MONTENEGRO A balkan gem that's small, spectacular and cheap
It’s been almost seven years since Montenegro peacefully parted
ways with Serbia, long enough that Russian oligarchs and former
Yugoslavs aren’t the only ones in on this booming Balkan jewel. For
better or worse, an iconic Communist-era hotel with bold red carpets is
becoming a contemporary Hilton in Podgorica, the country’s pint-size
capital. On the Adriatic near Budva, a six-year renovation of Sveti Stefan resort,
which includes a three-acre island with rooms set in repurposed
15th-century cottages, draws to a close in May with Aman Resorts opening
10 suites, a spa and restaurant on the island. About 16 miles and
countless twinkling coves north in Tivat, the blingy Porto Montenegro
willbecome more glamorous when Regent adds hotel rooms, suites and penthouses to its fashionable marina in 2014. Some 1.2 million international tourists came to Montenegro in 2011. That’s double the population and an 11 percent leap over 2010, a rate that beat nearly every country in Europe. Still, the country remains affordable. Comfortable hotels go for $75 a night or less. Heaping plates of cevapi sausages, tangy cheese and oily red peppers might set you back $12 with wine and dessert. Imagine Dubrovnik before the cruise ships or Switzerland before the cable cars. Go before it becomes either.
www.visit-montenegro.com