It was a two hour journey north from Ulcinj to the major tourist town of Budva, north up the coast on the cheap and reliable Montenegrin bus service.  As Budva is renowned for its beaches I have to admit that we didn’t do anything on the first day apart from swimming and eating on our first day, from our base at the Hippo Hostel on the edge of town.

Sveti Stefan, Montenegro

The next day we started by getting a bus on a short 20 minute journey back down the coast to the exclusive resort of Sveti Stefan.  The resort was one of the classiest in Europe during the Yugoslavian days with clients including Doris Day and Queen Elizabeth II, but seemed to be in a bit of a transition period when our Lonely Planet was published 3 years ago.  As a result we didn’t know how much we would be able to see.  The tiny island itself, connected to the mainland by a small narrow spit of land is amongst the most photographed places in the Balkans.  Unfortunately when we arrived, as dramatic as it was, it was clear that it was the island itself, rather than any specific buildings on it that, that was the hotel and access was for clients only.  To prove to you just how exclusive the whole place was, access to two of its beaches was available however it came at the price of 20 or 50 euros.  Having planned to spend our entire morning there we found that, as mere mortals, there was only enough for half an hour of photo taking before we turned round and headed back to Budva.




Budva Old Town




The sea against Budva walls