Potam, Himarë · Albanian Riviera
A hostel of dormitory beds in the olive terraces, three minutes above the shingle at Potam and 1.2 km south of Himarë town.
One long table, every evening
A small hostel in the olive terraces above Potam, three minutes downhill from the water and a little over a kilometre south of Himarë town. The owner cooks one dinner a night and everybody staying eats it together, outside, under a string of lights.
Where the evening goes
Dinner
The owner cooks, once a night, for whoever is staying. It goes out to one long table in the courtyard and everybody sits down to it together. Across Hostelworld and Booking.com this is the thing guests write about — not the beds, not the view, the dinner and the man cooking it.
It is not folded into the bed rate and it is not on a schedule you can book from a screen. You tell him during the day; he shops; it appears. If you are travelling alone this is the reason to be here rather than somewhere with a nicer bathroom.
- A communal dinner cooked by the owner
- Evening entertainment, karaoke included
- Hiking from the door
The building
The courtyard and the terraces
The hostel sits back from the sea in the olive terraces above Potam, on the ground floor throughout, with a walled courtyard behind it. That courtyard is where the hostel actually happens: a picnic area, outdoor furniture, a bar, a dining area and a string of lights run from the wall to the tree.
Everything else is unfussy and works. Free WiFi. Free private parking on site, which is not a given anywhere near Himarë in August. A garden, a terrace, and hiking that starts at the door rather than after a drive.
Outside
- Garden
- Terrace
- Picnic area
- Outdoor furniture
- Dining area
- Bar
In the dorm
- Air conditioning
- Heating
- Fan
- Soundproofing
- Socket beside the bed
- Lockers
- Non-smoking throughout
Bathroom
- Shared bathroom
- Shower
- Towels
- Toilet paper
Practical
- Free WiFi
- Free private parking on site
- Laundry, for a fee
- Ground floor throughout
- English and Italian spoken
Three minutes downhill
Down to Potam
Potam is the bay below the hostel: pale shingle, water that stays shallow a long way out, a headland closing the northern end. Three minutes on foot from the door. The hostel is not on the beach and does not claim to be — it is about three hundred metres back, up in the trees, which is why it is quiet at two in the morning.
Himarë town is 1.2 km north: the promenade, the supermarkets, the banks, and the buses on the national road.
Two platforms, two samples
What guests score
Hostelworld and Booking.com run separate review pools on the same ten-point scale, and they do not agree. Both are printed below as they stand. Neither is averaged into the other, because the average of two different samples is a number nobody measured.
Booking.com, by category
- Staff9.82
- Location9.60
- Comfort9.35
- Value for money9.34
- Cleanliness9.19
- Facilities9.00
Bars run the full ten points, so the gaps between these categories are genuinely as small as they look.
The only thing you book
The dorm
Single Bed in Mixed Dormitory Room
The one thing you can book here is a bed. It is a mixed dormitory: bunks with a reading socket at the pillow, a locker with a key, air conditioning overhead and a shared bathroom down the corridor. Booking.com lists the room at 38 square metres and the beds are sold one at a time.
- Air conditioning
- Sea view
- Garden view
- Mountain view
- Terrace
- Free WiFi
- Shared bathroom with shower
- Locker
- Socket beside the bed
- Ground floor
Practical
Before you arrive
Arriving and leaving
- Booking.com listing
- Check in 13:00 – 23:00 · out by 10:00
- Hostelworld listing
- Check in 12:00 – 16:00 · out by 11:00
The two platforms publish different windows. Message the hostel with your arrival time rather than trusting either one.
Worth knowing
- Free private parking on site.
- English and Italian are spoken.
- No pets, and no cots.
- Everything is on the ground floor.
- Bathrooms are shared; towels are provided.
Asked often
What people ask
- How far is the beach?
- Potam Beach is a three-minute walk downhill. The hostel itself is not on the sand — it sits back in the olive terraces above the bay, roughly 300 metres from the water.
- Is dinner included?
- Dinner is cooked by the owner and eaten communally in the courtyard. It is the thing guests write about most. It is not part of the room rate and is arranged with him on the day.
- Is breakfast included?
- Hostelworld lists free breakfast among the hostel's facilities. The Booking.com listing does not carry a breakfast line, so confirm it with the property when you book.
- What is the accommodation?
- One bookable type: a bed in a mixed dormitory, with air conditioning, a locker, a socket beside the bed and a shared bathroom. The dorms are on the ground floor.
- Is there parking?
- Yes — free private parking on site, which is not a given this close to Himarë in August.
- Can I bring a dog?
- No. The listing states that pets are not allowed, and cots are not available either.
- What time can I check in?
- The Booking.com listing gives check-in from 13:00 until 23:00 and check-out by 10:00. Hostelworld publishes a narrower window — check-in 12:00 to 16:00, check-out by 11:00. The two disagree, so tell the property your arrival time.
- What languages are spoken?
- English and Italian.
Around here
Potam Beach
3 minutes on foot
The shingle bay directly below the hostel, sheltered at its northern end and shallow for a long way out.
Himarë town and Spile beach
1.2 km north
The town beach, the promenade, the bus stops on the national road, the banks and the supermarkets.
Himarë Castle
Above the old town
The walled hilltop village behind Himarë, still partly inhabited, with the bay laid out below it.
Livadhi
North along the coast
The long flat beach on the other side of Himarë, backed by olive plain rather than cliff.