If I knew very little before I visited Croatia, I knew even less about Montenegro. Being only four hours from Dubrovnik by bus, it seemed like the perfect next stop – partly because the Croatian beach resorts were already becoming ridiculously priced during high season and partly Montenegro has some beach resorts of its own.
Little did we know that the beach resorts in Montenegro, or more specifically the town of Budva where we chose to go, are the summer playground of the Russians and Serbians. This means that there are Speedos, frizzy hairdos, far too much makeup and beer guts awaiting you on every corner. Much like every other holiday beach resort in the world, then. Oh dear.
Driving through Kotor on route to Budva, we thought we’d made a mistake. Most people who visit Montenegro simply visit Kotor, known for its old town located in the midst of amazing fjord-land scenery. And when we arrived in Budva and it seemed to consist of sprawling high-rises and shopping malls, we were dismayed.
But once we started to explore, we found that Budva actually has two very different faces.
On the one hand there is the old town with its medieval stone walls (which you can walk for free), its narrow cobbled streets lined with gelateries and boutique shops and its stunning red rooftops.
On the other hand there is a tacky beach side strip of bars and clubs reminiscent of something you would find in many a overrun tourist beach destination. In short, it appeared to be the Jersey Shore of Montenegro.
As the days passed, we actually started to enjoy both sides of Budva. We revelled in the tackiness of the beach strip and its overenthusiastic touts. We laughed at the drunk tramp dancing outside the newly opened nightclubs. And of course we adored wandering the streets of the old town, looking for pizza by the slice and as-yet-undiscovered alleyways.
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Budva taught me that you really can’t judge a book by its cover.
We ended up staying there for 10 days, something which we’d never expected to do. The beaches are pebble and getting into the sea is a hilarious and yet uncomfortable experience (unless you’re one of the few who don’t mind wearing Crocs – in which case, I don’t want to know you). It is noisy, busy and touristy. And yet, there is a relaxed feeling in the air. One of holidaymakers having fun and making the most of their two weeks vacation – something which as a backpacker you don’t come across very often. We felt at home there, felt as though for once we weren’t being judged on how many miles we had flown or how many hostels we had stayed in. For once, we actually felt like we were just on holiday like everyone else.
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