Our news section offers business, investment and lifestyle related news from Montenegro, but also international news and trends that affect Montenegro’s major industries. We also deliver news related to Montenegro’s major investors and their global presence.

Montenegro&rsquo;s Citizenship-by-Investment is in full swing.&nbsp; First applications have been submitted, four certified projects to select from in coastal and mountain area with more to come pending certification process.
We at GRAY INTERNATIONAL can guide you through the process and help you select the option that best suits your needs.
The Montenegro Citizenship-by-Investment Program was launched by the Government of Montenegro as part of its ongoing efforts to attract foreign direct investment and increase economic activity in the country.
The Montenegro Citizenship-by-Investment Program requires applicants to make a defined economic contribution to Montenegrin society through an investment in an approved development project, and a capital contribution to a fund designated by the government for the advancement of under-developed areas. In exchange, and subject to a stringent vetting and due diligence process, including thorough background checks, applicants and their families are granted citizenship.
Benefits of Montenegrin citizenship
Visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 124 destinations including Europe&rsquo;s Schengen Area, Russia, and Turkey
Citizenship in a country that is an official EU candidate country
Citizenship in a multinational and multilingual European community that enjoys a mild Mediterranean climate, beautiful scenery, and a low cost of living
Citizenship in a member state of the European Monetary Union, the NATO Alliance, OSCE, and the WTO
Full citizenship granted to the applicant and included family members
Political and economic stability, underpinned by a business-oriented government

