Latest Reviews for Montenegro

Although this was a Balkan Holidays deal we booked through Thomas Cook TV as part of their price pledge (always worth trying!). We flew from Gatwick to Dubrovnik then by coach to Budva which takes around 2 hours (including a short ferry crossing). Unfortunately our flights were changed so instead of arriving early afternoon we didn't arrive till 1am so couldn't appreciate the nice scenery on the way through.

We booked self catering although were surprized on arriving that there was no cutlery, pots, crockery or kettle. We had our welcome meeting the following morning with our rep (and just us two!) and she admitted it was her responsibility and quickly arranged it - although surely a self catering apartment should have all this as standard in the room. As it turned out we still had no kettle - basically just a fridge and two hob rings so you couldn't heat up any left overs or actually make a meal, and to make a cup of coffee we had to boil a pan of water.

The room was OK - twin beds, tv although we couldn't pick anything up and great shower in the bathroom but the plugs didn't fit so you couldn't have a bath instead!

Main problem was I think we were the only English in the hotel - mainly Russians and German and the reception staff couldn't speak much English. We really felt we weren't part of things - there was entertainment at the weekend but we knew nothing about it - a welcome pack would have been nice.

Picked Hotel Alexander as it only had 33 rooms so couldn't understand why the complex was massive. You could get lost in the grounds (and we did a couple of times!). Realized in the second week that it links up with the Slovenska Plaza hotel so again it would have been nice to know if we could use their 2 pools etc.

Very disappointed with the Balkan Rep. Apart from the welcome meeting we didn't see her. She was only meant to visit for 1/2 hour once a week but when we needed her to find out the coach time for coming home she didn't turn up - we had to get reception to ring her - no apologies. There is a board for details to be put up but nothing was added and at the Slovenska Plaza it hadn't been updated for 2 years!

Word of advice - don't book your trips with the rep or you'll be ripped off! We booked two trips with Montenegro Cruising which you will find walking towards the town on the right hand side. Vladimir the chap who seemed to be there all the time was brilliant - speaking Russian, English, German, everything. We booked a trip to Dubrovnik for 20 euros and a fantastic cruise of Kotor Bay also 20 euros (both would have cost 47 euros with the rep).

As for the resort of Budva, it's got all you need. It takes 20-30 mins slow walk to the old town and you can either go along the beach with bars/restaurants all the way, or use the next road up which again has shops, bars and restaurants all the way plus a market on the right hand side. Was quite busy with cars while we were there but could be because the main road was being dug up so they were using it instead.

The supermarkets if you're self catering are on the next road up which is the main road all the buses use - you can get the bus to Sveti Stefan there - look for the blue bus sign. The Mega Market in the main square is the best supermarket where you can get everything you need.

So glad we were self catering not all inclusive as Budva is fantastic for bars and restaurants. We didn't have a bad meal in 2 weeks and only went back to our 2 favourites at the end so we could try more out. Soup plus main course and a bottle of wine comes to around 30 euros (although the wine is 10-12 euros so sticking to beer would be even cheaper). Best restaurants we thought were the Hot Moon (inside the walls at the Mozart cafe and look down the right as you go through until you see a red and yellow moon/palm tree sign - it's like a world cafe with something for everyone) and practically opposite the hotel is a restaurant made of pine with a water feature in the window (the Nik Gold chicken is fantastic). Another good restaurant is the Bala Bar along the beach - look out for the yellow gazebo. Doesn't look much but their menu is very extensive and the food was good.

Best place for beer is the Villa Balken on the harbour front outside the main walls (I think the restaurant is inside but their menu didn't have much choice) - only 1 euro for a large glass of beer (most places are 1.5 - 2 euros per glass or bottle). Another good stop for beer on the way back to the hotel is the Koktel Bar in the grounds of the Slovenska Plaza but near to the Alexander (walk through signs to market and it's at the end) - only 1 euro for a large bottle. We didn't discover this till near the end of our holiday because we assumed the hotel bars/restaurants/shops would be more expensive but not in this case, and bread in the supermarket was the same price too.

If you like fish then most of the restaurants will be good for you but a special mention for the Garden Restaurant along the beach. For a cheap pizza try either The Fisherman's pub at the end of the harbour where you can see it being cooked in the kiln, or O Sole Mio on the next road up - pizzas are massive and cheap - one between two with a salad is more than enough and they have live music every night (as do most of the restaurants along the beach).

