Ksamil, the small beach town at Albania's southern tip, has been quietly collecting hype as the 'Maldives of the Mediterranean' — white sand, shallow turquoise water, and prices that still undercut Greece next door. Now it's getting a flagship international hotel. Sunset Hospitality Group has announced METT Ksamil, a 201-key resort slated to open in 2029 as the brand's first property in Albania.
The project, developed with AICA Properties, is designed around a central green atrium and light-filled communal areas rather than a conventional lobby-and-corridor layout. Plans include resort-style pools, a rooftop lifestyle deck looking out over the Ionian coast, and three signature dining venues: a specialty restaurant, a rooftop pool bar and a beach club. Wellness gets serious square footage — a spa and fitness space of more than 10,000 square feet — alongside a conference room of roughly 10,000 square feet, a sign the hotel wants group business and events outside the summer peak.
That year-round ambition is the interesting part. The Albanian Riviera has long been a July-and-August destination; METT Ksamil is being positioned as a wellness, leisure and social hub across all seasons. Sunset Hotels & Resorts CEO Jamie Buxó Clos framed the coast as one of the Mediterranean's most compelling emerging destinations, with room to define upscale lifestyle hospitality before the crowds truly arrive.
The location works in the hotel's favour. Ksamil sits across a narrow strait from the Greek island of Corfu, and the property is within easy reach of Corfu itself, the Albanian capital Tirana, and the port city of Vlora. That makes it feasible to pair a stay with an island hop or a city break.
For METT, this is hotel number 12 in a fast-growing global portfolio, with six already trading — including beach resorts in Bodrum and Marbella-Estepona and a property in Singapore — plus recently announced projects in Milan (Torre Velasca) and Sitges.
Why it matters to travellers: Albania is still the value play of the Mediterranean, but luxury brand arrivals like this tend to mark the moment a coast changes. If you want the Riviera before the resort scene fully lands, the window is now — and if you'd rather wait for the rooftop deck and beach club, 2029 is the date to pencil in.
