montenegro

We had no plans to go to Montenegro when we started this trip. However, the more and more we talked about Croatia, the more intrigued we became with its neighbor. So for our last day, we decided to drive an hour to the country that's about the size of Connecticut. Daytrips from Dubrovnik to Montenegro are pretty common so it was easy to find a guide to get us around. 

We spent half the day driving in the car and the other half of the day exploring the country by boat (we prefer boat)! Our stops included:

• Sveti Stefan - an old island fortress that is now a private Man resort. It is where Novak Djokovic was married and where Queen Elizabeth and countless other celebrities/politicains vacation. 
• Budva - this is the party town in Montenegro and a big destination for Russian vacationers. We did not spend much time here. 
• Kotor - Kotor is the oldest town and it sits at the back of the Bay of Kotor. It also has an “old town” with buildings that date back to the Venetian empire. It was originally built in the 5th century BC. This town and the bay surrounding it are labeled a UNESCO Heritage Site. Based on the scenery, we could see why. It has become a hot destination for tourists, especially crew ships, in recent years. 
• Porto Montenegro - also in the Bay of Kotor, a Canadian billionaire bought a piece of land, developed it into Porto Montenegro and now Europe’s elite are buying property here. You could call it a mini Monte Carlo: huge yachts, beautiful apartments and a picturesque marina. We had lunch here and that is about all we could afford!
• Other sites:
  • Cold War submarine bunker: Since Montenegro didn’t take a side during the Cold War - they just took money from both sides - they were very afraid in the 60s & 70s. In the bay, they built a number of submarine bunkers that still exist today. 
  • Blue Cave: Outside of the bay is a large cave that brings in a sharp blue light. It is popular for tourists to swim there in season. When we were there, nobody else was around.

Montenegro was a great day trip and worth seeing! We hope to be back one day staying at the Sveti Stefan resort!