Perast and Rafailovici 

Why Perast and not Kotor? Well after much research I decided on Perast as I had read it was so much more peaceful than Kotor. It’s just a few kilometres north west of Kotor and consists of just a small promenade situated around a beautiful bay. It was described by a taxi driver as the Vatican of Montenegro, which I thought was very apt. Not many cars are allowed here it’s very strictly controlled.

I had booked a small waterfront apartment called The White Terrace. It was a fabulous place and the owner Bob picked us up from Tivat airport. With only two days here we had to make the most of this time.

The promenade is lined with apartments and restaurants and on our first night we ate at the oldest restaurant Armonia. We had a lovely table right on the waterfront, food and wine we’re delicious.

The next day after breakfast we had a walk along the promenade and took in the beautiful views .

After this we took the local bus into Kotor to have a look around the old town. The contrast between the two places is staggering. Kotor is where the cruise ships dock almost docking right onto the street. Spilling out passengers by the dozen the pavements were packed with tourists.

We decided to just have a walk around the old town ourselves and soak up the atmosphere. Kotor did not disappoint. It has a vast history being founded in the fifth century and is now a UNESCO world heritage sight.

After an afternoon spent here as nice as it was, we were glad to get back to peaceful  Perast.  We thought we’d have a swim from the little platform in front of the apartment, well Anthony plunged straight in whereas I did it the hard way down the ladder.  What a shock, very cold and as we found out later there are icy springs spouting every so often, at least we went in.

With just one night to go we ate at the fabulous Konoba Skolji restaurant where I had read some great reviews. We chose to share the famous ” lamb under the bell”, slow roasted lamb, absolutely delicious.

And that was the end of two fabulous days in Perast.

The next day we were going to Rafailovici for two more days before heading into Croatia.

Rafailovici 

I decided the easiest and fastest way to Rafailovici was by taxi also more comfortable.  It was less than an hours drive and we were there by 1pm.  It’s just past Budva and supposed to be quieter, I never like to stay in the most popular place and prefer to stay just outside the main area.

Our taxi driver was quite chatty and wondered why we were going to Budva as he said it was horrible! This wasn’t the first time we’d heard this opinion.  So I really wasn’t looking forward to the next two days.  On the positive side it was only two days and it was somewhere new.

After checking into Hotel Aleksander which was right on the seafront we headed out for lunch and a look around.  Some photos of my first impressions.

We did have a swim and the water is crystal clear but as the water is a bit cold made it very quick.  After a wonderful dinner at the hotel overlooking the sea we headed back for an early night.

So the next day after breakfast we took a hotel van and driver to Lake Skadar,

The lake is located in Zeta – Skadar valley and is surrounded by mountains, and it’s 7 km away from Adriatic Sea. Two Thirds of Skadar Lake is in Montenegro and the rest is in Albania. Skadar Lake is the largest lake in the Balkan Peninsula.

We chose the two hour boat trip, but one hour would have been enough for me.  If you ever visit Budva it’s worth having a trip out here as the lake and scenery are beautiful.

For our last night here we headed into Budva itself.  The atmosphere here is completely different to Rafailovici, for a start there were so many more English tourists whereas I had heard no English at all in Rafailovici.  It seemed to be more for local Montengrens holidaying.  Budva like Kotor has an old town which we wandered around, it’s an amazing place and I loved it here.

It took absolutely ages to find the restaurant we wanted to eat in, we had actually found it straight away really but were told it was just a museum.  It was only when going back and asking if there was a restaurant there the girl said oh yes at the back!  We ate at the Citadella restaurant which has amazing views overlooking the sea.

And that was that.  I’m so glad we got to visit Montenegro and see the wonderful sights, eat delicious food and drink divine wine, but most of all to meet the lovely friendly people of this country.

Next up was Croatia.