Latest news with #IonianSea
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
You can spend the day in Maldives-style overwater huts – just 3 hours from the UK
IMAGINE soaking up the sun whilst suspended over the sea - you'd think you were in the Maldives, right? Well you can actually enjoy Maldives-style sea beds, just over three hours from the UK. 7 7 7 Located in Albania is the picturesque, Mykonos-looking town of Sarandë. Sandwiched between the Ionian Sea and rolling hills littered with olive groves, the resort town boasts a great alternative destination to the Maldives. The Lost Seaside beach club features a pool, beach, restaurant and lounge. And it has multiple different sunbeds to choose from, including nets suspended above the sea. The beach club strikes a balance between chilled vibes and luxury with breathtaking views and refreshing cocktails. In addition, there is also a restaurant where you can grab eats, including fresh salads, feta dishes and squid. Prices for sunbeds vary depending on what type you want and when you visit. But prices for August are £106.95 for a net cabana in the beach area, which hangs over the water, for three people - so around £35 per person. Alternatively you can grab a normal cabana for £62.39 for two people or two sunbeds for £35.65. By the pool there are also a couple of options included cabanas for £62.39 for three people and two sunbeds for £35.65. Beach Club that's like being on the Med Guests can grab a beer for around £4.46, an Aperol spritz for £5.35 or a cocktail from £8.91. Hundreds of keen travellers who have headed to the resort have posted videos of the spot on social media. One visitor said: "The music and food were top tier, loved the views as well." Another visitor mentioned how they went to the resort in June and found it to be less crowded than other popular spots. There are a couple of different ways to get to the resort. One way is to fly to Corfu Airport in Greece and then jump onboard a ferry. 7 7 7 Return flights to Corfu can cost as low as £85 from Birmingham or £110 from London Gatwick in August - which is a peak month. And whilst the ferry prices rise and fall depending on the day you travel and the time, return tickets can be found as low as £23 per adult. In total, it could cost you just over £100 per person to get to the town. Alternatively, you could fly to Tirana, the capital of Albania, which tends to be cheaper most of the year except July and August. In Sarandë itself, there is a selection of restaurants and bars worth exploring as well. And also nearby is the popular spot of The Blue Eye - a natural spring in the village of Muzinë with crystal clear waters that are about 12C. Another great location is Gjirokastër, known for its Ottoman architecture and UNESCO-listed old town with stone houses to venture around. Maldives hotel named one of the best in the world SIYAM World, a Maldives hotel, has earned global recognition from Tripadvisor. This vast resort offers unique experiences for all guests, set within the stunning Maldivian landscape. It boasts four kilometres of beaches and six kilometres of reef. Accommodations range from villas to residences, with many water villas featuring private pools and ocean slides. Adrenaline junkies can enjoy the floating waterpark, sporty jet cars, and even a semi-submersible Seabreacher. On land, the resort features a horse ranch, jungle go-karting, and an international football field, offering diverse activities. Families are catered to with "Kidz World," while adults can relax at the onsite spa. The resort operates on an all-inclusive basis, with extensive dining and drink options. To reach this paradise from the UK, fly directly from London Heathrow to Velana International Airport, followed by a quick seaplane or domestic flight and speedboat transfer. There is also a Maldives-like overwater bungalow resort in the UK that has a new outdoor pool and slide complex. Plus, the beautiful lake an hour from London with overwater bungalows like the Maldives. 7
Daily Mail
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Incest horror of the Durrells. Bombshell papers tell of obscene sex abuse as the violent and dark secrets behind the happy family facade are finally exposed
The Durrells – ITV 's award–winning 2016 adaptation of Gerald Durrell's bestselling trilogy about his family's move to Corfu in the 1930s – was joyous and golden, awash with love, eccentricity and mad humour. We all wanted to be part of that wonderful chaotic family as they moved from villa to villa – Strawberry Pink to Daffodil Yellow to Snow White – during their four-year stay. Lunching in the sun at a table half submerged in the Ionian Sea with Gerald's brother and sisters Leslie and Margo. Drinking wine in the shade with his widowed mother Louisa (played by Keeley Hawes). Helping young Gerry himself tend his pelicans. Or maybe just being charmed by eldest brother, Larry, an aspiring writer who was portrayed (by Josh O'Connor) as tall, dark, charismatic and excitingly louche.
