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Unique Life Style Hotel - Two weeks Unique Life Style Hotel is the epitome of a luxury boutique hotel. A stay here will be one of the most memorable experiences in Kusadasi, with or without leaving the hotel. From the warm and friendly team throughout the hotel, the most luxurious rooms and grounds to the exceptional Lucky's Club, which encompasses a cafe, international and seafood restaurant, lounge, beach club and bar. Unique Life Style Hotel truly ticks all the boxes. Unique is genuinely the best hotel in Kusadasi; where you come for three days, and nearly two weeks later, you are still enjoying the energy and atmosphere of the hotel. We were fortunate to stay in three room types and were incredibly impressed by all three rooms, but hands down; our favourite was the large deluxe room with a garden view. Junior Suite Room Main Building—This stunning, spacious suite has the most magnificent balcony and separate lounge area. It is perfect for a family to enjoy. The only downside is that the suite receives no sunlight during the day, so if you need your daily dose of sunshine, you will need to escape to the poolside. Large Deluxe Room Garden View - This is our favourite. These rooms are well designed, spacious, large bathroom, a seating area to enjoy the views and relax with a book or enjoy room service. There is a large walk-in wardrobe to store all your belongings and a beautiful garden balcony to enjoy fresh air and sunshine. These rooms are also soundproofed and isolated from other rooms to ensure you have a night of uninterrupted sleep. Swim Up Comfort Room Main Building - These rooms are perfect for a short stay, exactly as described. From your inviting terrace, you can access a heated lap pool private and exclusive for these rooms). Although there is a small bathroom, the room is reasonably spacious, so ideal for a short stay only. The balcony opens the space and provides a perfect chillout nook to enjoy the sun and fresh air. The only downside is that they are prone to a little outside noise, so if you are hoping for a quiet night, you should book an alternative room. If you know you will enjoy live music during the evenings, this is perfect. The hotel has a beautiful pool overlooking Lucky's Lounge and the Aegean Sea. With ample sunbeds and cosy seating surrounding the pool, it will be the ideal place to chill over summer. Sunsets are guaranteed from Unique. You will be overwhelmed by the beautiful colours filling the sky over the Aegean Sea during the evenings. Breakfast is included in the room. The standard is the Turkish full spread, which is plentiful and will keep you going all day. You can opt for à la carte, although the effort is focused on the Turkish breakfast spread. The lunch and dinner menus at Lucky's restaurant will keep you here for weeks. The food is exceptional and full of variety. The photos speak for themselves, but we recommend the Beef Nachos; they are the best we have ever experienced, quality, and delicious. All the meat dishes were incredible! You are spoilt with an excellent wine list and local and international wines to complement your meals. Pricing is very affordable, and we found it much cheaper inside the hotel than when we dined outside in like-for-like restaurants. Unique Life Style Hotel is a popular venue loved by locals and guests. They have a great selection of live music throughout the week and at weekends to keep you entertained. Be sure to enjoy the evening dancing, the cocktails prepared by the lovely bar staff, and the energy of the bands. We loved Legend Band; they light up the room with energy and talent.

Legend Band - Three gigs We became the legendary band groupies; they light up the room with their energy and musical talents. This high-energy band plays English and Turkish tunes, all with the power and energy to get everyone up and dancing. The group comprises six members, including a trumpet player. Each member is full of personality and talent. Victoria, the lead singer, and the band members are all in tune with each other, and they have lots of fun playing together. We enjoyed sitting back, enjoying the songs, and hanging out with the band members. If you get the chance, see them perform at Lucky's Club at Unique Life Style Hotel. They are the resident band and play on Tuesday and Saturday evenings at 9.30 pm. Be sure to book, as Lucky's Club gets sold out. Visit Legend Band on Instagram to stay updated with where they are next playing, all along the coastline around Kusadasi/Bodrum.

Intermezzo Music Bar - Two visits Intermezzo is a beautiful cocktail bar located in the tree-lined boulevard in Skopje. First and foremost, the cocktails are unique, all made with fresh ingredients and high-quality liquors. The team is amiable and full of positive energy, and the outdoor bar is a great place to sit and watch them create beautiful drinks. We visited during the hot summer afternoons, and it was delightful with the fans and outdoor air conditioning. The bar is a hotspot for locals and starts to get busy later in the evening. The decor is beautiful, and the outdoor space is very comfortable. You can settle in for the evening and enjoy the atmosphere and great tunes.

