Montenegro

North of the Albanian border we land in Montenegro, our destination Ulcinj and a rather nice bit of accommodation. Not that we've been hard-done by, but this was a step up - that's one benefit of these seasonal towns, towards the end of season nice accommodation can be snapped up for cheap! They say the beaches here are healing, particularly for those suffering rheumatism, it's to do with the minerals found in the sand, but I'm not sure the cigarette butts and empty chip packets are doing much healing - unfortunately this has been a common theme across the Mediterranean and Adriatic coasts. Luckily our hotel had a lovely pool, so we spent some needed R&R there. It sounds crazy, but at this point we had been on the road almost three months, and the constant moving gets knackering - sometimes you need a holiday within a holiday. For Hannah's Birthday we took a cab to a stunning, picture perfect beach nearby with hot stones and cool water, a perfect mix. On the way I got chatting with the driver, who funnily enough was born in Australia, and asked him about Montenegro and where it's at as a tourist destination and more importantly, a home. Sparking the conversation was the fact that by GDP Montenegro is one of the poorest countries in Europe, but that contrasts with a lot of what you see. As the driver noted, there is no money here but everyone in Montenegro owns two houses and a car, he followed this with "it's complicated". The previous leader of the country had been in power for near thirty years, within that time he had embezzled tens of millions of dollars, leveraged his power to hire friends to high-ranking government positions - which is the most sought after sector in Montenegro - and used his status as a bargaining chip in private endeavours, but alas, things were decent under him. The new government is stamping out corruption and is more politically balanced, and yet the cost of living is rising and development and tourism in Montenegro lags behind it's upstart neighbour Albania - in the eyes of the locals, maybe the previous leader was as shonky as a used car salesman, but he might just have been the lesser of two evils.

Onwards to a town that’s name we just couldn't stop saying, Sveti Stefan - I mean how sweaty is Stefan anyways? This place is certainly the definition of paradise, a small town that cascades down winding roads to a beach of smooth rocks and absolutely crystal clear water. As you gaze along it you spot its hallmark, the island of Sveti Stefan. Connected to the mainland by a single path the old town is a cluster of red roofs and sea-washed rock all piled onto one another. But if you look a bit closer you start to notice all the windows are boarded up, and actually, the island is totally empty. Walking up to it I can see a gate that's padlocked, and as I approach we realise that gate is the only available entrance... Down a Google rabbit hole I go. It turns out that in 2021 the locals protested against Adriatic Properties and Aman, who own the upscale island resort and a few others, for the privatisation of the coastal areas, which include those around the island and the next bay over, Queens Bay - named so as the palace on its shore was the summer getaway of the former queen of Yugoslavia. These are of course the nicest beaches in the area. Alas the owners felt their guests weren't safe and decided to shutter the island until they were able to keep their sections of beach private. As a result the island, which is called the "pearl of Montenegro" has been out of commission for four years and the surrounding beaches completely free! In the end it went to court in the UK (of all places) with a delivered verdict on whether they need to reopen slated for July 2025... Well I'm not sure where it got to, but today the beaches are stunning, still free and with very few cabanas too. Though the island is inaccessible, I felt extra-happy sitting on that beach knowing the locals stood up to a multinational to claim back their slice of paradise. I joked to an old school friend that the day they privatise the beach in Australia is the day I go to war, and come to think of it, I'm not sure I was joking. Aside from lounging on the beach, Sveti Stefan is the start (or end point) of the seven bay trail, a roughly 14km round trip walk to Budva in the north. The trail winds through secluded bays, plush beach clubs, quaint fishing villages and finally lands in the lovely old town of Budva. We've seen amazing beaches in spades on this trip, and Montenegro is right up there, during the walk I never tired of marvelling at the crystalline waters that line the coast. It felt great to push our bodies a bit harder than we had been, and we both had severe jelly legs the next day!

Kotor is our final stop in Montenegro, the town sits on the expansive Bay of Kotor that opens into the Adriatic, and is simply spectacular. The inland bay offers ocean coves against a backdrop of sheer mountains on every side. The bay itself is dotted with fishing and pleasure craft, kayaks and the infamous cruise ships that pull right up to the old town to deposit their cargo of loud, white Americans. During our time here I became obsessed with an app called Vessel Finder which shows you in real time all the boats near you and their specs - extra juicy if you spot a boat like The Black Pearl, like we did - owned by a Russian oligarch of course. Amidst the bay are other gems, such as the man-made island Our Lady of the Rocks, that was created by sinking over 127 ships in order to erect a cathedral, in fact each June the locals all paddle out and throw stones in the water to continue growing the island, there's also abandoned submarine tunnels from the days of Yugoslavia that you can drive right into. We stay across the bay in Muo where the patio offers views that are impossible to tire of, five nights here could never be enough. Days are slow to get moving and stretch long into the night, the perfect balance if you ask me. Believe it or not, one of the highlights of Kotor for me is Tanjga Chophouse, or in simpler terms, the ultimate corner chicken shop. We ate here more times than I care to admit, and frankly it wasn't enough. It's basically meat and sides, but all the myriad meats are cooked on coals and served with piles of delicious pickley salads, fresh bread, golden chips, and don't forget the dollop of clarified butter - health food! I could dedicate this entire blog to this place, but I digress.  

I think the enduring charm of Kotor is that despite its natural beauty it is still a place for the everyman, both for the locals and tourists. We were there off-peak but our accommodation was very affordable and there were plenty of options when booking, and aside from the crowded old town, it didn't feel overrun with visitors. It's also maintained the rough-and-ready attitude of the Balkans that I love, there's always something going on, and a lot of it is eyebrow raising. This is an incredibly beautiful place, one that you could see becoming reserved for the mega wealthy, one that inevitably prices out locals. Nothing against mega wealthy travellers but I do find that they turn places into these highly sanitised, culture-less versions of what they once were, and I'm glad it hasn't happened here.  