As we were heading back around 10.30pm hoards of youngsters were flocking towards the old town probably as there are a number of clubs there but we didn't check them out!

If you want to get away from the main busy beaches then head to the right of the old town walls and follow the coast path round to another beach and bays round the corner. You can also walk or get the little train (Noddy train we called it) which goes to Beccici beach or you can get off anywhere along the way - it costs 2 euros no matter how far you go).

All in all we had a lovely holiday in Budva and I would recommend it, especially if you like a beach holiday. Our only reservation was the language barrier. The menus tend to have english translations and usually at least one of the waiters can understand english or at least you can point, but there were a couple of bars where we were ignored by the staff so went elsewhere and some didn't understand ";2 beers please"; so it helps to know beer is ";Pivo";. It's also nice to chat with other guests to get recommendations for restaurants or where they've been that day but we didn't hear that many english voices. That might change as the season gets busier or in a few years - all the other resorts we went to were building loads of hotels. So go to Budva in a group or if you enjoy the company of your partner and you'll have a great time.

We've just returned from a two-week holiday at the Queen. We really enjoyed our holiday and overall were impressed with the hotel. The refurbishment work is still not complete - there is work being done on the sixth floor and some landscaping work in progress. Alarmingly some guests moved rooms when water was found dripping down over the light switch. However the continuing refurbishment work didn't really impact upon us.

The bedrooms were fine consisting of twin beds and a sofa bed. My lad aged 13 slept on the sofa bed for a couple of nights and found it to be very comfortable The furniture is of good quality and the rooms are well sound - proofed. We heard no noise from the corridor or next door. The rooms have air - conditioning, a safety box and fridge/mini - bar. There is a flat screen television monitor receiving 45 channels from across Europe. Every room has a balcony, which is big enough to seat 4 people.

The food was very good and for the first time on a package holiday we weren't buying meals away from the hotel. The food is served buffet style. The kids as they missed breakfast, brought snacks at the hotel for lunch. The prices were pretty reasonable - 1.50E for a plate of chips and 3.50E for a ham and cheese baguette.
A lot of people changed for the evening meal so I would recommend that guests pack some smart casual wear. I was disappointed that tea/coffee was only available at breakfast and not for the evening meal.

Drink prices at the hotel were reasonable by UK standards but expensive for the locality. At the hotel a beer and three cokes cost 9.50 E. Elsewhere at the resort we paid no more than 7E for the same round of drinks. Entertainment is provided on the hotel patio each evening. Once a week a group from Cetinje undertakes local folk dances. They are well worth seeing. For the other nights the entertainment is provided by a local soft rock band playing Abba, Eagles covers. OK for a couple of nights but the band played the same playlist each evening. Even in August it got chilly on the patio so I would recommend that a sweater be taken.

The swimming pool is large and accordingly never gets too crowded. Unfortunately there is a shortage of sunbeds/deck chairs around the pool. If you haven't got a towel on the chairs by 0830 then forget it for the day.

The staff were friendly and keen to help. For instance our coach to the airport left at 0430 in the morning. Without a request the hotel had made up a meal pack for us to take to the airport.

The local beach is about 300 metres from the hotel. It's a nice beach but don't be taken in by the claim that ";it's the most spectacular beach in the Med."; There is a ";Queen of Montenegro Hotel"; section on the beach. Even as a resident you have to pay10E for two sunbeds and a parasol. We used this section of the beach as the free areas were heaving. Slightly less crowded on the beaches towards Budva. The beaches in Budva itself are even more crowded. The area between the hotel and the beach largely consists of litter strewn scrubland.

The hotel is actually in Rafilovici. There appears to be no real centres to either Becici or Rafilovici. If you turn left at the beach towards Rafilovici there is a large number of restaurants and bars. If you turn right there is small number of shops and restaurants and bars. There is a lot of construction work going on the beach front in Becici. It takes about an hour to walk into Budva. The old town is well worth a visit.

It proved difficult to get into Budva in the evening. The road system got gridlocked and the buses were full when they reached the local bus stop. We found the best way into Budva was to walk along the beach promenade to Rafilovici and got on the mini - train at the terminus. Again if you waited at the local stop the train was full. There is a standard one way fare of 2E. By the tram terminus at Rafilovici there is a boat that goes to Budva old town. The boat we got left about 2030 and cost the same as the train. The cost of a taxi from the hotel to the old town is 10E.