Business

Henley and Partners

Citizenship by Invesment program is in full swing

&ldquo;Just as if I have returned to town from the most beautiful fairytale of my childhood.&rdquo; Sophia Loren
The great Italian actor is a fan. Roughly the size of Northern Ireland but with less than a third its population, Montenegro is experiencing a long overdue tourism renaissance. This small country clinging to the edge of the Adriatic Sea in southeast Europe is set to enhance its luxury offer. Its tourism may date back to the 14th century when Sjora Roza boasted a tavern and caf&eacute; but it wasn&rsquo;t until Montenegro regained independence in 2006 that it started securing travel destination status. Like Northern Ireland, you can only travel about 150 kilometers or so before driving into the sea or crossing a border. Unlike Northern Ireland, it averages 250 sunny days a year.
Where nature ends (five National Parks), architecture begins (three cultural Unesco World Heritage Sites). Durmitor National Park alone has 82 kilometers of canyon, 23 peaks over 2,300 meters, 18 glacial lakes and is home to 163 bird types and 1,500 flora species. It may have beaches stretching for nearly 300 kilometers, but Montenegro takes its name from the Italian for &ldquo;Black Mountain&rdquo;. Swim in the morning; ski in the afternoon.
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news21-1653031756.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Herceg Novi on Boka Bay is known as &ldquo;The City of the Sun&rdquo; and &ldquo;The City of 100,000 Steps&rdquo;. It&rsquo;s both. Although &ldquo;City&rdquo; is pushing it for somewhere with 30,000 residents, the same population as Ballymena in Northern Ireland. The Nobel Prize Poet Laureate Ivo Andrić went further, describing it as a place of &ldquo;eternal greenery, sun and promenades&rdquo;. The setting is impossibly romantic: mimosa cloaked historic buildings cluster at the foot of Mount Orjen where it meets the coast. The walled Old Town, or Stari Grad, is an eclectic mix of architecture. Not surprising, considering Montenegro has belonged to six Empires &ndash; Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Venetian, Napoleonic and Austrian &ndash; followed by a stint in Yugoslavia before becoming the People&rsquo;s Republic.
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news22-1653031780.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Now, Herceg Novi is set to expand. &ldquo;Montenegro essence&rdquo; is the strapline for the new waterside development Portonovi. It aims to capture on 26 hectares all that is great about the country. A destination within a destination. A microcosm of Montenegrin discernment. The site was a military base &ndash; 90 buildings from the 20th century were demolished. One very precious building was saved: a 16th chapel with rare 18th century frescoes. It is being carefully restored and returned to its original use. The Government is retaining the freehold of the whole site but went out to international tender for its redevelopment. Ahmet Erentok, Chairman of Azerbaijani company Azmont, who won the contract explains, &ldquo;Portonovi is our largest investment outside the Azerbaijan.&rdquo; It will total almost &euro;1 billion (&euro;960 million to be exact) when complete.
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news2cover-1653033215.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
General Manager Stevan Milic relates, &ldquo;Portonovi has two kilometers of coastline and a 238 berth marina. There will be 8,500 square meters retail space and a further 7,500 square meters of multifunctional floorspace. Amenities will include high fashion shops, jewelers, galleries, a gym, health club and Espace Chenot Spa. The first phase, opening in summer 2019, will deliver 214 homes including 50 rental properties.&rdquo; The average home is &euro;1.6 million for 157 square meters of accommodation. Prices range from &euro;600,000 for a one bed to &euro;11 million for a six bed villa. The first One&amp;Only Hotel in Europe with 10 branded villas will open in 2020. Its standard room will be 65 square meters. &ldquo;Europe&rsquo;s largest smallest room!&rdquo; smiles Ahmet. The hotel will include two restaurants: Locatelli Italian and Tapa Saki Japanese. A sandy beach, tennis courts, water features and gardens will bind the built and natural environments together.
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news23-1653033243.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
&ldquo;Portonovi is typical Mediterranean style with lots of stone, wooden pergolas and vivid colors,&rdquo; Stevan points out. &ldquo;It looks like it&rsquo;s been here for ages! Other designs are completely different with lots of glass. But there&rsquo;s a nice unity. Each group of homes has a pool and all the penthouses have their own rooftop infinity pools. The buildings only go up to a maximum five storeys and the slope of the site allows most properties to have sea views. Portonovi is a very high end resort of the type you can find in France or Italy.&rdquo; Its Italian contractor and developer, Pizzarotti, are renowned for top end schemes in Monaco and New York. British architects Harper Downie add to the international talent collaboration. The cross border marina and helipad include passport control, customs and police. Tivat airport is just 15 minutes travel by boat. A VIP helicopter summer service from Dubrovnik adds to the luxury transport options.
