Montenegro (Lihi Root Walla System)
There are a few factors that make a vacation perfect – or close to it. The first is of course the destination, but the others are the length of the flight (the shorter the better) and the prices at the destination. Montenegro, is a combination of them.
Want an example? Three and a half hours from the moment we boarded the Sun d'Or flight, this is the view that stared at me from the hotel window. In the back, by the way, is a sea.
Land of the Black Mountains. View of Tivat (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
Land of the Black Mountains
Montenegro - called the Land of the Black Mountains - is located on the shore of the Adriatic Sea. This is a small and beautiful country that covers about half of Israel (about 13,8 square kilometers) and its entire population is about 600,5 residents, which means a lot of free space, a lot of nature untouched by human hands, pristine beaches and especially a destination that has not yet appeared on the world tourism map.
Despite its size, in Montenegro you can find types of different types of landscapes and attractions - from snowy mountains that turn into ski resorts in winter, to green mountains that end in the sea and allow amazing trekking trips, <> national parks, wide bays that allow boat tours (a common means of transportation), water activities and dives, tours of small villages and historical places and of course dozens of hotels and restaurants of various levels.
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Bay of Kotor (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
Price list for tourists in Montenegro (Photo: Walla! system, Walla)
This summer it will be very easy to get here, since El Al's Sun d'Or has begun operating a direct line that will operate on Sundays and Thursdays until the end of the Tishrei holidays. You can come here for a long weekend or even a whole week. It depends on what you are looking for. The new flights land in the city of Tivat near the well-known Bay of Kotor, named after the city of Kotor (from Greek Katareo, "source of water"). The area, which is currently undergoing a major construction boom that is being carried out mainly on the coastal areas, offers the Israeli traveler the opportunity to enjoy 5-star hotels, pampering resorts and special boutique hotels. For those who are interested and have money in their hands, they can also offer a handsome and cheap piece of real estate relative to the prices of the country.
Tivat is more of a town than a city of about 15,<> people. Reaching the city center from the airport will take you about <> minutes to enjoy views of the lush mountains. There's not much to do here, apart from quite a few casinos for those interested, but if you arrived here on the way to another destination in the country, you can walk around its small streets, take a walk around the promenade and eat at a local restaurant.
Luxury hotels cost less than a bed and breakfast in the north
A 15-minute drive away is Luštica Bay, a peninsula or peninsula and 280 km of coastline that reaches Albania, and is in the midst of a construction boom of new resorts and hotels alongside apartments for rent and shopping and golf courses. All these are intended for tourists with money in their pockets, especially those who tend to come to the area with their yachts every summer, but the truth is that if you compare to prices in Israel, it is completely intended for us as well. Just to clarify, one of the new hotels here called Chadi 7 that includes 2 restaurants, 2 bars (one on the beach), spa and over 100 rooms including penthouses will cost you a night between 200 euros in off-season (now) and 600 euros in season (summer). The penthouse that seats 6 people will cost between 2,000 and 4,000 euros per night.
Not far away is the Regent Hotel Porto Montenegro, located in the port of Montenegro. The hotel area has beautiful gardens, a spacious and well-kept promenade and the most luxurious yacht dock on the entire Adriatic coast. The luxurious hotel, which also includes 2 luxury complexes of apartments for long-term rent or purchase, including 2 pools (one indoor and one indoor), a spa, gym, 4 restaurants, sports fields and even a maritime museum will cost you a simple room in winter only 350 euros and will cost up to <> euros. Simple room but we said, there are of course more expensive. Still, this is a hotel that occasionally hosts Bill Gates and Michael Jordan.
Pool with a view (Photo: Walla! system, Lihi Shoresh)
Host Michael Jordan and Bill Gates (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
The prestigious yacht dock (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
Churches, fortresses and stone alleys
Continue southwest to the Herceg Novi area. And as I write continue - it can be done in different forms - whether it is by car, by ferry which costs 5 euros per car or if by speedboat or yacht if you are lucky. The crossings here are quick and cheap, so you can do star tours in Montenegro or decide to move from town to town. Everything is small and fast. In fact, it is possible to circle the entire bay (150 km) in two and a half hours by car.
Herzig Novi also sits on a beautiful Riviera with luxurious hotels and dreamy bays, but here too it is a town with several fortresses and churches and a small old town where you can find a small local market and cafes. You can spend half a day here on the ground and it is highly recommended to just take a boat and explore the beautiful beaches and bays in the area. Of the rest, you may come across an island where the local priest lives with his dog Jackie.
Dream Riviera. Herzig Novi Port (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
View from above of Herzig Novi's Old City (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
Herzig Novi's Old City (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
A small local market in Herzig Novi's Old Town (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
A small local market in Herzig Novi's Old Town (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
On one of these beaches you will find Casa del Mare - a boutique hotel with 17 rooms that can also be reached by boat. The hotel is very sweet and attached to it is a good restaurant that sits on one of the most beautiful spots in the area. The price here per night for a family of 4 will cost between 250 euros and 500 depending on the month of the year.
