Luxury Vacations in Montenegro

On the waters of Lake Skadar, birds flock overhead while kayaks paddle through lily pads, skimmed by dragonflies. Island monasteries are reflected in the water, freshwater sands gleam on the shore, and the hillside of Pavlova Strana rises up like a sandcastle on the beach, its moat formed by a ribbon of waterway.

Like neighbouring Croatia, little Montenegro is an outward-bound land of mountains, undulating coastline and Byronic beauty, but much of it feels more under-the-radar, less explored. Lazy summer days are spent in hidden coves, cooling off amid the Adriatic blue, or hillside villages where geckos bask on sun-warmed stone. There are pops of glamour, of superyacht glitz. The private islet of Sveti Stefan, where Sophia Loren once dallied; the new marinas and hotels of Porto Montenegro. The fjord-like Bay of Kotor, a UNESCO World Heritage site, leads to the walled city of Kotor, Montenegro’s riposte to Dubrovnik, with its romantic Venetian architecture and old-town squares. Nearby Perast is a baroque beauty; Budva has beaches and nightlife. A Balkan jewel.