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news24-1653033258.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Serpentine corniches snake round the coastline of Boka Bay. Verige 65 is an arrow shaped restaurant and bar built on a former parking lot at the bay&rsquo;s narrowest point, 13 kilometers from Portonovi. The views are spectacular and constantly changing with the weather &ndash; Montenegro lives up to its &ldquo;wild beauty&rdquo; tagline &ndash; as the clouds and mountains merge and disentangle at a moment&rsquo;s glance. Local tour guide Liset Kuhar calls the tiny islands in the middle of the bay in front of Verige 65 &ldquo;our two little pearls&rdquo;. She notes, &ldquo;Our Lady of the Rocks was manmade in the 1400s. St George is a natural island with a Benedictine monastery dating from the 1100s.&rdquo; Chardonnay served comes from Savina winery in nearby Herceg Novi.
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news25-1653033271.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Perast and Kotor are two Unesco World Heritage Sites close to Portonovi. Liset refers to Perast as &ldquo;a little piece of Venice&rdquo;. Bujović Palace is one of its many architectural gems. Designed by Venetian Giovanni Battista Fontana in 1694 for Vicko Bujović, Commander of the Town Fleet, the palace is what American philosopher Marilynne Robinson would call &ldquo;an exploration of a glorious mind&rdquo; set in stone. Liset continues, &ldquo;Perast is a gorgeous baroque town built by seafaring noble families. Kotor is like Perast with stone walls and terracotta roofs. The town walls of Kotor date back to the ninth century.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news26-1653033285.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Over dinner in Porto, a traditional restaurant in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica, the Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism Pavle Radulović acknowledges Montenegro isn&rsquo;t very well known yet. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a challenge; it&rsquo;s an advantage. We&rsquo;re trying to spread the tourist season which at present is concentrated from April to October. We&rsquo;re diversifying the offer. We want the upper class of clientele to come to the Bay of Kotor. In Boka Bay in particular, we&rsquo;re encouraging high end luxury tourism. We know how to cater for the needs of high net worth individuals. We&rsquo;re not targeting the mass market in Boka Bay. We&rsquo;ve different plans for other places. For example, we&rsquo;re promoting Budva as a party town. DJ David Guetta played there recently. We want to elevate all levels of tourism.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news27-1653033298.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Pavle is in charge of the largest Government department which covers climate change, spatial planning and the environment in general. Ecology is written into its constitution. His broad remit of sustainable development and tourism is key to increasing national prosperity while keeping the country unspoiled. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve opened over 50 hotels in the last two years,&rdquo; he adds. &ldquo;Tourism has grown to two million visitors in 2018 bringing &euro;1 billion to the economy. But we&rsquo;re very careful with growing our offer. We&rsquo;re building a product. This is the place to visit; this is the place to live. We have the second deepest canyon in the world and one of the biggest natural reservoirs in Europe.&rdquo;
<img src="https://cms.thebestofmontenegro.com/storage/content/news28-1653033310.jpg" alt="" width="750" height="422" />
Ahmet believes real luxury is &ldquo;when you feel really comfortable, where you can be yourself in your own zone. Portonovi is a place to escape, to call up your friends and hang out for two or three days or longer. We could&rsquo;ve invested anywhere but we chose Montenegro for the beauty of the country. The people are very hospitable, very committed, very friendly. Most importantly, I want Portonovi to be the number one project, the best place in Herceg Novi, the best place in Montenegro!&rdquo; It&rsquo;s difficult not to wax lyrical about Montenegro in winter, from the glimmering amber sun fading behind the onyx shaded clouds to the emerald green hills dotted with lemon quartz mimosa trees and alabaster alpine resorts reaching down to the golden speckled strands and clear sapphire waters. This country really is a jewel in the crown of the Adriatic Coast. The great English poet was a fan.
&ldquo;At the birth of our planet, the most beautiful encounter between the land and the sea must have happened at the coast of Montenegro.&rdquo; Lord Byron

