Spile · Himarë · Albania
A new house that decided to look older than it is
Four storeys of sea-facing balconies on the Spile promenade, with a public dining room underneath and a family running both.
The name
Αρχοντικό
Arxontiko is the Greek word for the manor house — the substantial one in the village, from árchon, a lord or a ruler. The spelling on the sign is Greeklish: the Greek letter chi written as an x, the way it is typed rather than the way it is printed.
Himarë has spoken Greek alongside Albanian for a very long time, and the town is one of the documented centres of Albania’s Greek-speaking community. On Booking.com the languages at this property are listed Greek first, then English, then Albanian — which tells you something about who is behind the desk.
The building lives up to the word in a deliberate, slightly theatrical way. Moulded ochre architraves around every window. A cornice band at every floor. Book-matched white marble the length of the dining room, honey-veined marble up the bathrooms. And, out on the pavement, a black plaque with gold acanthus scrollwork and a monogrammed A — the same monogram that turns up printed on the napkins.
The family
The highest score here is the one for the people
Guests score seven things here. Six of them land between 9.0 and 9.8, which is a very good hotel. The seventh is staff, at 9.9.
The reviews are consistent about why: guests are met, helped with the car, given the room they hoped for, and treated less like customers than like people staying in someone’s house. That is the whole proposition, and it is the one thing a bigger hotel down the road cannot copy.
The family do not put their names on the building, and this page does not put them on the internet either. You will learn them at the desk.
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
Where the water starts
- Spille Beach50 m
- Prinos Beach350 m
- Potam Beachabout 1 km
- Gjiri i Filikurit2.2 km
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.
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.