Villa rental in Ksamil, with a private pool.

Ksamil's beaches are the Riviera's most photographed and, in August, its busiest — which is exactly why the villas that matter sit uphill, in the olive terraces above the village. From a private pool on the slope, the turquoise becomes scenery rather than a queue, and the four islets are a short drive and a shorter boat hop away.

The villas we place here are the new generation of the coast: private pools, wide sea-facing terraces, three to six bedrooms, and Corfu floating on the horizon opposite. They book out for July and August months in advance, so the earlier you tell us your dates the better the hand we can play. Every house is one we have seen — we do not list from a screen.

Ksamil pairs a villa with everything the corridor offers within twenty minutes: Butrint's UNESCO ruins, Saranda's marina and ferry, the quieter coves of Pulëbardha and Mirror Beach, and a private boat to the islets before the first sunbeds fill. We handle the villa, the boat, the car on the Albanian side and the crossing from Corfu as one booking.