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Want to Vacation Like a King? Timeshare Could Be the Answer

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Perhaps the problem with America is that we lack a royal family.

Sure we are proud of our democracy, but still there lingers inside us, that occasional desire to have an imperial monarchy to admire, critique, and sometimes ogle with patriotic pride. Our longing to iconize royalty may even be what has driven us to crown pathetic pop princesses and hotel heiresses as sadly unsatisfying pseudo-sovereigns.

So in the gaping absence of American royalty to call our own, I say we historically claim King Zog.

The late King Zog was the first and only king of Albania; he died in 1961, living in comfortable exile, outside of Paris.

Zog was just the kind of king who would have fit on the pages of American history—the colorful pages. Political allegiances aside, he was known for being extremely clever, well educated, a charming ladies man, and a brilliant business mind. He holds unique status as the only recorded monarch in modern times to have staved off his own assassination attempt (there were more than 50 documented attempts on his life) by skillfully wielding the revolver he carried at all times.

And now timesharing—yes, timeshares—gives you the opportunity to establish a unique connection to the royal King Zog. It seems that King Zog’s summer palace is soon to become part of a timeshare resort.

Greece timeshare resale

Located in Durres, Albania, on the Adriatic Sea, the summer palace was the seaside retreat for King Zog and Queen Geraldine, whose father, interestingly was a Hungarian Count and whose mother was the daughter of a Virginia millionaire and US diplomat to Belgium, and coincidentally a cousin to past President Richard Nixon.

After the communist takeover of Albania, the palace, once resplendent with parquet floors, frescoed ceilings and a grand marble staircase, was later used only for weddings. Despite efforts by both the US and Great Britain to help King Zog and Queen Geraldine regain the throne after World War II, they were never able to return to Albania. So it seems somehow fitting that the main portion of the palace itself will house the timeshare resort’s spa and the private penthouse apartment of the King and Queen’s only child, “King” Leka.

Plans call for surrounding the palace with 50 luxury timeshare units, which will be sold in six-week ownership intervals. British consultancy, HLL Humber Leisure and Alban Xhilleri, an Albanian businessman, are developing the timeshare resort project. According to Albanian.com, Xhilleri says that he, “wants to offer international buyers something different: properties with unique historical resonance.”

Beyond the romance and intrigue innate in vacationing in an Albanian palace, there could be solid business logic in buying timeshare in this area. While Albania is one of the poorest nations in Europe, it has roughly 250 miles of coastline, much of which is very similar to the coastline of Greece, Albania’s neighbor to the south.

Resort and tourism developers are just beginning to look at Albania for its development potential. In an article written this spring, Frommers travel guide describes Albania as, “Europe’s New Sweet Spot.” Besides, how often do any of us monarch-less Americans get a chance to vacation in a royal palace?

Until accommodations are available at the Albanian summer palace, here are some links to great timeshare resales:

Crete timeshare resale