Vlora Priam by Meliá

A rooftop pool looking straight out over the Bay of Vlorë sets the tone for this modern Adriatic hotel, part of the Meliá group. Rooms run spacious and light, with some opening onto the sea via balcony, and the Amadeo restaurant leans into Mediterranean cooking built around local catch. It doubles as a clean, comfortable base for poking around the Albanian Riviera, which remains one of the few coastlines in the Mediterranean that hasn't fully noticed itself yet.

One honor, in evidence: