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"Hospitality", where every visitor feels at home

2025-05-28 15:17:00, Qyteti im CNA

A year ago, Leo Gjeloshi, together with his 3 brothers, decided to open their own guesthouse in Theth. "Hospitality" was the name that immediately won the family's approval, thus becoming an undisputed attraction in the first year. Leo, only 22 years old, talks about this family initiative, which brought him back to live in the tourist area of ??Theth.

"Hospitality", where every visitor feels at home

"The idea was simple. At first, when we thought of opening something like this together with my two brothers who work here, we just had a plan because Thethi is an area that is developing day by day, many tourists come and we knew that such an investment with the work we do and the fact that we grew up in a traditional Albanian family, we claim that hospitality is our strongest point because we have had it all our lives. It was the initiative of the older brother and we said, what if we put it to work and prove ourselves in the market how our hospitality is with people we don't know and that's how it started as an idea. Then we started building the villas. We weren't used to it and we still didn't know exactly what we were doing because it was the beginning. Discussing it day by day, we saw that we could do something very beautiful. The suitable place, the beautiful villas, the tranquility that is offered here, the restaurant part because I myself am a chef, the other brother can serve wonderfully and the other brother can He welcomes customers. He knows how to communicate with them and so we all said together that we can do something beautiful. Here we are today, that idea worked very well. We are here winter and summer and we live here now. It is not just a job. but it is our home. It is something worthwhile, something beautiful, we have had a wonderful job, we have exchanged experiences with people who are worthwhile. We have seen the outside world, without ever being outside and we have seen how much we can progress. We lived in the village of Vrakë before, in Malësia e Madhe and now we have moved here. It is difficult because you have to distance yourself from a previous life and here is a completely different lifestyle. Here in Theth there are natural beauties, I cook and talk to people, but it is not like there are 1 million activities like in Shkodër. Here there is more work, a little exploration and this part is a little difficult. Then, there is that during the winter you do not have the same influx of people and there are also very few residents. Most of the time we have to be alone with our family. We can "It seems difficult at first, but then you get used to it," says Gjeloshi.

"Hospitality", where every visitor feels at home

Today, "Mikpritja" has 6 villas. It was chosen so that, in addition to its secluded location, it would also offer an oasis of tranquility, choosing not quantity, but quality and comfort.

"We have 6 villas in total, 4 are family and 2 are only for couples and we have a restaurant that serves the villas and this was our initial idea where we serve in the restaurant only for those who are in the villas. The clients who come here are the first priority. They are not many, but they are not few either. They are enough for us to make them feel as comfortable as possible and to give them the best experience of Theth, to be as welcoming as possible. The moment you come here, you forget that you have problems, but just have a good time. We have restaurant service from 8:00-22:00, but we also have 24-hour services in emergency cases because we are here together with the clients and in addition we offer assistance with tourist guides, help with transportation or any curiosity they may have about Theth", - says Gjeloshi.

"Hospitality", where every visitor feels at home

In 365 days, there have been many visitors, not only Albanians, but also foreigners, mainly from France and Spain.

"During the season, that is, in summer and autumn, there have been mainly foreigners who have come from Spain and France, and there have not been so many from other countries. It is not like before, at least last season and this season. Before, they came from Scandinavian countries because I have been working in the field of tourism for 7 years and this year the Spanish and French have dominated. During the rest of the year, there are mainly Albanians who have never been to Theth, mainly from Tirana or the south of the country, who prefer a cold mountainous area and normally changing the terrain completely is also a very nice thing," says the 22-year-old.

"Hospitality", where every visitor feels at home

Food is undoubtedly the strongest competition that "Hospitality" has today.

"As for the professional side, I started when I was 14 because at that time I worked and those were my beginnings, while my passion for the kitchen may have started when I was 7. My mother is a wonderful cook. She has her own recipes, her own traditions, the way she cooks, not only beautiful, but also sweet to look at, and that's where the idea came to me. I was the only one in the family who wanted to cook, maybe it started by making a toast, then a small dessert and so on, until I became a professional with a lot of dedication. Today, the opportunity came to have a business that is my family's and I can give a part of myself. I like every customer to come out and ask them what they want to eat and I make sure that customers don't consume the same thing every day, whether they stay for 5 days or 10 days, for example. We have all kinds of food, but the most important are the traditional ones. For the middle ages, there are kachimaku, boiled cheese, peppers with cottage cheese, lamb and homemade pie. And what we value is oven-roasted meat. It is an old method, but we have modernized it. Marinating is the essence, now we are also introducing wild meat because it is among the best things if cooked well. During the summer season we have traditional desserts like revani and tespixhe, since Dukagjini does not have a traditional dessert. I practiced my profession in Kosovo and Ulcinj. There I worked in the best restaurants and I gained a lot of experience", says Leo.

The season in Theth seems to have started early. Leo says that at the peak of the season at least 3,500 tourists visit Theth per day.

In addition to beauties and attractions such as the Blue Eye or the Waterfall, "Mikpritja" offers good accommodation and food, fulfilling every element so that you don't leave Theth without visiting it. /CNA