Who We Are
Local owners.
Not an agency.
VloreStay is a small, family-run collection of vacation apartments in Vlorë, Albania. We started it because we believe the best way to experience a place is through people who actually live there — and because Vlorë deserves better than cookie-cutter platform listings.
Our Story
We grew up watching the Adriatic from these balconies
Vlorë has always been our home. We know the city before the tourist season starts and after it ends — the quiet mornings in October when the sea is glass-flat and the promenade is empty, the way the light hits the bay at golden hour in June, the backstreet restaurants that never made it onto any app.
For years, friends and family stayed with us when they visited. They kept saying the same thing: why is it so hard to find a genuinely good place to stay here? Most options were either overpriced platforms charging 17% fees on top, or unlisted local flats with no way to book safely. There was nothing in between — well-presented apartments with a real person behind them.
So we built VloreStay. We renovated our properties carefully, photographed them honestly, and made it easy to contact us directly. No algorithms between you and us. No automated responses. You message us, we message you back — usually within the hour.
We're a small operation by design. We'd rather manage a few apartments properly than dozens poorly. Every guest who stays with us gets our direct number. Every question gets a real answer. That's not a feature — it's just how we think hospitality should work.
How We Work
What makes us different
Owner-managed, every property
We own and manage every apartment ourselves. That means no middlemen, no agency staff, and no surprises. When you message us, you're talking to the person who holds the key.
We actually live here
We're not a remote management company running properties from another country. We live in Vlorë. We know which beach is quietest on a Saturday, where the best seafood is, and which roads to take to avoid summer traffic.
Genuine Albanian hospitality
Albania has a culture of hospitality that goes deeper than the tourism industry. We want guests to feel welcomed as visitors to our home, not processed as transactions.
Honest, no-surprise pricing
The price we quote is what you pay. No platform fees on top, no hidden cleaning charges invented at checkout, no 'local tax' added after you've committed. Book direct and pay less.
The Place
Why Vlorë?
Vlorë is one of the last undiscovered cities on the Mediterranean. It sits at the point where the Adriatic meets the Ionian — two seas, two colours of water, and a coastline that stretches south into one of Europe's most dramatic and least-visited rivieras.
The city itself is genuinely alive. It's not a purpose-built resort — it's a real Albanian city with history, culture, and a population that has lived here for generations. Albanian independence was declared here in 1912. The seafront promenade fills with families every evening in summer. The fish market opens before sunrise.
Tourism is growing, but slowly and authentically. The beaches south of Vlorë — Dhermi, Palasa, Borsh — are still genuinely quiet compared to anything in Greece or Croatia. The food is excellent and cheap. The people are warm. And you can drive from the city to a UNESCO World Heritage site in 90 minutes.
We think it's one of the best places in Europe to spend a summer week. We live here, so we're slightly biased — but the guests who come back year after year tend to agree.
Come and stay with us
Browse our apartments — each one is somewhere we'd be happy to sleep ourselves. Book direct, pay less, and have a real person to call if you need anything.