We found the buses from Budva to other areas of Montenegro to be cheap, frequent and reliable. We went to Cetinje and Kotor. The cost of each of these journeys was only 2.50E. Kotor is a mini - Dubrovnik and well worth a visit. If you're interested in Montenegrin history then Cetinje is a must. We also went to Dubrovnik and rafting on the River Tara using local travel agencies. Both these excursions are recommended. Using local agencies saved us about a third when compared to prices booked through the reps of the UK tour operators.

Overall we were pleased with the hotel and would view it as a sound four star hotel. Montenegro is a good value destination and we never felt that we had been ripped off.
Due to crowding I would recommend that school holidays be avoided if possible

We stayed at the Mediteran between 24th June and 8th July 2006. I will say that this hotel is spotlessly clean but we did have issues with the management due to the fact that we had booked seaview rooms with Cosmos which cost £70 each person and we received the worst view in the hotel. No matter who's fault it was, the management would do nothing to help us, in fact we never saw the manager at all so it was left for the receptionist to sort out.
Needless to say we got stuck with these rooms, this plus a six hour delay at Heathrow, started the holiday off on the wrong foot.

A few more niggles with this hotel - they insist that they keep your passport for the length of the stay which we pointed out is illegal. They admitted it was but it was the hotel's policy, we found out that it is due to the fact that if any damage occurs in your room you will have to pay before receiving your passport back. (a broken glass cost one person 25 euros). Apart from these niggles, the hotel is quite nice. I picked it because of the private section of the beach and this was perfect. Although it's a shingle, pebbly beach the set up is great. So much space between loungers and really comfortable loungers, shades with a small table and ashtray. The lads that run it really look after it and will stop anyone coming into this beach area.

The area around the hotel is clean and Beccici plaza has numerous eating places. We ate at lunchtime in Maximes which was cheap and tasty.

This hotel is well situated for getting into Budva, there are taxis outside which cost 7 euros or the holiday train which costs 2 euros each then on the mainroad approx 100 yards from the hotel, you can catch the bus or they also have a dolmus type system which you flag down and costs 1 euro each. We did walk into Budva a few times and this takes about 45 minutes to the old town.

We stayed on a BandB basis in the hotel so we could try all the different restaurants and we were not disappointed. In the old town we thought that the Konoba Stari Grad was good, the Chinese was much different not like at home, very bland food. The Hot Moon was nice but far too much food on the plates, which I suppose is a good thing.
We thought that for us the Zeleni Gay along the Slovenska Obala was the best place to eat, good food and service.
While walking along the plaza I noticed how tall the montenegrians are, I was told later that they are the 2nd tallest race in the world.

All in all we enjoyed our stay in Montenegro but the Hotel Mediteran could do better, they don't change currency,they have no laundry and you feel that the hotel is more of a business hotel and not a holiday hotel.

Newly refurbished Hotel. Just re-opened a week before we got there, so there were some teething problems. Most were eventually sorted out except air conditioning in rooms. Temperatures were creeping up so it might be a bigger problem for those travelling now. Still some minor building work going on outside the hotel. Great wellness centre with very good staff and good value. Pool area small and few sunbeds considering the size of the hotel. Beach area much better place to set up camp for the day.

Resort itself reasonably good with good restaurants provided you like fish. Very cheap to eat and drink. Just a few of the usual tourist shops. Shop Assistants very pushy so don't touch unless you want to buy!
Budva itself is a reasonable walk away and worth going to. A little train runs from Becici into Budva which is a great way to go there. Buses are also good and cheap. The walled town itself is great and the promenade area, but other parts are a bit seedy.

Sveti Stefan is a short distance in the other direction and is very pretty. Petrovac is also worth a visit. You can go by boat or by bus, but the boat is best.
Don't bother with the capital - it's a dump and beggars pester tourists.

All in all a good place to go if you are a couple or have very small children. No good for teenagers or those looking for discos.

Arrived at 10pm to find that they had double booked our room but had found us accomodation at The Oliva Villa apartments opposite the hotel, this turned out to be what i can only describe as clean but very tatty with doors hanging off,broken toilet seat and when you sat on the bed you bottomed out, we eventually moved into hotel Palas after 2 nights here,

When we first got to our new room the room had not been cleaned from the previous occupant so we just left our cases ther e and went to the beach it had been cleaned when we come back,The room was ok with a fridge, sheets changed every 2 days but the room was not cleaned properly every day, the bath was only cleaned once a week.
The restuarant does not have a smoking or non smoking area so if you are a none smoker you could find yourself sitting next to one. The food was awfull nearly always luke warm and rearly hot, waiters seen handling food with bare hands and you had to check the butter in case it was moldy which happened to me on 3 consecutive mornings we both ended up with bad stomach complaints as well many others.
On both the Tuesdays we were there the water is turned off from the early hours am to mid morning.