On the city's shore, there is also a larger hotel, the Azul Hotel, with 128 rooms and suites, an indoor pool, a private beach and 2 restaurants. Prices here become more expensive in season, but compared to our expensive country, they are considered good prices. Really good. A room will cost between 200 euros in May and 350 euros in July. A family suite will cost between 500 and 38,32 euros - again, depending on the season.
Ten minutes from Herzig Novi port, in Boca Bay, is a very special hotel - Mamula Island Hotel. The hotel sits on an island, no more and no less. In the past, the hotel building was a prison where opponents of the fascist regime were imprisoned. Renovated at a cost of €500 million by an Egyptian businessman, the hotel features a total of 700 exquisitely designed rooms, restaurants, a spa and a luxurious and unique outdoor pool. And the prices? Depending on. For a simple room you will pay 2-500 euros per couple and for more luxurious rooms the price will already rise to <>,<> euros. The hotel is only open from May to October. In a few minutes of boat ride you will reach Blue Cave (Blue Cave) - one of the most beautiful places in the Bay of Kotor where you can swim and dive.
The outdoor pool of the Mamola Hotel (Photo: Walla! system, Lihi Shoresh)
Seagulls on the beach of the Mamola Hotel (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
The hotel room opposite (Photo: official website)
One of the most beautiful places in the area. The Blue Cave (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
Tourist traps
After enjoying areas without many tourists, Kotor is a completely different story. Much thanks to its size but also thanks to its old town which has become a tourist attraction in Montenegro. And it is indeed very touristy.
Old Kotor lies at the foot of Mount Sant'S, topped by an impressive 16th-century fortress and a 5km wall along it, and it looks just as you would imagine a medieval city, minus the establishments and souvenir shops. Trekkers can climb more than a thousand steps to the top of the mountain, while the more idle can drink beer and have lunch at one of the restaurants. Most of the tourists who come here come via large cruise ships anchored for the day in the bay. If you decide to skip a tourist lunch, you can look for a bakery where you can taste brik and various local pastries, or look for a stall that sells a local burger called Pasceviche.
Kotor's Old Town (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
Entrance to Kotor's Old Town (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
Local burger. Paskevicha (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
Not to be missed. Balkan Burekas (Photo: Walla! Editorial Board, Lihi Shoresh)
300 residents sitting on a perfect spot
Another small historic town (300 inhabitants and that's all) on the beautiful coast of the Bay of Kotor is Perast. 40 years ago there was an earthquake here that left few residents here, but since then a lot of water has passed through the Adriatic Sea and the town already looks great and very romantic. And this is not surprising given its location on the sea.
Among the tourist restaurants you will find a number of hotels, among the most luxurious of which is the Heritage Hotel. This is a hotel that sits where there used to be a local palace that was even used at some point as a sewing factory during World War II. The hotel has 130 rooms and suites and an indoor and outdoor pool and a spa of course. The prices here are higher compared to the other hotels we've seen, and for a family duplex you pay 850 euros in low season and up to 1,300 euros. A double room with sea view will cost you EUR 750.
And the view here is definitely one of the best features of the hotel. Also from the dining room that sits on the roof of the hotel and from the windows of the rooms you can see the beautiful bay and one of the biggest attractions in the area - Lady of Rocks Island.
Breakfast with a view. The roof of the Heritage Hotel in Perast (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
Breakfast with a view. The roof of the Heritage Hotel (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
The picture of "Lady of the Rocks" (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
An island built over 200 years (Photo: Walla!, Lihi Shoresh)
This is an artificial island built over 200 years by locals following in the story a religious doubt, a folkloric doubt about a sailor lost in the sea and thanks to a picture that glowed on a rock in the same location found the way home. A Baroque church was built on the island, where the painting in question is displayed alongside treasures recovered from shipwrecks in the area. A boat to the island will cost you between five and ten euros per person - entrance to the church and museum two euros.
You can also take an all-day boat from Perast that sails all over Boca Bay and stops at different points where you can swim or visit different sites and covers (Lady of Rocks is one of them). The cost is between EUR 10 and EUR 30 per person - depending on what the tour includes.
Montenegro is a small country that received nine cabins (excuse me, Jerusalem) of beauty in the form of breathtaking nature. Luckily, the human hand hasn't hurt her so far and, according to the locals, won't either. That's probably how it is when you boast that there isn't a single McDonald's in your country.
* And one more little tip - don't save your shopping for the small Tivat airport. Go to the supermarkets scattered all over the country, cry about why it's so cheap there, and buy lots of stuff. Enjoy!
The writer was a guest of the Montenegrin Tourism Class and Sun d'Or Company
- tourism
- World Travel
- Europe
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- Montenegro
- Tours in Europe