Day 1: Arrival and First Impressions

Finally, the time had come: my birthday week had arrived, and with it our long-awaited holiday in Montenegro. Since Albania had impressed us so much the previous year, we wanted to explore another Balkan country.

Even the approach by plane was spectacular. Beneath us rugged mountains rose, and the jagged coastline offered a first glimpse of what awaited us during this trip.

After our landing in Tivat, a private driver was already waiting for us. We had not expected this, which made the surprise all the more pleasant.

Since the road from Kotor to Budva is currently being expanded, the drive took disproportionately long. At the same time, this gave us the opportunity to gather some first impressions of this wonderful country and to get recommendations from our driver—insider information you won’t find in any travel guide.

We finally arrived at the hotel, we were able to check into our room on the second floor immediately. We were thrilled right away.

There was a double bed, a sitting area, and a balcony from which we could overlook the entire bay of Budva.

The best part, however, was the coffee corner: a capsule machine, coffee capsules, and two cups were provided. We knew at once that we would feel at home here!

After unpacking, we first went to look for a restaurant. We were already very hungry.

The hotel had two exits. The main exit led directly to a large parking lot and the coastal road. A supermarket was located there as well, which we would visit many more times.

Another exit led directly to the beach promenade. There were numerous restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops.

Not far from our hotel, we discovered a cozy restaurant right on the beach. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch there and would return several more times over the next few days—we liked it that much.

Despite the unique location, the prices were absolutely fair and the portions generous.

Well-fed, we made our way back to the hotel.

There, we immediately explored the pool, where we would spend the next few hours. At first glance, the pool was rather disappointing.

It was much smaller than it had appeared in the hotel description. If you photographed it from the right angle, you could recreate the images from the hotel brochure, but calling it an “infinity pool” was rather daring.

However, since there were never many people at the pool and the view from there was wonderful, the disappointment faded, and we enjoyed several lovely hours of pure relaxation.

The pool area also had a bar where you could order food and drinks at any time. Naturally, we made good use of that as well.

At one point, we also wanted to take a dip in the sea. So we went back down to the beach.

The water was refreshingly pleasant—the temperature was perfect. We enjoyed the cool water to the fullest and then returned to the hotel.

In the evening, we grew hungry again. We got ready and walked back to the beach.

Not far from the hotel, we discovered a restaurant whose terrace on the first floor offered a wonderful view of the beach promenade and the sea.

We ordered regional delicacies and enjoyed a delightful dinner.

After the meal, we strolled a bit along the beautiful promenade and visited one or two souvenir shops. It was a pleasant evening.

Before long, however, we felt the fatigue of the long day and decided to head back to the hotel.