Getting to Dhërmi in Albania is no easy feat as the country has just one fully functioning international airport which is a four-hour drive - but that was our destination as we headed to ION Festival.
The drive is full of winding roads with scenic views - it's no surprise that it once lured Top Gear for filming.
But once the car sickness subsided and the Ionian sea came into view, we soon realised this small resort village teeming with affable locals was a gem on an under-explored coastline.
Arriving in Dhërmi on Thursday night, it was surprising to see the oft-sleepy town embracing Brits hungry for a party with open arms.
All the restaurants along the Dhërmi seafront form part of the festival, local DJs were playing and the family-run hotels appeared to relish the influx of tourism.
Like most of the events industry, ION was plagued by Covid and its inception was delayed by two years until this summer.
For many of the 2,000-odd revellers decamping to ION, it was their first festival after a long hiatus and the excitement of experiencing the magic together for the first time was palpable.
It's smaller than other festivals, but that means the site never feels overcrowded; queues for toilets and bars were minimal and there was a sense of intimacy as you continued to run into friends both old and new throughout the week.
There is much more at ION than solely music. Wellness activities, curated by Arkana Yoga, which you would not usually find at an electronic music festival were available every day.
Days began with shoreside restorative yoga and the sun went down with Shamanic rituals by Mexican ‘Root of the Gods’.
Closed to outsiders for much of the 20th century, Albania was long the Mediterranean's forgotten outpost.
While Albania is not free from its troubles, its reign of brutal communism is over and the country is seeing a surge in visitors who long for a cheaper alternative to Greece or the Balearics. Corfu Town is around 20 miles across the sea.
Skyscanner saw close to a 50 per cent rise in bookings for flights from the UK to its capital compared with 2019.
The beaches rival any in the Mediterranean and for seven days played host to some of the biggest names in the electronic music scene.
The largest beach was home to the main stage, with the Ceraunian Mountains giving a dramatic backdrop to whichever DJ was playing that night.
Then there was the Yacht Club, part pier, part stage and part bar, strutted over the sea.
Being close to 30 weeks pregnant did not stop Canadian Baby T from playing an impressive hardcore techno set at the beachside Deck stage, with a full moon casting its light over the sea.
Days were spent on the Cove, a stage on a small beach where craggy rock faces acted as drinks holders and the chilled music catered for sore heads from the night before.
“It is paradise here. It takes a long time to get here but that's part of the journey”, London-based producer Daniel Avery who played one of his three sets on the rooftop of Porto Palermo Castle, a 19th-century abandoned fortress, told The Mirror.
He continued: “Being given the opportunity to show different sides of yourself as a DJ is really special and to do it in a place like this does not get much better than that.”
Monday could not have been further from the usual reality of commuting on the Victoria Line, instead, we headed for Gjipe Canyon which was arguably the highlight of the week.
Walking beyond the beach and eco-campground in the canyon, there was a small stage manned by Ben UFO who played a varied set of Jungle, Dub, Gqom and RnB.
His diverse selection of songs acted as the glue between the dancers who were revelling in a shared moment of joy under the last of the summer sun.
Heading back to Dhërmi after an afternoon on Gjipe was the moment we knew this place was somewhere special.
The evening light was dancing on the water as we sped by boat back to the festival site. The Monastery Of Saint Mary, visible from all parts of the festival, stood tall in the hills flanked by mountains dotted with fig and olive trees.
Even the boatman joined in on the fun as he blared Europop music to please the excited Brits.
The hot air buzzed with excitement as we settled on the wooden terrace at Luciano’s and watched the sun go down over the Ionian sea.
In recent years, Croatia has taken the helm in hosting British-run festivals, but this exciting new patch could soon take over as a summer festival with a difference. That difference became even clearer when the bill for a fresh fish dinner and rosé for two at Luciano's arrived at under £20.
Partying in the open air, with the option to drink a pina colada on a nearby sunbed never got boring.
But if the near-one-week-of-raving legs needed some energy to keep moving, then — somewhat paradoxically — it was the last night that served new zeal.
The festival schedulers took the canny decision to save the biggest artists at the most anticipated stage until the final night.
From outside Splendor Hotel, it would be hard to know that Detroit techno legend Jeff Mills was slamming his trademark drum beats to thousands.
But descending down a concrete ramp revealed an underground car park kitted out with a mighty strobe system and it felt like one of the most exciting club venues to date.
Jeff Gray, one of the organisers of the festival, told the Mirror the team were “blown away with the site” when they first visited.
And what now makes it even more special, he said, is the excitement from the government who are so excited to welcome people who have never visited Albania before.
Sadly all good things must come to an end, but most people said they were already on the waiting list for tickets next year.
ION Festival returns 6 - 13th September 2023 and tickets start at £302 per person which includes accommodation. Find out more at ionalbania.com.
Albawings and easyJet offer direct flights to Albania from the UK.
