The beautiful seaside village that's 'Caribbean of Europe' with golden sand and 30C heat

A beautiful European seaside village has been dubbed ‘the Caribbean of Europe’. With golden sands and summer highs of 30C, Ksamil is located in the Riviera of southern Albania and part of Butrint National Park.

The village is one of the most frequented coastal resorts by both domestic and foreign tourists. Ksamil Beach and Albania's Ionian Coast further north were included in the Guardian's 20 best bargain beach holidays for 2013. The village’s Caribbean white sand beaches have given it a great tourism boost, which has led to new hotel facilities but also to more expensive prices.

The Telegraph even dubbed it the ‘Caribbean of Europe’ for its “palm trees, dazzling beach, azure sea and thatched parasols”. The paper added that prices were also low, with hotel rooms from £80 a night and a three-course meal only costing £17 at the hotel’s restaurant.

The main attractions are the nearby Ksamil Islands. Other activities are the Blue Eye in Muzinë (a clear blue water spring), the Butrint National Park, Saranda (a seaside city) and as well some other beaches that lie north to Ksamil.

There is a lot of Ottoman influence on the village and surrounding area, with UNESCO World Heritage Site Gjirokastër, a thick-walled fortress built for a sultan, and historic buildings.

Visitors called it a “must-visit” holiday destination, with one Tripadvisor reviewer saying: “Beautiful beaches and scenery..in the morning you can spend the whole day enjoying the sun and water sports as well as amazing cocktails and lunch at the restaurant of the beach.”

Ksamil has an average summer temperature of 26C with highs of 30C and 13 hours of sun a day. This drops down to highs of 21C in the autumn, 18C in the spring, and 12C in the winter.

To reach Ksamil, visitors must fly to Corfu then take a 40-minute ferry to Sarande and a 30-minute drive to the village, which sits just above Greece’s northern border. There are lots of places to stay, including hotels and holiday lets.