Lifestyle

Luxury Travel Magazine

A visit to the Bay of Kotor

Latest European country to offer residency and citizenship to investors
MONTREAL, July 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ &ndash; After years of consideration, Montenegro has finally decided to join the ever-expanding list of countries seeking to attract foreign direct investments through citizenship by investment programs, starting in October 2018 for a limited number of 2,000 applicants from non-EU countries.
According to the World Bank, Montenegro is one of the fastest growing economies in the Balkans and is quickly becoming a key destination for some of the most important industries around the world due to its strategic position. As a young state, it truly offers a unique potential for investors seeking mobility, safety, security, opportunity, and increased quality of life.
In 2015, Arton Capital held a seminar with round-table discussions for government officials on the multitude of benefits that citizenship by investment programs can bring to Montenegro. Present at the two-day event were also local business leaders and industry stakeholders.
With the simplicity and optimality of the Montenegro Citizenship by Investment Program (CIP), there has never been a better time to invest in Montenegro.
The investment requirements are as follows:
<ul>
<li>&euro;100,000 in the form of a Government Fund Donation, and</li>
<li>&euro;250,000 investment in approved real estate in an undeveloped region (north of the country), or</li>
<li>&euro;450,000 investment in approved real estate in a developed region (south of the country).</li>
<li>At a starting investment of &euro;350,000, Montenegro&rsquo;s program will prove to be one of the most competitive in Europe.</li>
</ul>
What makes the program even more attractive is its application speed, which allows permanent residence status within 3 weeks- without undermining thorough due diligent processes. Citizenship is then granted within a period of 6 months as permanent residents.
The Montenegrin passport is currently ranked 37th in the world by The Passport Index, allowing citizens visa-free travel to 115 countries, and is expected to grow significantly following EU accession.
A NATO member, Montenegro is on the agenda for future enlargement of the European Union by 2025. It already uses the euro as its currency and is in the process of integrating EU legislation into national law.
Home to one of the world&rsquo;s most spectacular yachting harbours, Porto Montenegro, which was acquired by Investment Corporation of Dubai for over US$200M, the south has become one of the finest luxury destinations in the region, with luxury brands such as Regent and Aman Resorts.
With Montenegro&rsquo;s prominent natural beauty and sophistication, tourism in the north has also begun to play a vital role for the nation. From their famous Lake Skadar to the beauty of mountainous Kolasin, where Arton Capital has already brought major investors such as Sheraton and Westin, developing the vast potential in the northern region has become a priority.
&ldquo;Investing in Montenegro is a great opportunity that has just got even more desirable,&rdquo; said Armand Arton, founder and president of Arton Capital. &ldquo;We fell in love with the country, the breathtaking topography and the welcoming people. During the Global Citizen Forum hosted in Sveti Stefan last year, our guests were simply amazed,&rdquo; added Mr. Arton.
Following the launch of the CIP, one can only begin to imagine the succession of luxury developments that will unfold within Montenegro.

Investment

The best of Montenegro

Montenegro announces its Citizenship by Investment program

Interest and excitement in Montenegro has been brewing for a while now, but with at least three new luxury developments in Boka Bay, secret is definitely out.
The epitome of small but perfectly formed, Montenegro, with its population of just more than 621,000, is currently Europe&rsquo;s hottest destination. A picturesque land of rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its stunning Adriatic coastline, it&rsquo;s little wonder that this backdrop was chosen as a location for the hit HBO series, Game of Thrones. Attracting an international mix of clientele, this tiny Balkan country offers buyers a mix of ancient charm and traditional courtesy, alongside great investment potential. Development has been thriving in the likes of Budva for some time, but international interest has now turned to Boka Bay, Europe&rsquo;s only fjord and home to the town of Kotor, winner of Lonely Planet&rsquo;s &lsquo;Best in Travel 2016&rsquo; accolade. The luxury sector in this area is booming, with three primary developments leading the way. From a marina big enough for your mega yacht, and a mixed-use destination resort that will include Europe&rsquo;s first One&amp;Only hotel, to a entire new-build town, you&rsquo;ll find it here in Boka Bay.
Lustica Bay
From Orascom comes an ambitious project that looks set to shape Boka Bay forever. Lustica Bay site spans 690 acres of rich vegetation and panoramic vistas (only 6% of which will be developed), with a masterplan that will include an 110 key marina hotel, a boutique hotel, residences, both bespoke villas and marina townhouses, a 176 berth marina and an 18 hole Gary Player golf course, all within phase 1. Lustica Bay, which is anchored in the philosophy of healthy and active living, is one of the largest integrated destination projects currently under development in the country. Last summer proved somewhat of a landmark time for Lustica Bay, for it welcomed its first homeowners who, in turn, became the foundations of a burgeoning community. This year, construction continues apace, with building work already begun on the F Buildings, the next phase of real estate, while the Kuzmarin buildings will follow a month later. Sales at Lustica Bay continue to impress, with 90% of the Lavanda and Kuzmarin clusters already sold. Significant progress has also been made over the winter months at Lustica Bay&rsquo;s marina, due to complete by Summer 2017.
Portonovi
A 360 lifestyle destination, the Portonovi site commands a glorious coastal position and will comprise 290 homes. Ranging from luxurious, spacious townhouses set in the heart of its Mediterranean-style village, to stylish villas in landscaped gardens, and sleek penthouse apartments overlooking Portonovi Marina, this resort has been designed as an elegant Montenegrin village. A graceful pedestrian environment will reflect the surrounding architecture of the Dalmatian coast. In its first foray into Europe, the One &amp; Only will be bringing its superior brand of luxury resort to Portonovi, offering approximately 140 rooms, villas and residences, as well as an Espace Chenot spa, two beach clubs and tennis courts.
Porto Montenegro
Porto Montenegro is the most vibrant marina-side shopping village in the Adriatic, offering premium real estate opportunities alongside the first-class living. Bringing together established international brands and local businesses, this dynamic mix of designer boutiques and restaurants is the anchor to a gorgeous marina, capable of welcoming even mega yachts. The apartments around the marina have been hugely successful, and now the next phase of development is underway for further luxury residencies at Porto Montenegro, next to the fabulous Regent Hotel. Open, airy interiors feature high ceilings, large windows and expansive terraces, while the architecture reflects the historic influences of the Venetian Republic. Internationally acclaimed designer Tino Zervudachi has planned each property, individually sourcing materials both locally and from around the world. Within easy walking distance is the chic Porto Montenegro Yacht Club, a prestigious hedonist&rsquo;s playground with room to host large-scale events, overlooking the stunning 64m infinity pool, end article section

