MENU
FIVE questions
you should
ask ...
CALL US
Speak to one of our travel
experts within 5 rings
020·7962·9933

Which of these is important to you?

  • Concierge style service. Your own dedicated travel manager who'll look after you until you travel.
  • Better value. Exclusive fares you won't find online to save you money.
  • 24 hour helpline. A worldwide team just a phone call away if you need help while you're overseas.
  • 98% rate us excellent. More highly rated than our competitors with 98% saying they'd book again.
  • Risk free. Fully licensed with Client Trust Account to protect your money. ABTA, ATOL protected.

Your calls always answered within 5 rings.

x
Read the reviews? Call us now on 
020·7962·9933
Tell us what you need. We'll find you a solution
Europe Offers 34
Europe Reviews 10229
Europe Fly-Drives 5

Is Montenegro the new Monte Carlo?

Bling in the Balkans, as the hot yacht crowd head for the Adriatic. James Hughes-Onslow reports...

You have to admire the pluck. Porto Montenegro, once the main base for the Austro-Hungarian navy, is now home to super-yachts, gin palaces, infinity pools, nightclubs, fleets of helicopters – and a frisson of controversy.

It has Monte Carlo in its sights; St Tropez and Porto Banus, too. The development, at Tivat, in the Balkan state of Montenegro, is the first state-of-the-art deep water marina in the Adriatic. It will eventually have berths for 650 yachts, 150 of them super yachts up to 150-metres long.

It's part of a community of luxury apartments, shops, restaurants and entertainment amenities. An 18-hole golf course is also planned nearby.

The rumour was that Casino Royale was filmed there, an appropriate connection because Fitzroy Maclean, sometimes thought to have been his friend Ian Fleming’s model for 007, fought in the Second World War with partisans in the hills along the Dalmatian coast. In fact, Daniel Craig performed his dashing feats elsewhere but the image has not done Montenegro's ambitious tourist industry any harm.

Canadian gold-mining billionaire Peter Munk, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Hungary, is the chief investor. A friend of Munk's from Toronto says that when he visited Porto Montenegro seven years ago, the site resembled Pearl Harbor after the Japanese attack.

Not any more. Its first five-star hotel, The Regent, recently opened and Lord Rothschild, an investor, was there to witness it.


View from the Regent Hotel


'It's a miracle.' he said. 'I look forward to coming back here again and again.' Sadly, there was no sign of his old friend Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch.

The latter has a house here but has fallen out with Montenegro prime minister Milo Dukanovic over an aluminium smelter he bought, later putting many local people out of jobs.

Porto Montenegro is the deepest natural harbour in Southern Europe and Kotor Bay is said to contain 42,000 species of fish. Tivat has a small airport, although most visitors use Dubrovnik airport 27 miles away.

Nearby, the town of Kotor is a UNESCO World Heritage site with charming cobbled streets and baroque, Venetian and Austrian architecture. It's surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery.

Two cold war submarines are now open to the public, and the sawmill and repair yard have become a maritime museum.

Lord Byron described Kotor Bay as 'the most beautiful encounter of land and sea'. What he would make of modern Porto Montenegro we ?will never know. But it's some spectacle.


First published in March 2015

More articles below...

For more inspiration, read what travel writers have to say...

Montenegro rediscovered

A new-found clamour for glamour awaited Jeff Mills in this chic little Balkan country

Greece is still divine

And this family resort is heavenly, says Jeremy Daniels

Highlife in Cannes

Film producer Frank Mannion tells you how to live like a star here

Loving Lyon

Giles Milton revels in the culinary capital of France

Good Morning Crete!

Charlotte Hawkins recharges her batteries on the Greek island

Magnificent Madeira

There’s a reason the capital is called Fun-chal, says Louise Thomas

Luxury afloat

On a super-yacht, Stephen Cole proves big isn't always best

Greek cliff-hanger

Louise Saunders discovers an iconic hotel carved into the volcanic cliff face

Milan glamour

Deirdre Fernand explores this treasure-house of culture

Florence in a flash

Italy's famous art capital wows with culture galore and delicious food

I just adore a parador

From magnificent castles to luxurious converted convents, Dave Balow takes a tour

Weekend in Seville

This Spanish city is perfect for a short break

Turkish delight

Yoga enthusiast or not, you'll love this oasis of luxury, says Sofia Zagzoule

The Durrells' Corfu

Read Thomas W. Hodgkinson's guide to their enchanting isle

Break for Rome

David Dillon and his sons discover the Italian capital

San Sebastian

A feast for the eyes and the tastebuds, as Martin Symington discovered

Sparkle at the Ritz-Carlton Abama

Anne Murray takes a lingering look at a hotel of unabashed luxury

The Marbella Club

The Spanish resort is still full of panache, as Mark Palmer discovered

Soulful Mallorca

Kate Amey reports from the luxurious Jumeirah Port Soller Hotel and Spa

Cypriot ultra spa

How did destination spa Anassa measure up?

Warm up in Iceland

Sky News presenter Kay Burley luxuriates in a steaming lagoon and marvels at the Northern Lights

Kefalonia's hue

Martin Ogden makes his very own Odyssey to the idyllic haven

Who couldn't love Lisbon?

Caroline McGuire gives you the lowdown on this perfect city break

Falling for Formentera

Ibiza's neighbour - but quiet and chic, as Mark Palmer discovered

The heroic island

Miranda Seymour reveals why fans of the magical holiday spot of Malta return every year

La Dolce Vita in Portofino

Sarah Turner discovers Hollywood’s heyday at the Hotel Splendido

Simply baking in ancient Greece!

Bake Off star Candice Brown has a delicious time in Halkidiki

My Mykonos adventure

Denise van Outen's dream of exploring a Greek island comes true

Madeira madness

Taking free-kicks in Madeira with Cristiano Ronaldo

Towering Tuscany

Take me back to my dream destination, says Mark Palmer

Dining in Palma

Sarah Gilbert savours the delights of Palma on a plate

Portugal's pousadas

Magnificent hotels with wall-to-wall history

Seductive Sardinia

Why Sardinia was a dream worth waiting for, says Lisa Brady

Vibrant Valencia

Is this cultural treasure house Spain's finest seaside city? Michael Hodges gives his verdict...

Croatia's Islands

Frederick Tratt explores the unspoilt gems off Croatia's fabulous coastline

Croatia's Tuscany

Unspoilt Istria does a great impression of rural Italy, writes Jane Horrocks

Florence and Milan

Make a long weekend in Italy twice the fun

Twin cities

Connect two fascinating cities by train on a European mini adventure

Not quite what you're looking for?
We can easily customise an offer to suit your exact requirements

x