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ARXONTIKO

Spile · Himarë · Albania

One house, two front doors

A family’s hotel and a public restaurant in the same building on the Spile seafront at Himarë — four storeys of balconies over the bay, and a dining room that folds open onto the promenade for anyone who walks in.

A white-linen bed beside a glazed balcony door, with two blue chairs, a table and the sea beyond

Upstairs — the rooms

Four types, 20 to 35 m², all of them upstairs from the promenade

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The lit frontage of the restaurant at night, the ARXONTIKO sign lettered in gold on its dark blue plaque beside the pavement tables

Downstairs — the table

Mediterranean, seafood and the grill, open to the town

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Live room rates on Booking.com · tables by phone · cash only at the property

Five beaches, and none of them a drive

The seafront road runs between the terrace and the sand. Everything below is on foot.

  • Spille Beach50 m
  • Prinos Beach350 m
  • Potam Beachabout 1 km
  • Gjiri i Filikurit2.2 km
The view from the restaurant terrace, past the planters and an olive tree, across the seafront road to the sea and the wooded headland, with the ARXONTIKO sign at the right

From the terrace: the planters, then the road, then the water. The sign is at the right.

The house

Αρχοντικόmeans the manor house

It is the word a Greek-speaking coast uses for the big house in the village — the one with the cornices and the good stone. Himarë has spoken Greek alongside Albanian for centuries, and the family here answer in Greek first.

The building is a recent one that decided to look older than it is: moulded ochre architraves at every window, a cornice band on every floor, marble revetment inside, and a gilt cartouche for a sign. Four storeys, glass balustrades, terracotta pantiles, bougainvillaea on the pavement.

What guests actually write about is the family. Booking.com scores the staff here 9.9 out of 10 — the highest of the seven categories it measures, and higher than anything else about the place. There is more on the building and the people in it.

A four-storey cream building with ochre window surrounds and glass balconies, its ground-floor restaurant open to the street at golden hour

The frontage at the end of the afternoon

The rooms

Four types, twenty to thirty-five metres

Rates and availability are live on Booking.com — this page never prints a price.

01 — 04

From the kitchen

Seafood, the grill, and a breakfast people remember

There is no printed card to put online, and what the kitchen cooks changes with the boats and the season. What follows is a record of plates that have come out of it, described from the house’s own photographs — not something you can order from, and never with a price on it.

Grilled squid, whole prawns and pieces of octopus on a white plate with half a lemon

Mixed seafood off the grill

squid, prawns and octopus on one plate, with half a lemon

Rice with black mussels in the shell, a prawn and rings of squid in a dark pan

Seafood rice

black mussels still in the shell, with prawn and squid, in a dark pan

Linguine with a whole prawn, cherry tomatoes and strips of courgette in a white bowl

Prawn linguine

cherry tomato and courgette, in oil

Whole cooked prawns on lettuce leaves on a speckled grey oval platter, with half a lemon

Whole prawns

on lettuce, with half a lemon

Breakfast

Booking.com gives the property its Exceptional Breakfast badge, scored 9.9, and it is the single thing guests mention most often. Served on the terrace under the sign, looking across at the headland.

  • Croissants
  • Omelettes
  • Fried dough balls
  • Tomato, cucumber, olives and white cheese
  • Fresh fruit — apple, banana, strawberries
  • Butter and preserves
  • Orange juice

Laid out on the terrace, and what arrives varies with the morning.

A breakfast spread photographed from above: croissants, omelettes, fried dough balls, tomato, cucumber, olives and white cheese
More from the kitchen

What is here

Everything, run in a sentence

free wifi in the rooms, free private parking nearby, air conditioning, balcony, sea view, private bathroom, restaurant, bar, breakfast, sun deck, terrace, beach umbrellas, refrigerator, flat-screen tv, soundproof rooms, family rooms, non-smoking rooms, 24-hour front desk, daily housekeeping, express check-in and check-out and accessible parking. The four room types and how to get here have pages of their own.

Worth knowing before you book

  • Cash only, in the hotel and in the restaurant. There are ATMs on the promenade.
  • A €50 damage deposit is taken in cash on arrival and returned in cash at check-out.
  • No swimming pool, no gym, no spa. The sea is across the road.
  • No cribs and no extra beds.
  • Pets are not allowed.
  • Four storeys, and the upper floors are reached by stairs only.
  • The free private parking is nearby rather than on the plot, and has to be reserved.
  • Minimum age at check-in is 18.

In photographs

See the full gallery
A breakfast table on the terrace with the black-and-gold ARXONTIKO plaque above it and Himarë bay behind
The top floor seen from below: cream cornices, terracotta pantiles and glass balustrades against the sky
The dining room with marble walls and live-edge timber tables, its folding glass front open to the terrace and the sea
A folded napkin printed with the gold ARXONTIKO monogram, on a stacked plate beside grilled bread and fritters
Two glasses of white wine on a balcony table between turquoise chairs, with the sea behind
Himarë bay at dusk from above the beach, with moored boats, umbrellas on the sand and the pine headland

Guests on Booking.com

9.6 / 10

Exceptional

Staff
9.9
Location
9.8
Cleanliness
9.7
Comfort
9.7
Facilities
9.5
Value for money
9.2
Free WiFi
9.0

Read the reviews on Booking.com

Around here

What the coast is for

A stone entrance arch in the walls of Himarë Castle

Himarë Castle

4 km — about 10 minutes up the hill

The old village inside the walls, above the modern town. Stone lanes, a handful of tavernas, and the whole bay laid out below.