Goodbye Monaco, Hello Montenegro

Montenegro may not be the first destination many American-based superyacht owners and crews think of when they are looking for an ultra-lux destination. But, the truth is, Porto Montenegro can accommodate any superyacht.
In fact its recently been awarded The Yacht Harbour Association&rsquo;s Superyacht Marina of Distinction Award. And for those of you who may not know that much about this small country on the Adriatic, it&rsquo;s rich in history and as you can see in these photos, strikingly beautiful.
And oh yeah, Porto Montenegro currently has dock space for over 450 large yachts, and can handle superyachts up to 820-feet long (the largest yacht size currently in circulation)! Free 24hr yacht assistance, state-of-the-art facilities, a multi-lingual team and a tax and duty-free fuel station are just some of the features that make Porto Montenegro a popular Mediterranean superyacht destination.
In fact, Porto Montenegro is a cool destination even if you don&rsquo;t own an 800-foot-long superyacht. In addition to the large marina, the area is also home to 228 luxury apartments, and enough restaurants, bars, cafes, shops and amenities (and even a five star Regent Hotel with over 80 luxury suites and apartments) to keep even the most spoiled traveller in the lap of luxury.

Forbes

Is the Best Superyacht Marina in Monaco, Miami, Maui, Or… Montenegro?

Dramatic Adriatic coastline, ancient towns have attracted investors to this tiny Balkan nation. Just 12 years after declaring its independence, Montenegro is gaining traction in its ambitious goal of becoming one of the dominant players in the Balkans luxury-resort business.
The tiny country&rsquo;s first celebrity-endorsed golf course&mdash;designed by Gary Player&mdash;is scheduled to launch next month as part of Lu&scaron;tica Bay, Montenegro&rsquo;s biggest resort development. That same day, Lu&scaron;tica Bay&rsquo;s developer, Egyptian firm Orascom Development Holding, is planning to open the resort&rsquo;s first five-star hotel, the Chedi Lu&scaron;tica Bay, with prices for its 111 rooms and suites starting at &euro;400 (around $468) a night.
The projects will join the dozens of hotels that have opened since 2006 in Montenegro, as part of government plans to increase hotel beds in coastal areas, where the vast majority of tourism takes place, some 194% to 100,000 by 2020. Several major resorts are under construction and partly operative, with another half dozen on the drawing board.
Foreign investors who showed up early are cashing in. In 2007, for example, an investment group including Peter Munk, the Canadian founder of mining company Barrick Gold Corp. , paid $26 million for a 99-year lease on a rundown, government-owned naval site on the Bay of Kotor. Other members of the group included Russian metals tycoon Oleg Deripaska and banking-family scions Nathaniel and Jacob Rothschild.
The group turned the development named Porto Montenegro into a marina for superyachts and a luxury village, complete with shops, restaurants, an international boarding school and a five-star hotel managed by Taiwanese company Regent. The entire resort was acquired in 2016 by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, the principal investment arm of the Dubai government, for an undisclosed sum.
Porto Montenegro&rsquo;s 290 apartments have sold out. &ldquo;Prices have risen from around &euro;4,000 per square meter to around &euro;7,500 per square meter over the period of the development,&rdquo; says John Stephens, sales manager of Porto Montenegro.
Montenegro, which means black mountain, is benefiting from its dramatic, craggy Adriatic coastline, often described as Europe&rsquo;s southernmost fiord, and Unesco-listed Bay of Kotor, pinned into the shape of a butterfly by soaring granite peaks and lapping the ancient towns of Kotor and Perast.
The growth of its resort industry is a case study in how governments can stoke foreign investment with business-friendly policies. Montenegro, a candidate to join the European Union, has adopted the euro as its sole legal tender, facilitating investments and helping to control inflation in recent years. Its foreign-trade law offers significant tax exemptions to overseas investors that open local companies.
&ldquo;The government of Montenegro has made developers and investors feel appreciated,&rdquo; said Ahmet Erentok, chairman of Azmont Holdings, which is developing Portonovi, a &euro;830 million resort that started delivering its first apartments last year and will welcome superyachts later this summer.
Other countries that were part of the former Yugoslavia have tried to cash in on their natural charms, but budget-friendly beach destination Croatia, for example, has lacked Montenegro&rsquo;s laser focus on elite tourism and the yachting community. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s where it&rsquo;s believed Montenegro can surpass Croatia in terms of the quality of its accommodation and tourism infrastructure, as well as the traveler experience,&rdquo; said Joe Stather, associate director at CBRE.
Some critics, including the United Nations culture and heritage organization, Unesco, have warned that excessive development could spoil the natural beauty drawing tourists to visit in the first place. The agency threatened to strip Kotor&rsquo;s listing last year citing damage done by real-estate construction, uncontrolled tourism and the docking of large cruise ships.
Montenegro&rsquo;s tourism revenue was &euro;846.4 million last year, or around 22% of GDP, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council. It is expected to exceed &euro;900 million this year, making it one of the fastest-growing destinations in Europe.
Only 43% of hotel rooms were occupied on average in 2017, according to CBRE data, although occupancy rates have climbed from 29.3% in 2007. Revenue per average room was also unimpressive last year at $36.70, after creeping up from a low of $24.93 in 2010. High-end resorts command triple figures.
The numbers are low partly because, like its neighbors, Greece and Croatia, plenty of rain means that many hotels close in the winter, and direct flights are harder to find. &ldquo;Montenegro is a seasonal destination,&rdquo; said Alexandros Moulas, director of international development consultancy at Savills.
Montenegro declared its independence from Serbia in 2006. At that time, Montenegro had only a handful of modern hotels, and no high-end resorts. Investors and buyers of vacation homes took notice.
&ldquo;Ten years ago, there were a lot of Irish and Russian buyers, but we&rsquo;re now seeing much more Turkish and Middle Eastern money,&ldquo; Mr. Moulas said. &ldquo;And they&rsquo;ve changed from pure lifestyle buyers to investing for yields and capital appreciation.&rdquo;
At Azmont&rsquo;s Portonovi project, one-bedroom properties are being marketed from &euro;324,000, while Sky Villas with private pools start at &euro;7.8 million.
Like other developers, Azmont has been invited to join Montenegro&rsquo;s Foreign Investment Council. The government has also actively courted developers of large-scale resorts for its coastal regions in a bid to avoid piecemeal construction, according to Savills.

