rico Beach
• Ksamil Islands
• Mirrors’ Beach – nearby

Monastery Beach

Monastery Beach is a 15-minute drive from Saranda on the SH81. We pulled off the road and parked in an area that explicitly stated no trespassing. From there, we walked down a steep hill to the beach. There was a small parking lot at the bottom, but do yourself a favor and avoid driving down the hill. It’s steep.

Monastery Beach was very pebbly making the water crystal clear, although painful to walk on. There are some shaded areas beneath the trees, but most of the beach is in direct sunlight. There’s also a restaurant with great reviews if you’d like some fresh fish by the sea.

Lori Beach

We continued down the SH81 for 10 more minutes to Lori Beach. On the way, we passed people outside with signs that read ‘room for let’ and dozens of shops selling floats and beach gear.

We parked in a sandy lot for free and walked to the beach. There was a small beach bar and dozens of mismatched umbrellas and sun beds in tight rows. There was no way to walk between the sun beds and the sun was impossible to feel through the dense umbrella canopy.

Hoping to relax for free, we were lucky enough to find the only spot perched on an uncomfortable jagged rock on a cliff overlooking the sea.

Lori Beach did have warm, clear water and a very cheap snack bar, but apart from that, it wasn’t anything special.

Puerto Rico Beach

Optimistic to find the silver lining, we popped over to Puerto Rico Beach just opposite Lori Beach. It’s less crowded, but still has far too many sun beds lined up in neat rows.

We rented a boat for €5 per person to visit the Ksamil Islands. If I’m being frank, this was a major rip-off. Our boat driver was a nice guy, but the Ksamil Islands are not worth visiting.

The Ksamil Islands

We paid €40 total for a young man to drive us from Puerto Rico Beach to the Ksamil Islands, drop us off, walk up a little hill, finish our BYOB beers and then drive us back. The whole trip was less than 45-minutes and 45 minutes too long.

If you absolutely must see the islands, swim there or rent a kayak. They are far too close to go to by motorboat. You can only visit two of the four islands and the two you can visit are connected to each other when the tide is low. There is one beach bar there with a few sun beds. Otherwise, desolate. Save your money and stay onshore.

Mirrors’ Beach

Having given up on the Tahitian vibes Instagram promised us, we headed back towards Saranda. I had read about one more pebbly beach so we decided to stop there to watch the sunset.

Off the SH81 you need to make a very sharp left turn up a steep hill towards Mirrors’ Beach. From there your phone will likely stop working. Just follow the hair pinned road down towards the sea. There’s a parking lot just as you approach the beach.

Park close to the restaurant. We saw someone’s car window smashed in despite it being daylight.

Mirrors’ Beach was similar to Monastery Beach. Yet this time it was lined with more mismatched umbrellas and sun beds. Since it was late, we were able to sit there without paying. We all went for a swim. The sea was rougher than elsewhere and the water, less clear.

We each parked ourselves in a sun bed and watched the sun drop until the very last moment. It was a beautiful sunset and made up for some of the mishaps we had in Ksamil.

So, should you visit Ksamil Albania beaches? I vote no. If I were in the area again I’d visit Monastery and Mirrors’ Beach and skip Ksamil. Rather than explore this part of Albania, I’d recommend you head north towards Dhermi and Gjipe beach or to Kodrra Saranda. They were both far more dreamy.