So what did we get up to in Montenegro when we weren’t schlomped palely by the pool? Well, it turns out the forecast of doom wasn’t entirely wrong and after that first sun-soaked evening, the storm clouds came rolling in…
Determined not to let the impending rain spoil our fun, we headed off to nearby Budva, about 20k from our villa. We got to know this stretch of road intimately during our stay as there were massive building works just outside the town, keeping us crawling through the rubble at a snail’s pace (my clutch control is now amazing). When we’d eventually parked up, we took a stroll along the harbour and then walked around the whole Old Town in about eight minutes. It’s pretty teeny and in all honesty painfully touristy, although still obviously very picturesque and Game of Thronesy. Grabbing some beers (not Budvars – seems that’s in a whole other country) we settled on the beach to watch the storm brewing, waves crashing at our toes.
Always in search of a bird’s eye view, we climbed up to the 15th century citadel to wander the city walls and look out across the med. The dramatic skies were a photographer’s dream, especially with the flower beds in full bloom, spotting the crumbling stone pathways with colour.
That night the storm broke, leaving Friday literally a washout, the deluge relentless from dawn till dusk. So we did the sensible thing and stocked up on snacks and wine for the evening before heading off for a day at the spa. Our Explore Montenegro host Petar tipped us off about the wellness resort at Aman Sveti Stefan on our first night and booked us in with a quick text. Petar was amazing; before showing us around the villas when we first arrived, he got out a huge map and spent a good 45 minutes telling us all the best places to go, where to eat, drink and the most picturesque mountain routes to take. He was also on hand 24/7 to book us cheap cabs when we wanted to leave the car at home and neck cocktails (i.e., every night). Anyway, the Aman spa was paradise; bizarrely we had the whole place to ourselves including the enormous black-bottomed pool. The pictures don’t do it justice; it was like sliding through black silk. We alternated between swimming, lounging and sweating in the sauna and steam room, until we resembled very happy prunes. I was almost grateful for the rain, as it gave us the perfect excuse for a guilt-free day chilling indoors…
Almost grateful! When the sun came back out the next day, we certainly weren’t complaining. It was perfect weather for a morning trip to Kotor, another beautiful terracotta town set into the mountains, like Budva on a much larger scale. I admit that I did get a bit of Old Town fatigue; sounds bad but once you’ve seen one, you’ve kind of seen them all. So we headed straight to the main event – the 5k trek up the hill side to the Castle of San Giovanni. My god those steps were never ending (apparently 1350 of them, taking you up 1,200m) but the views kept getting better and better, spurring us on to greater heights. I was also wearing the most impractical swing dress for a breezy mountain climb, so apologise to any tourists walking up behind us… Anyway, we made it to the top and felt very pleased with ourselves until we remembered that what goes up must come down. Stumbling jelly-legged off the final step, we were good for nothing for the rest of the day; luckily there was a pool or two waiting at home for us to collapse next to!
Of course it wasn’t all about the pools; it’s not a holiday without some sand in your bikini. With the sun blazing again on Sunday, we headed back to Sveti Stefan to hit the beach. Not the very exclusive King or Queen’s beach, sadly, but the neighbouring pleb beach for the rest of us. Still very nice though, especially out of season! The sea was bloody freezing but we secured a sandy spot for ourselves and couldn’t have been happier. The whole coast here is stunning; at lunch time we strolled through the leafy paths along the shore at King’s Beach and then ate in a picture-perfect restaurant by the sea.
We had the perfect view of the island itself too, which is the craziest place. A cluster of old-stone houses connected to the mainland by a sandy spit, the island was once a hotel resort frequented by the likes of Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor. Now it’s an ultra-luxurious resort; each apartment is a separate ‘room’ with VIP service. Ridiculously I tried to book this hotel when we first decided to go to Montenegro, then realised the deal was £1000 a night not a week. Hahahahahahaha!
Speaking of how the other half live, not content with ogling Sveti Stefan we decided to spend our last day strolling round Porto Montenegro, home of super-yachts and luxury shopping. I’d read great things about this little port and it was indeed tres chic, although a bit quiet on a May Tuesday. We had a delicious lunch on the quayside at Lebanese restaurant Byblos where the service was appropriately obnoxious but the food fantastic. It was all very glamorous!
The final place I should mention was much closer to our Montenegrin home – Petrovac, just 4k down the road. We went here a couple of times and had one particularly memorable dinner at Terasa Castello, watching the sun set from the terrace. Pete drank a revolting traffic light cocktail (he liked it). Another place worth visiting in Petrovac for pre-dinner drinks is Cafe Club Ponta, a bar built into the rocks on the opposite edge of the harbour. Very cheap Mojitos and lethally strong G&Ts accompanied by a spectacular view out to sea – what more could you ask for?
We could easily have stayed on another week in Montenegro and not done everything we wanted to do – like, travel inland to the National Parks, risk our limbs rafting in the canyon, take boat trips on the lakes… I guess we’ll just have to go back. Sigh.