The Wall Street Journal

Business-Friendly Government Boosts Resort Business in Montenegro

This story originally appeared in the March/April 2018 issue of Elite Traveler. With its soaring mountains and sublime coastline bordered by the deep-blue Adriatic, tiny Montenegro is adored by yachtsmen and adventure-sports enthusiasts. The National Tourism Organization of Montenegro&rsquo;s motto is &ldquo;Wild Beauty,&rdquo; and indeed the country&rsquo;s unspoiled nature and sparkling-clean sea are major draws. Add to this luxurious accommodations (several five-star hotels were recently renovated), ancient walled towns, boutique wineries and slick marinas, and this hidden gem punches well above its weight
<h3>Turquoise Adriatic</h3>
Montenegro&rsquo;s most-lauded destinations are the historic ports of Kotor and Budva. Kotor, with its miniscule car-free old town, filled with noble Baroque buildings and protected by Venetian fortifications, sits at the end of the meandering 17-mile-long Bay of Kotor, often referred to as Europe&rsquo;s southernmost fjord. Surrounded by mountains and overlooked by a string of sleepy waterside villages, the Bay of Kotor is a Unesco world heritage site. Nearby, in Tivat, Porto Montenegro is a 450-berth superyacht marina&mdash;arrange a one-day private charter to explore the bay by sailboat. Further down the coast, Budva, founded by the Greeks in the 4th century BC, is perched on the open sea. Now notably popular with wealthy Russians, the Budva Riviera is home to Montenegro&rsquo;s best beaches as well as the islet of Sveti Stefan. Much loved in the 1960s by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, it is now an Aman resort.
<h3>Magical Parks</h3>
Beyond the coast, you enter a dramatic mountainous landscape. All five of the country&rsquo;s national parks are breathtaking, but lovers of the outdoors will be especially enamored with Durmitor, where Tara Canyon makes an exhilarating venue for white-water rafting; Lake Skadar, where you can try kayaking through waters dotted with lilies and inhabited by rare birds; and Biogradska Gora, which contains six glacial lakes and virgin forest populated by bears and wolves.
<h3>Wine Tastings</h3>
<h4>Plantaže</h4>
Montenegro&rsquo;s biggest wine producer can be found just outside Podgorica, with impressive cellars housed in a former military aircraft hangar. Tours take you through the manicured vineyards aboard a miniature train, followed by a talk and tasting with an array of savory snacks. Its bold red Pro Corde is made from the indigenous Vranac grape.
PLANTAZE.COM
<h4>Vinarija Kopitović</h4>
In a typical old-fashioned konoba (cellar), with exposed stone walls and heavy wooden tables and benches, this family-run winery is near vast freshwater Lake Skadar in the historic village of Donji Brčeli, where the Kopitović family has lived since the 15th century. Try their ruby-red Poskok, which is named after a local snake due to its strength.
VINARIJAKOPITOVIC.COM
<h4>Savina Winery</h4>
On a hillside above the sea in the coastal town of Herceg Novi, this boutique family-run vineyard hosts short guided tours followed by a tasting on a stone terrace with
spectacular views. Try their light, summery Chardonnay and robust Merlot. Also take a look in the neighboring Savina Monastery, dating from the 17th century.
CASTELSAVINA.ME
<h3>SEAFOOD DELIGHTS</h3>
<h4>Nobu Montenegro</h4>
Within Aman Sveti Stefan, this summer pop-up Nobu, co-owned by chef Nobu
Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro, opened in June 2016. Come here for an ultraromantic
dinner on a hillside terrace with stunning sunset views of the Adriatic. Order a Ruby Razz cocktail (fresh raspberries, Stoli Razberi, cr&egrave;me de cassis and champagne) before feasting on Nobu&rsquo;s irresistible rock shrimp tempura with spicy creamy sauce, and his signature black cod miso, reputedly De Niro&rsquo;s favorite.
NOBURESTAURANTS.COM
<h4>Chef&rsquo;s Table</h4>
The concept at this Porto Montenegro restaurant is personalized private catering in a white-marble, open-plan kitchen/dining space. Executive chef Goran Delač grew up with a fisherman grandfather in Tivat, so he&rsquo;s a hands-on expert when it comes to local seafood. He&rsquo;ll help you devise a menu&mdash;his signature dish, inspired by the diversity of the Adriatic, is a mixed plate of carpaccio, baby shrimp, monkfish, shrimp mousse and truffles. Minimum spend is $1,770, and reservations are essential.
PORTOMONTENEGRO.COM
<h4>Konoba Ćatovica mlini</h4>
Step back in time at this early-19th-century stonemill in Morinj, overlooking the Bay of Kotor. Set in lush gardens with a stream, bamboo grasses and ducks, it&rsquo;s now a family-run restaurant specializing in traditional Montenegrin seafood, with an emphasis on fresh local shrimp. Take a candlelit table on the lovely stone terrace and order the chef&rsquo;s speciality: yellow risotto made from shrimp and fragrant saffron, or the monkfish and shrimp skewers, accompanied by a colorful seasonal salad.
CATOVICA-MLINI.COM
<h4>Ribarsko Selo</h4>
At the mouth of the Bay of Kotor, this rustic-chic eatery attracts sailing parties, who moor their yachts along the quay and come ashore to eat on the waterside terrace shaded by white awnings. There&rsquo;s no menu&mdash;the choice changes daily depending on that morning&rsquo;s catch. Expect barbecued John Dory or sea bass, served with organic vegetables from the garden and homemade olive oil. There&rsquo;s a bathing deck with double beds (massages available) and sea kayaks for guests&rsquo; use.
RIBARSKOSELO.COM
<h3>TOP SUITES</h3>
<h4>Presidential Suite Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora</h4>
Lying just off Podgorica&rsquo;s main square, the Hilton makes a refined base for exploring the inland mountains. Dating from 1953, it reopened after a total renovation in 2016. Elegance prevails, from the marble lobby to the eighth-floor Sky Bar, which serves cocktails under the stars, and the Doclea Spa. Of the 180 rooms, top choice is the Presidential Suite, featuring marble floors, a spacious open-plan living room, kitchen and dining space, and floor-to-ceiling windows that afford panoramic views over the city and surrounding mountains.
From $1,150 per night. Contact Danijela Vuksanović, corporate sales,
DANIJELA.VUKSANOVIC@HILTON.COM, +382 20 443 443, HILTON.COM
<h4>Sveti Stefan Suite Aman Sveti Stefan</h4>
Rising proudly from the turquoise Adriatic, Sveti Stefan is a 15th-century fishing village on a fortified islet, joined to the mainland by a causeway. In 2009, following the renovation of its medieval stone cottages and cobbled alleys, it opened as an Aman property. It incorporates the Villa Miločer, an Aman Spa and two blissful pink sand beaches. Super-indulgent couples stay in the two-story Sveti Stefan Suite with king-size bedroom, lounge, fireplace, dining area, steam room and stone terrace with gorgeous sea views and a private pool.
From $4,300 per night. Contact Tapa Tibble, general manager, TTIBBLE@AMAN.COM, +382 33 420 000, AMAN.COM
<h4>Pool Club Penthouse&nbsp;Regent Porto Montenegro</h4>
Overlooking the superyacht marina at Porto Montenegro, this grand Venetian-Renaissance style hotel opened in 2014. Facilities include the nearby Yacht Club Pool, a stunning 210ft infinity pool jutting out over the Bay of Kotor. Reserve a Pool Club Penthouse, with a wraparound terrace with private Jacuzzi and sundeck, plus a lounge and dining area bordered by a wall of French doors offering dramatic sunset views over the bay.
From $7,700 per night. Contact Roza Sokolova, front office manager, ROZA.SOKOLOVA@REGENTHOTELS.COM, +382 32 660 660, REGENTHOTELS.COM