Reuters
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Greece reveals boundaries of two marine parks in Ionian and Aegean Sea
ATHENS, July 21 (Reuters) - Greece revealed on Monday the boundaries of two planned marine parks in the Ionian and Aegean Seas, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said will be the largest in the Mediterranean region. Athens wants to establish the parks, for the protection of sea mammals and turtles in the Ionian Sea and for seabirds and seals in the Aegean, this year. Mitsotakis said they will help the country meet its global commitment to expand its marine protected areas to 30% of its waters by 2030. "They will allow us to meet the target of protecting 30% of our territorial waters by 2030 way ahead of schedule," Mitsotakis said. "They will be vast sanctuaries for life beneath the waves," he said, adding that trawling of the sea floor will be banned inside the zones. The environmental studies on the parks' boundaries were submitted on Monday for public consultation until September 22. The planned Aegean Sea park has previously stirred up tensions between Greece and its eastern neighbour Turkey, with the two countries at odds over a range of issues including maritime boundaries. Athens has assured that the park's boundaries are within Greece's territorial waters. The Aegean park, at 9,500 square kilometres (km2), will initially expand around the southern Cyclades islands, further south from Turkey, according to the maps Greece submitted on Monday, along with the environmental studies. The size of both parks is seen at 27,500 km2, government officials said, and Greece wants to expand them further. When the public consultation ends, the environment ministry will draft two presidential decrees, which will be submitted to the Council of State by end October, the officials added. The parks will be established once the decrees are published.
Bloomberg
21-07-2025
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Greece Creates Two Marine Parks That May Revive Turkey Tensions
Greece will establish two national marine parks in an effort to protect ocean wildlife, a move that could potentially strain ties with neighboring Turkey. The parks will be located in the Ionian Sea and in the Southern Cyclades, an island group in the Aegean Sea, west and east of the mainland respectively. The Greek government's pledge to create a marine park in the Aegean Sea drew pushback from Turkey last year. The two countries have historically been at odds over sea borders and economic rights in parts of the eastern Mediterranean.
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Forbes
The Secret Mediterranean: Why Albania Should Be Your Next Vacation
A stunning beach not yet taken over by summer crowds. Green Coast MGallery For decades, the Mediterranean has been spinning the same golden oldies: Capri, Saint-Tropez, Mykonos, Ibiza — the kind of places where the yachts are larger than the local fishing fleet, and the bill for a seaside lunch could finance a modest Balkan vineyard. But travel insiders — the ones who whisper names at dinner parties and secretly wish you wouldn't follow their advice — have been circling a new name: Albania. Yes, Albania. Wedged between Greece and Montenegro, with a coastline lapped by the Ionian Sea, Albania has for years been the forgotten cousin of the Adriatic club. Overshadowed by Croatia, misunderstood by Western Europe, and long closed off by a grim communist regime, it remained a blank spot on the Mediterranean map. So here's the thing about Albania — it's the part of the Mediterranean hardly anyone has been paying attention to, and that's exactly why it's interesting right now. On the southern coast, you've got the Albanian Riviera. It runs along the Ionian, with cliffs and pebbled beaches that, honestly, wouldn't look out of place in Greece or Italy. But the vibe is completely different. There are no massive resorts or glossy beach clubs (yet), and prices are much lower. At Palasë beach, for example, you now have the Green Coast Hotel — a new five-star that's part of the MGallery Collection. The look is understated — soft tones, stone floors, a small spa, yoga sessions by the sea. There's even paragliding over the cliffs, which is the sort of thing that tells you how quickly this coast is moving from backpacker secret to polished destination. One day you're drinking a homemade iced coffee at a plastic table on the beach; the next, you're sipping a cocktail at a polished hotel bar, watching the sun drop behind the cliffs. But just a few miles south, things feel much as they have for years. Dhërmi is a popular stop, known for its long pebbled beach and bars that fill up in summer with music and cocktails. There are small hotels here too — family-run places where you get a basic room and a view, no spa or pool, but a beach a few steps away and maybe a café downstairs serving grilled fish and cold beer. It's the kind of place where you'll see Albanian families, a few European backpackers, and, increasingly, the first wave of curious travelers from farther afield. Jale is another beach that pulls in the younger crowd, especially when the summer music festivals roll through. But if you're after something quieter, keep going. Gjipe sits tucked between cliffs, a cove that can only be reached on foot or by boat. There's no hotel, no road, no rental loungers lined up on the sand. Maybe a hammock strung between trees, maybe a small beach bar running on a generator, maybe nothing at all. What makes Albania feel different — at least for now — is what's missing. No mega-hotels. No €80 sun loungers. No crowds pushing past you at the ruins. It's still a little raw: the roads aren't great, buses run late, sometimes you have to shrug when plans don't work. But it's also generous — big plates of grilled meat or fish, local wine, and people who insist you try their homemade raki, whether or not you think you can handle it. You can walk down a beach that looks like something out of a travel magazine and find yourself almost alone, save for a few locals swimming at the end of the day. That said, change is coming fast. Vlora International Airport is set to open soon, which will bring in more international travelers. Beach clubs are already appearing on the Riviera, and bigger hotel brands are starting to look at the coastline. So if you're curious about a part of the Mediterranean that still feels like a discovery — with its mix of Ottoman towns, wild mountains, and coastline that hasn't been swallowed by development — Albania is worth getting to now. How long it stays this way is anyone's guess.
