Bed and breakfast in central Berat with air-conditioned family rooms, private bathrooms, free WiFi, free parking and a Mediterranean restaurant, steps from Saint Demetrius Cathedral.
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Piccolo Grande Amore is a bed and breakfast in the centre of Berat, on Rruga Rilindja, about 100 metres from Saint Demetrius Cathedral and a short walk from the UNESCO-listed old town. It is a small, family-run property whose guests rate it 9.0, singling out the location, the value for money and the staff, each scored 9.5.
The rooms are air-conditioned and soundproofed, each with a private bathroom that has a bath and a shower, a seating area, a wardrobe and a flat-screen TV. The three room types run from a triple for three to family and quadruple rooms that sleep four, so the property suits couples, friends and families alike.
Downstairs there is a restaurant serving Mediterranean dishes, with a bar, a snack bar and special diet menus on request, plus a terrace with outdoor furniture. A 24-hour front desk, concierge and tour desk, an on-site minimarket, car hire and free parking round out a stay, while free WiFi reaches every area of the building.
Piccolo Grande Amore has three room types, all designed around families and small groups. They share the same core: air conditioning, soundproofing, a seating area, a wardrobe and a flat-screen TV, plus a private bathroom with both a bath and a shower, towels, slippers and toilet paper. Bedding runs from single and double beds to bunk beds, so a room can be made up for three or for four.
What sets them apart is size and layout. The Triple Room pairs a single and a double bed for three guests, the Quadruple Room is the largest at 25 square metres with two singles and a double, and the Family Room adds bunk beds alongside a double bed for a family of four. All are non-smoking.
For a small bed and breakfast, Piccolo Grande Amore is well equipped. Free WiFi reaches every area, all rooms are air-conditioned and soundproofed, and each has a private bathroom with a bath and a shower, towels, slippers and toilet paper. Family and non-smoking rooms are available throughout.
The stand-out extras are the on-site dining and services: a restaurant with a bar, a snack bar and special diet menus on request, a terrace with outdoor furniture, an on-site minimarket and a shared lounge. Reception runs 24 hours a day with concierge, a tour desk, express check-in and check-out, car hire and free on-site parking, and the building is covered by 24-hour security, CCTV and smoke alarms.
Piccolo Grande Amore sits on Rruga Rilindja, inside the centre of Berat, roughly 100 metres from Saint Demetrius Cathedral. Most travellers reach Berat by road: the town is about 120 km south of Tirana, a drive of two to two and a half hours, and frequent intercity buses and shared minibuses (furgon) link the two, arriving at the terminal on the edge of the centre. The closest airport is Vlora International, about 45 km away and roughly an hour and a half by car; Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa, the country's main gateway, is around 120 km to the north. Once you are in Berat you will not need a car for the sights, as the historic quarters are compact and walkable, though narrow cobbled lanes make sturdy shoes a good idea. The property offers free on-site parking, which is genuinely useful in an old town where street space is tight, and it can arrange car hire if you plan to explore the wider region.
Berat is a UNESCO World Heritage town, famous as the "Town of a Thousand Windows" for the tiers of Ottoman houses climbing the hillsides. Start with the Mangalem quarter below the castle and cross the old Gorica bridge to the Gorica quarter on the far bank of the Osum river for the classic view back. Above them, the inhabited Berat Castle (Kala) still has families living within its walls, along with Byzantine churches and the Onufri Iconographic Museum, named after the sixteenth-century painter. Down in town, the historic centre around the property is lined with cafes and restaurants. For a day out, the Osum Canyons and the Mount Tomorr National Park to the east reward a longer trip with dramatic scenery and hiking, while the vineyards around the town are known for Albanian wines. Spring and autumn bring the mildest weather and the best light for photography; midsummer can be hot, so plan the steeper climbs for the cooler hours.