Elite Traveler

Elite Traveler – Guide to Montenegro

Hotel company GHM is continuing its expansion into Europe with a new luxury, 5-star hotel in the prestigious location of Lu&scaron;tica Bay in Montenegro in the Balkan Peninsula. GHM began in 1992 and made its name in Asia, and focuses on providing guests with a unique lifestyle experience in hotels that have a unique character that always resonates with its location.
The Chedi Brand, part of GHM&rsquo;s portfolio, is set to open a new 111-key hotel in Montenegro&rsquo;s Lu&scaron;tica Bay in July 2018. This hotel will be the brand&rsquo;s second in Europe and will benefit from the pristine location on Montenegro&rsquo;s largest fully integrated resort development on the Lu&scaron;tica peninsula overlooking the beautiful Bay of Kotor. This area is known for its charming setting which includes 7km of coastline, historic architecture and settlements and rolling hills into which many of the old buildings are set. There are also a number of upper-class marinas, a hillside golf course and a wealth of outdoor activities to participate in, including hiking, biking, and sailing.
The Chedi Lu&scaron;tica Bay not only boasts 111 guests rooms but also 60 condominium studios, making it one of the largest luxury hotels in the area. The new hotel is designed by Atlanta-based designers TVS Design and will be in keeping with the local vernacular architecture for which the area has become famous. This will give the hotel identity and character and help it blend in with its surroundings. The interiors will be designed by GG &amp; Grace and will lend a bright, airy feel to the hotel while taking advantage of the views and beautiful scenery by using materials that accent the pristine coastal location. A mix of bold splashes of color and a more neutral primary palette will give the hotel its own unique character and offer guests moments of relaxation or inspiration.
The Chedi Lu&scaron;tica Bay also has state of the art spa and wellness facilities, including a fully-equipped gym, and offering relaxing treatments that will make you feel completely spoiled and rejuvenate mind, body, and soul. The hotel has two restaurants that overlook the water and use the freshest local ingredients to whip up mouth-watering meals. Choose from a Mediterranean buffet or Asian-inspired snack bar, and sip a cocktail at one of the three bars located across the property.