We were at the front of the hotel with a sea view but every morning a bar which was 50 mters from the front of the hotel on the beach would turn his music on at between 6-6.30am loudly and this would go on till late into the night.

The pool had cracked tiles and green algea growing on the bottom and is not very child friendly it starts at 1.50 meters and at the end of the day the terrace around the pool was hosed down with the water going into the pool.

The beach was stoney and a very coarse sand and very dirty it was like sunbathing in an ashtray, you could hire sunbeds and umbrellas for 2 euros each. the beach would get very busy and very noisey approximately every 20 mins or so a taxi boat would come with its music blearing out very loud you could catch these taxi boats right off the beach and go to any of the other of the beaches along the coast.

Petrovac has a small prominade along the front which can be very busy at night with lots of bars and stalls selling seaside tat, this is the only holiday we have brought half our money back as there is nothing to spend your money on.

Went on 3 tours the Skardar lake 38.00 euros pp this was a lovely trip and well worth the money, The fish picnic by boat 35.00 euros pp and the Montenegro tour by bus for 30.euros pp this was a great tour the mountain scenery was great the only thing that spoilt for me was when we passed a group of school children they waved at us first then proceded to spit at the bus and flytipping is a huge problem in the mountains,but you will see some fantastic sights like The bay of Kotor from high up in the mountains.

Montenegro is a very poor country and has a long way to go before it catches up, the staff at Hotel Palas were not vey helpfull and we had no apology for double booking our room and just about every other english holiday client that arrived on the 5/9/04, they had booked in a seminar ( we booked in January) and it was these poeple that took our rooms, apparently according to our rep Hotel Palas has done this before

Week in Budva, Montenegro was part of a two-centre stay through Holiday Options.

Tour operator was efficient throughout, its reps and tour guides helpful and friendly.

Hotel Admiral is classed three and a half star, but three would be more accurate. One imagines it gets the extra half for its air conditioning, which still seems the exception rather than the rule in this country. We were certainly thankful for it; it was around 40 deg C most of the time we were there.

It's not a bad hotel. The rooms are comfortable, with mini-bar, TV, phone and a good size balcony. No bath, just a shower. The pool area is perfectly good. It doesn't take credit cards, or cash travellers' cheques, which is an inconvenience. But what particulary let it down for us was the food. It needs more thought and effort here. The menu was limited and dull, and there was the peculiar practice of having to order the evening meal the night before (just after you had finished your dinner). No doubt it saves on waste and saves the hotel money, but it's not convenient for the guests.

The hotel's private beach on the island of Saint Nikola was oversold in the brochure and consequently a little disappointing. The facilities do not open until later in the season, and with a working boat yard and ongoing building works, it wasn't as relaxing and conducive to enjoyment as it might have been. But the hotel did provide a courtesy water taxi to and from it, and we did find a shady and peaceful spot and pass a pleasant enough few hours here.

Budva as a reort was too down market for our taste. Its main focus, Slovenska beach, about 300m from the hotel, was crowded, noisy and unhygienic, with a number of filthy open drains in evidence. If you followed the beach about a kilometre along a promenade lined with fast-food outlets, gimcrack amusements, tourist tat, and pounding pop rhythms, you arrive eventually at what is the resort's one redeeming feature, its old town, with narrow, shady streets, pleasant bars and restaurants and a good view over the bay from the old citadel.

But Montenegro is not all as grim as this. The people are friendly, and it is quite cheap (away from the hotels). Pizza and ice cream lunch, about £1.80; bottle of local wine in supermarket, about £2.20. Some of the scenary is stunning. The excursion to Skarda Lake was one of the best I've been on in any country. A leisurely cruise on the lake, with swimming from the boat, and some quiet drifting in the backwaters to view amazing birdlife. Then ashore for an alfresco lunch of wild carp (taken from the lake) and local wine. Wonderful.

So don't be put off Montenegro. But try a resot other than Budva. We visited Kotor, and this seemed good. And people spoke highly of the celebrated hotel at Sveti Stephan (although this doesn't come cheap)