Bread, Salt, and Heart” – How Albanian Hospitality Creates a Unique Experience for Property Buyers

By someone who’s lived and breathed the Saranda coast for years.

You can call it tradition. You can call it character. But here in Albania, we just call it buke, kripe dhe zemer – “bread, salt, and heart.” It’s one of those phrases that’s hard to translate in feeling, not in words. Because it means more than sharing a meal. It means you’re welcome here. And if you’ve ever stepped foot in someone’s home in the south of Albania — say in Saranda, Ksamil, Borsh, or even in the quieter hillside villages like Piqeras or Lukova — you’ve probably felt it for yourself.

It’s not written in guidebooks. It’s not something we advertise on billboards. But for many of the international clients I’ve worked with, this simple cultural truth has been the thing they remember most. That feeling of being welcomed, of being looked after, of not just buying a home but becoming part of a rhythm of life that’s slower, warmer, and more human.

And I think it’s one of the biggest reasons why investing in real estate in the Albanian Riviera feels different.

It’s Not Just About the Sea – It’s About the People

Don’t get me wrong. The Ionian coast is stunning. The views in Saranda? Unreal. On some days, the sea looks like a still mirror, stretching endlessly to Corfu. Other days it’s all movement — deep blue waves hitting the rocks below Lekursi Castle. You’ve seen the photos, I’m sure. But the sea is just the beginning.

What surprises many first-time buyers here isn’t the nature (although it does blow them away). It’s how quickly they feel at home.

I’ve had Italian couples who came for a viewing and were later invited by a local neighbor for rakia and figs — before they’d even decided on a property. One German investor told me it felt like “Tuscany, 40 years ago — before everything got too polished.” And he meant that as the highest compliment.

Just last month, I was showing an apartment in Saranda to a couple from Belgium. We stopped by a bakery near the Panorama neighborhood (there’s a little spot run by an older woman who still makes byrek by hand — you wouldn’t know it unless someone told you). They couldn’t believe how friendly everyone was. “People talk to you here,” they said. “Not just serve you.”

That’s zemer. That’s heart.

The Buying Process is Personal — and That’s a Good Thing

If you’ve ever bought property in a big city — London, Rome, New York — you probably know how cold the process can feel. Agents talk fast, listings disappear overnight, paperwork is complicated and impersonal.

But here? It’s a conversation. It’s a coffee. It’s a slow walk through the neighborhood. I’ve sold seaview apartments where the seller invited the buyer to dinner after the deal was done, just to say thank you.

That doesn’t mean things aren’t professional — they are. At VivaView, we work with certified properties, clear ownership documents, and a legal team to make sure everything is secure. But there’s a layer of trust that exists here. A warmth that makes the whole process feel… human.

And when we say “direct from the owner” — we actually mean it. Take for example our White Residence Villas in Borsh. These aren’t just beachfront properties with private pools and epic views (though they are that, too). They’re homes built by a local team who grew up swimming in those same beaches. Every stone, every tile, every olive tree planted — there’s intention and history behind it.