Bye for now Montenegro, to hazard a guess, I'd say we'll be back.

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Hannah's Thoughts:

Since it was the week of my birthday while in Montenegro, we treated ourselves to a nice hotel with breakfast and a pool, always a bonus! Ulcinj is a quieter town, and we chose to stay there instead of the more touristy Budva. Our time was mostly spent relaxing by the pool, reading, and soaking up the sun. It was exactly the kind of slow pace we needed. Ulcinj is surrounded by many beautiful beaches, and one of the most unique was Ladies Beach. I didn’t swim there, but I went down to take a look. The beach is tucked away among thick foliage, with purpose-built screens to provide privacy for good reason. It's a women-only beach, and clothing is optional. Montenegro is a predominantly Muslim country, so it was a beautiful and moving sight to see women of all shapes, colours, and beliefs connecting freely, without judgment or labels. Some were meditating, some doing yoga, some reading and some just laughing with their friends. Even though I didn’t go in the water, I felt like I was part of it all.

Thirty-one! I don’t think I’ve ever spent a birthday outside of Adelaide, so it felt strange waking up in Ulcinj on my 31st. We had a lovely hotel breakfast, and Jesse had secretly organised a FaceTime with the girls back home. The call started with a hilariously off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday,” which might’ve sounded like nails on a chalkboard to some,  but to me, it was a highlight. They had so many questions about the trip, but honestly, it was just nice hearing their laughter and catching up on the more mundane parts of life. Most of them joked, “you’re not missing much back here in little old Adelaide,” and it made me smile. I also FaceTimed with my family, chaotic as always. Mum and Dad were overseas somewhere, Jess was locking up the business for the day (setting off alarms in the process), and everyone was talking over each other with that classic FaceTime echo. It was loud and but funny, summing up our family. Both calls left me feeling homesick, but also incredibly grateful.

Later, Jesse found an incredible hidden beach just outside town, down a steep cliff face. The view from the top was breathtaking and even better once we got down there. The water was crystal clear, and there were only a handful of people around. We spent the day trying to find comfortable spots on the large rocks, only to overheat and have to jump back in the water. We have really lucked out with the weather on this trip, we’ve maybe had one or two days of drizzle or clouds, but otherwise sunny and hot every single day. We don’t even bother checking the weather app anymore. When we returned to the room, I got the sweetest surprise, Jesse had told the hotel manager it was my birthday, and they had decorated the room with candles, flowers, and petals all over the bed. It was such a thoughtful gesture, and it truly caught me off guard. We finished the day with a lovely dinner at a place called Higo, which offered food a little different from what we’d been having. Jesse and I talked endlessly about memories, travel, life. Honestly, it’s amazing we still have anything to talk about! But it was the perfect end to a really special birthday. Thank you to everyone who made it so memorable.

Our next stop was Sveti Stefan or as Jesse liked to call it Sweaty Stefan, this was a running joke for the entirety of our time there but the place was far from a joke. It was small, quiet and beautiful. Here we admired the views, walked from Sveti Stefan to Budva and back, and cooked our own meals to save some money. Our dinners consisted of Mi Goreng, pesto pasta and a sort of fried rice/risotto combination, some good cheap meals that filled a hole.

Our next stop was Kotor. This has quickly risen to the top as one of my favourite places. I don’t know what it was about it, our accommodation, the mountainous views, the place itself or the activities that we did. But I would highly recommend Kotor to anyone, this place had it all. We loved it so much we stayed 5 nights. I had seen in my extensive research (TikTok) there was an alpine coaster on one of the mountains nearby so naturally I was very eager. We rode the 20 minute cable car to the top with glorious views overlooking The Bay of Kotor. We were pleasantly surprised that there was more than just the alpine coaster up there, you could do many different hikes, have dinner, shop, there was an awesome playground and of course endless beautiful sunset spots to have a drink and listen to the live DJ. Jesse and I spent over four hours up there. If you don’t want to line up for the ride go earlier and avoid going at sunset, the ride was relatively free at around 4 and then we got to sit back at a beautiful spot with a drink in hand to watch the sunset. For a ride that cost 8 euro it was 100% worth it and Jesse and I found ourselves wanting to go back on it immediately. After riding the cable car back we heard that there was a free concert in the old town by International artist Manu Chao (we had never heard of him) but him and his band sure put on a show. Jesse and I made connections of his band to something you might see at WOMAD, big sound, lively musicians much to the likes of The Cat Empire.

In Kotor there is an amazing fortress hike that looks over the bay, the view is absolutely worth the effort, but please don’t pay fifteen euros for the entrance, go the sneaky back way instead. It’s much more fun, and you’ll save those much-needed euros! The hike is a steady incline, and along the way you’ll hear the soulful sounds of goats and the gentle clanging of the bells around their necks. After climbing a slightly unstable ladder and squeezing through a hole in the fortress wall, you’ll meet the poor buggers with quizzical looks who actually paid the fee. On the way back down, we stumbled across a beautiful little brick farmhouse with an incredible view. For thirty euros, you get homemade goat cheese, focaccia bread, organic tomatoes from the garden, and a couple of drinks. Quite expensive if you think about it but you can’t really put a price on a wicked view and a memorable experience like that. The owner was a smiley man, missing a few teeth and moving at a glacial pace (a few too many schnapps shots, we think). He spoke limited English but had a great sense of humour. We ordered whatever they had, and about ten minutes later after he took a quick schnapps break our food arrived. It was undeniably fresh and delicious. He offered us free schnapps shots as a parting gift, and we made our way back down the hill a blissful end to our Montenegro stint.