Amigos Ljubljanska - One visit A wonderful Mexican restaurant located on the edges of the Skopje Mall in Macedonia. The decor is beautiful and modern, with cocktails and food to match. We enjoyed more Mexican cuisine, each dish was delicious. The nachos are a must, as the corn chips are made in-house. The pulled pork was one of the best we have experienced. It was a wonderful place to catch up with friends enjoying great food and drinks. The staff were warm, friendly, and energetic. I definitely recommend it, and as an added bonus, you have an abundance of shops on the doorstep to get your shopping fix.

Augusto Coffee Shop - Three Visits What a great find. This small coffee shop lives up to its reputation. Our only regret was we didn't find Augusto earlier during our stay. Excellent quality coffee and fresh juices. Located in beautiful old town, surrounded by cobblestone streets and beautiful architecture. They also used friendly straws HAY! all natural and 100% biodegradable. A tip: sneak around to the lovely bakery just around the corner to enjoy a nice pastry while sipping your coffee.

Hotel Epidamn Restaurant & Garden - One Week A luxurious modern boutique hotel in Venetian and Baroque style, it is located in the heart of Durres and has a wonderfully warm and friendly vibe. The rooms are very spacious, we booked a room with a balcony overlooking Durres, the room was spacious with the most incredible balcony. Highest quality of linens and heavenly beds, we definitely slept peacefully each night. There is a restaurant with the most delicious food, we dined most days during our stay. Menu caters for all, including traditional Albanian cuisine and Asian delights, including Sushi. The à la carte breakfasts were amazing with a great selection of choices, one of the best breakfasts we have been lucky enough to enjoy in Albania. In addition to the restaurant, there is the most wonderful indoor garden that oozes excellent design, a real hidden gem, and a palm tree-lined outdoor dining area to enjoy the local life. It is also fantastic for coffee and cocktails. We enjoyed our week, and feeling the warmth of the team every day, they were full of smiles and excellent service. You won't be disappointed in choosing Hotel Epidamn for your stay in Durres. We loved it so much that we extended our stay by three days.

Faraone Bar Restaurant - One visit UPDATE 2024: Now closed. We were very excited about visiting this restaurant, a prime location with a magnificent sunset view across the sea. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to our expectations, we always order wine first, and were offered a choice of 3 bottles they had in stock (which were well overpriced for the quality at 3000 ALL for a mediocre white wine). They only had a limited menu, most options were not available and the items they did have available that we ordered were not very fresh. We also asked for some music, as the atmosphere was very quiet, and unfortunately the music equipment was out of action. Hopefully, this restaurant reaches its full potential once tourism kicks off again in Durres.

Proper Pizza - One visit Great value pizzas with a twist. All toppings were fresh, and the pizzas were delicious and available in various sizes. Service is friendly and fast, and restaurants are clean and modern. Delivery, pickup, and dine-in are available and are in the heart of Durres.

Flok Stil Cimi - 2 visits There are fantastic barbers in Durres, great decor, excellent haircuts and a clean salon. Both Wayne and I visited the salon for a trim and they were the first barber since Morocco to say 'yes' to me, not many accept women, and I have a boy's cut, so Barbers are perfect! Great value only €6 each and no waiting time, there was always a queue and a friendly team available. Definitely recommend, they also have a great selection of men's hair products by American Crew.

Portiku Wine Bar & Bistro - One visit Exceptional service, food and wine. We decided on Portiku for our Friday lazy lunch, and it exceeded our expectations. If you are a meat lover, this is the place for you. From the excellent wine list, warm and friendly service, and mouthwatering food, we chose this restaurant for the steak (and, of course, the wine), and it was incredible. We felt at home and received more Albanian generosity and kindness; we enjoyed our lazy lunch!! We kicked off with some delicious champagne. As we ordered steak, we were happy to see they also had a selection of half bottles, so we enjoyed a delicious red wine. The restaurant is surrounded by the original city wall, which runs straight through it. You even have glass-covered floors to enjoy the historical digs. I highly recommend dining at Portiku, an extraordinary place in Durres, and the food was a culinary journey.