Umbrellas on the pebbles at Potam Beach with clear blue water

Potam Beach

about 1 km along the shore

The next bay south, reached on foot around the headland. Pebble rather than sand, with sunbeds and thatched umbrellas along it.

Ali Pasha's stone fortress on the headland at Porto Palermo

Porto Palermo

8 km south — about 15 minutes

A near-enclosed bay with Ali Pasha's triangular fortress on its own wooded headland, and swimming off the rocks below it.

The cove at Gjiri i Filikurit under steep cliffs, with turquoise water

Gjiri i Filikurit

2.2 km south along the coast

A cove under the cliffs south of the town, usually reached by boat from the promenade — the walk in is steep.

The pebble shore at Gjipe, boats moored in the shallows between a low green ridge and a limestone cliff

Gjipe Beach

12.5 km north — about 25 minutes

Where a canyon meets the sea. Park above and walk down the gorge, or come around by boat from Himarë.

White-rendered houses with terracotta pantile roofs terraced up a hillside above the coast at Qeparo

Qeparo old village

15 km south

The upper village, stacked in terraces up the hillside above the coast road, with a view down the whole coast.

Getting here

On the seafront, in the middle of the town

ARXONTIKO Hotel and Restaurant
Rruga Jorgji Bollano
Spile, Himarë 9425
Vlorë County, Albania

Booking.com and Google both print the highway reference SH8 6 for this address. Plus code 4P2X+33 Himarë, Albania.

Himarë Castle and the old village4 km — about 10 minutes up the hill
Porto Palermo and Ali Pasha's fortress8 km south — about 15 minutes
Gjipe Beach car park12.5 km north — about 25 minutes, then the walk down the canyon
Sarandë and the Corfu ferry56 km south — about 1 h 20 in light traffic
Tirana International Airport215 km — allow about 4 hours
Get directionsView on Google MapsCall the hotel

Questions

Asked before booking

How close is ARXONTIKO to the beach?

At ARXONTIKO in Himarë the seafront road runs between the terrace and the water, so the sea is a few dozen metres from the front door. Spille, the main town beach, is 50 m away; Prinos is 350 m; Potam is about a kilometre on foot around the headland; and Gjiri i Filikurit is 2.2 km south along the coast.

Is there a swimming pool at ARXONTIKO?

No — ARXONTIKO in Himarë has no swimming pool, no gym and no spa. The sea is across the road and the property puts out beach umbrellas.

Do the rooms have a sea view?

Two of the ARXONTIKO room types are sold as balcony and sea-view rooms — the Double Room with Balcony and Sea View and the Deluxe Double Room with Balcony and Sea View — and the building faces the water across the seafront road. Not every type has one, so pick by name on Booking.com if the balcony matters. Rooms run from 20 m² to 35 m².

Can I eat at the restaurant if I am not staying at the hotel?

Yes. The restaurant at ARXONTIKO takes up the ground floor of the hotel, opens onto the Himarë promenade and is a public restaurant in its own right — it has its own phone line, +355 69 380 6330, and it takes walk-ins. The cooking is Mediterranean and Greek-leaning, with a lot of seafood.

What are the restaurant's opening hours?

The restaurant at ARXONTIKO serves breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. No opening times are published on any channel, so call +355 69 380 6330 and ask what today looks like.

Is breakfast included?

Breakfast is served daily at ARXONTIKO and Booking.com awards the property its Exceptional Breakfast badge — it is the single thing guests mention most. Whether it is included depends on the rate you pick, which is shown against each option on Booking.com.

Can I pay by card?

No. ARXONTIKO in Himarë takes cash only, in the hotel and in the restaurant, and a €50 damage deposit is collected in cash on arrival and returned in cash at check-out. There are ATMs on the Himarë promenade.

What are the check-in and check-out times?

At ARXONTIKO check-in is from 14:00 to 23:00 and check-out from 07:00 to 11:00. The front desk is staffed 24 hours and express check-in and check-out are available.

Is there parking?

Yes — ARXONTIKO has free private parking, nearby rather than on the plot, and it has to be reserved in advance. Accessible parking is available.

How do I get to Himarë?

Most guests reach Himarë by car. From Tirana International Airport it is about 215 km down the SH8 coast road — allow four hours. Sarandë and the Corfu ferry are around 55 km south, about an hour and twenty. Vlorë airport is closer on a map but had no scheduled commercial service as of July 2026, so do not plan around it. The coastal bus from Tirana and from Sarandë stops in Himarë town, a short walk from the door.

Are pets allowed, and are cots available?

At ARXONTIKO pets are not allowed, and cribs and extra beds are not available. Children of all ages are welcome and there are family rooms. Minimum age at check-in is 18.

Is there a lift?

No. ARXONTIKO is four storeys and the upper floors are reached by stairs only; there is no lift.

What languages does the family speak?

The family at ARXONTIKO speak Greek, English and Albanian, Greek first.

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