Discovering Albania Tour - The Land of the Double Headed Eagle

What a terrific holiday. Special mention to Julian our Albanian guide and Angela who looked after us so well. Would like to comment on the two substitute hotels, Hotel Kareem in Gjirocaster and Villa Alexander in Berat,full of character and by far my favourites of the hotels we stayed in. We did run out of time and didn’t see much of Berat. Should it be one day longer? There is so much to take in and experience. Thank you it was a truly memorable trip

Local tour guide, Julian, was superb. The guide can make or break a tour and Julian made the tour. Driver also excellent.

This was a lovely holiday. Excellent Tour Guide and Manager (Julian and Angela) and excellent coach driver (Happy). The group of 21 mixed very well. The tour could have done with being 1 day longer as we had little time in Berat. The accommodation was variable, some excellent, some good and one not so good in Seranda. The excursions were very good but some were pretty hard going over cobbles and steep climbs for some of the party. Some places were quite stunning. Overall a very enjoyable holiday. I would advise people to go to Albania within the next 2-3 years before it becomes too touristic and the coastal places concreted over with large hotels. The Albanian people were extremely friendly and helpful and it felt a very safe place to visit.

Fascinating trip to Albania to appreciate the country in it's present traditional state before it completes a transition to a tourism based economy within the next few years. Local tour guide excellent, UK based tour manager Angela who also accompanied us was very helpful and friendly. The tour was well planned, with plenty of time to explore the places visited once the organised part of the day was over. The one exception was the last stop in Berat. We arrived late afternoon and after a tour around the castle it was getting dark and there was not much time to see the city itself. I sacrificed breakfast the following morning to give myself the opportunity to get out and explore and take photographs - it was a sacrifice well worth making. Your brochure description is a bit out of date and needs to be revised e.g. no trip to Oricum possible as it is not easy to gain access to it being within a naval base. Some of the hotels also need to get some of the basics right e.g. no glasses in the room to use for having something to drink (Rose Hotel, Girokaster). Overall though, I enjoyed the tour and I was glad to have the opportunity to see the country in its current condition before it transforms itself into yet another Mediterranean holiday beach destination. Thanks Travel Editions!

Words cannot convey how excellent the local tour guide Julian was. One of the very best I’ve encountered, full of information about everything, warm, witty and reliable.

We had a really great trip and would definitely recommend travelling to Albania with Travel Editions. Both Julian, our local guide and Angela the tour manager, deserve to be commended for their care and attention to detail - could not fault them. Our driver, Eddy, was also as steady as a rock. We were fortunate to be travelling with a thoroughly delightful group of fellow guests. Albania is a country experiencing rapid change. It is worth noting that we received a warm welcome everywhere and the local people we met could not have been more accommodating. The food was great and we found some real gems when it came to eating out independently. All in all a super trip to an incredible country.

10/10 and another Gold Star.

Our Albanian tour guide, Julian, was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. He gave us an excellent insight into Albania's past and present. We would have liked a second night in either Gjirokaster or Berat. We were also disappointed that we didn't get to visit Oricum, but understand that this is often not possible.

Angela (tour admin), Julian (tour leader and expert in Albanian history, politics and culture) and 'Happy' (terrific bus driver) were all tip top, always smiling and couldn't do enough for us. Re accommodation, my room was great everywhere with terrific views and a balcony, though I believe from some of the others in our group that rooms varied in ameniities. Fod was very good. The one thing I had not anticipatedr, though I am a good walker, was the often precipitous nature of the perilous cobbled sreets, especially getting to our last two hotels and, being a group of mostly 70 and 80 year olds, it was fortunate that no-one fell. We were all very careful! Also the sites often required quite strenuous walking. This is why I only rated the brochure description 'good' rather than excellent along with my other ratings. For a large group of 21 including I think 3 married couples, 3 single males and the remainder lone women, several of whom were widowed, everyone mixed very well. All in all an excellent holiday enjoyed by all. I think everyone agreed that one extra day would have been desirable, since the final day in Berat was very crowded and didn't allow any free wandering time.