Погода: Острова Ксамил, август

Asked whether August is much hotter than July, regulars answer that on average it is barely different, and that the difference which matters is the crowd - UK school holidays and the Italian August break land together, so it is the busiest and dearest month of the year and early July costs little in weather to avoid it. The heat is real at the top end, up to 40C on the worst days, with our row at 32.4C reading as 37C. Two mitigations they mention: a breeze at night, and the cloudy or stormy couple of days that August usually throws in, flash storms at sea that take the temperature down. Our 28mm falls across 4.2 days. The record: 22.2C nights, 12.5 hours of sun and a 25.8C sea.

There isn't much January-specific chatter about Ksamil itself on the forums, but the broader Albania threads are useful: January is the coldest month here, but being southern Europe it's noticeably milder than central or northern Europe, and the western coast - where Ksamil sits - stays warmer than the mountainous interior. One January trip report summed it up well: not the ideal season for a beach visit, but the crowds are gone, the pace is relaxed and the weather is agreeable rather than harsh. Expect grey, showery stretches rather than a washout, and pack a proper coat for the evenings.

Forum posters describe July as genuinely hot and the peak of the beach season here, with the small, popular beaches getting seriously crowded by mid-month - sunbeds alone can run anywhere from 15 to 55 euros, since the main beaches are entirely lounger-based. Posters give mixed reports on water conditions: some describe it as warm and crystal clear, while others visiting in late July specifically noted the water wasn't as clean as its reputation suggests, with litter turning up on the sand and in the sea at the busiest beaches. For anyone wanting to escape the crowds, posters recommend either a short boat trip out to the small islands facing Ksamil or heading to the quieter Pulebardha beach nearby.