Mountains of Montenegro and Cultural Croatia

Still untouched by many despite cruise ship passengers arriving in their thousands, Montenegro still retains its charm and 'oldy worldy' approach to welcoming these numbers.

In Kotor it is almost like stepping back in time, even outside of the Old Town walls - it is definitely not overly commercial (no fast food chains here) and copes incredibly well with the visitors. Inside the Old Town walls there are many squares and narrow streets a few places to eat and plenty of places to watch the world go by. There are a great range of restaurants, from simple outlets serving great hearty food, many still with Italian influence, to intimate white linen waterside tabled venues, and something to suit all budgets.

We opted to spend five nights here and I think that that is a good duration as you can visit plenty. A car is probably useful but only for those who can hold their nerve, a trip behind the wheel is not for the faint hearted.

Aside from that the bus service is fairly good and we visited Perast. Travelling around by bus or even taxi is relatively inexpensive too and there are many options for tours (private and otherwise) by water.

Dobrota is short walk into Kotor and on the Eastern side of the Bay this is where we stayed. I have the details of a few hotels I checked out that I would recommend in terms of location. There are some small boutique and simple self-catering apartments on the seaside road, and simple is all it needs to be, you don't need luxury here as it is all about location. There is no real need for a pool as people swim in the bay all day long, and you can kayak, stand-up paddle board, pedalo and take numerous boat trips to various Islands.

For the more adventurous (and if you have a head for heights) the fortress walk is amazing and offers incredible views as you move to and from the top, and I would say it is a well worth it but it's single-track at times. Back down on lower ground, where I prefer to be to be honest, the bay is just beautiful whichever way you look.

We didn't visit Lake Skadar but I believe it is worth it, and Budva for the Old Town and the sandy beaches although this is much more touristy so a bit of a compromise perhaps. Montenegro is a slower pace of life and you should certainly head here for a few days to relax, surrounded by beauty.