Lifestyle Montenegro

Chedi Brand expands into Europe with new hotel in Montenegro

February 12, 2018 &ndash; As many major tourism investments in Croatia are stuck for years in paperwork, a luxury revolution is happening to the south in Montenegro. Why and how Croatia is losing a major opportunity to become the luxury destination of choice on the Adriatic.
After 15 years living in the Balkans, the last six working in the media, there is little that surprises me about this wonderfully complex and addictive region, and there is even less that has the power to stun me.
Last week was a monumental exception.
You have to understand that during these fifteen years, I have been in constant contact with foreigners coming to Croatia &ndash; as tourists, as expats and as property buyers when I had my own real estate agency. Living on Croatia&rsquo;s premier island of Hvar, life as a property broker was not too difficult back in 2004, as buyer after buyer jumped off the ferry to buy anything for sale.
The whole region was a property hotspot. I too headed down to Montenegro and bought and sold stone houses in 2005 &ndash; you simply couldn&rsquo;t fail. The Russians were at it too, especially around Budva. And the developers came, buying up huge chunks of land to build resorts and apartment blocks which would make their fortunes. I know of at least eight land purchases on Hvar which were over 20,000m2 for that very purpose, including one of over 1 million square metres.
And yet, some 14 years later, the largest legal development on this gorgeous island so popular with A-list celebrities is a block of 12 apartments. It is not for the want of trying.
Just over 3.5 years ago, I wrote an article for a Canadian news site entitled Croatia and Greece: A Tale of Two Nikki Beach Resorts, in which I looked at the fate of two planned resorts where the land was purchased in 2007 and 2006 respectively. It was a story which was picked up by the national media the next day, including an interview with the then Minister of Tourism, Darko Lorencin. The Greek resort announced in 2010 that they would open on August 1, 2014. Greece, a country not known for its efficient bureaucracy, delivered on time. Meanwhile in Croatia, the Norwegian investors who made a sizable downpayment on the 80,000m2 near Sucuraj on eastern Hvar still did not own the land seven years after that purchase in 2007. They even offered to pay the full amount into an escrow account &ndash; to be paid to whoever won the ownership claim &ndash; if they were allowed to proceed with a 270 million euro investment which would bring 500 jobs to the town, a request which was rejected.
Seven years has become eleven. The realities of property investment in Croatia.
Even projects which seems to have full official support, such as the Four Seasons Brizenica Bay project on Hvar, are encountering problems. Publicly backed by Minister of Tourism Gari Capelli last year at a ceremony near Zagreb and scheduled to open in 2019, no construction work has yet started. This is on the same island as the Nikki Beach Resort mentioned above, an island where many foreigners have bought land to develop, but where the biggest legal new construction in the last 15 years has been that block of 12 apartments.
The island of Hvar is by no means alone in its problematic building permits. Just ask the Israeli investor above Dubrovnik whose plans for a golf course seem to be ending with a 500 million euro lawsuit against the State. Or the Russian investor in Dubrovnik&rsquo;s Hotel Belvedere, where public objections to the development of this once grand Dubrovnik hotel seem to be stymying yet one more major development project.
The message to international tourism investors is really quite clear &ndash; Croatia is hard work.
And while this was all (not) happening, something rather extraordinary was taking place just a few kilometres south of Dubrovnik. Back in 2007, Canadian billionaire Peter Munk purchased a waterfront plot marina in the unspectacular small town of Tivat in Montenegro. When Porto Montenegro opened in 2011, it was already one of the top superyacht destinations in the world. A destination which could have been Croatian. Different sources in Montenegro told me that one location considered was the Trogir shipyard near Split, and another that Dubrovnik would have been the location for the superyacht heaven, if only the then prime minister had allegedly not been so greedy. A superyacht paradise in the Pearl of the Adriatic went instead to a sleepy village across the border which today competes rather well with its more famous Croatian neighbour in the luxury market. Today, Dubrovnik residents are some of the more regular weekend visitors in the winter months, as Tivat is offering shopping, gourmet and entertainment options not available back home.
I have driven through Montenegro many times in the last ten years, but rarely have I had time to visit. I heard the stories of large property purchases, of Russian influence and of Putin&rsquo;s anger when the last non-NATO country &ndash; and one of the Orthodox faith at that &ndash; joined NATO. But apart from Porto Montenegro, I had paid little attention until my visit last week. Over the last few years, we have reported on many planned tourism developments in Croatia, many of which seem to get stuck in the planning phase. If just 10% of them had actually come to fruition, what a different place Croatia would be in terms of luxury tourism.
Which is why last week was that monumental exception that left me totally stunned.
I had heard of the new Lustica Bay luxury destination, but knew nothing about the detail. The peninsula I knew to be spectacular &ndash; it was where I had bought property back in 2005 &ndash; and I knew that back then there had been little to no development, and that the area was probably one of the last truly unspoiled slices of paradise which could be developed. What I did not know was just what an amazing project was planned, but which was &ndash; unlike many in Croatia &ndash; going ahead at full speed.
A project which was going to transform a staggering 7 million m2 of Lustica into the most ambitious and luxurious development in south-east Europe.
A development which was actually happening.
A chain of circumstances dictated that I ended up spending three nights in an apartment in Lustica Bay and got a little more access to this fascinating story than I otherwise might have.
Here was a development which was moving full steam ahead which will feature no less than seven luxury hotels, two marinas, an entire small town and entertainment centre, with facilities including a school and an 18-hole Gary Player golf course. AND it was actually happening!
During my visit, there were no less than 530 construction workers building, building, building. Of these, 45% were Montenegrin workers (the rest from neighbouring countries such as Serbia and Bosnia and Hercegovina). When the destination fully opens, it will provide 2,500 permanent jobs. These numbers contrast with an article I did recently on TCN looking at the biggest job creators in Croatia today. Apart from Uber, which is creating 1,500 new full and part-time driver opportunities a year, the largest creator of new jobs in Croatia in 2016 was a construction company with just 723 new jobs. Let&rsquo;s not forget that the population of Croatia (at least those who are left&hellip;) is more than six times bigger than Montenegro. The first of the hotels, the luxury Chedi Lustica Bay is due to open in July, with marina promenade, restaurants and shops, while some of the residential part of the development opened two years ago (with buyers from over 30 countries &ndash; including Montenegrins &ndash; so far).
More than the breathtaking setting and plans, it was the fact that things were actually happening and the actual concept which stunned me so much.
<a href="https://youtu.be/_D9Eu0leMKc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH VIDEO</a>
Have you heard of a town called El Gouna in Egypt? Nor had I until last week. I am sure I have not got the story completely right, but an Egyptian entrepreneur bought some land, built a house, built some for his family, his friends, his contacts. Fast forward to El Gouna today, a privately-owned community of some 25,000 inhabitants, including its own university.
A concept which is coming to Montenegro. Or rather, a concept which is already here.
As Croatia pushes papers around the table for 15 years, a luxury tourism revolution is taking place just a short drive south.
What I liked most about Lustica Bay was the meticulous approach. Unlike some luxurious waterfront resorts around the world which are gated communities, the integration of the local community is a core concept. Prior to acquiring the site, the developer met with the local villagers from the adjoining village of Radovici. The project was presented, the benefits, employment opportunities explained, and a commitment to invest a minimum of 150,000 euro per year into the Radovici community built into the contract. Last year, that figure amounted to 256,000 euro. Perhaps the most intriguing sponsorship so far has been in the making of a film about the peninsula, The Black Pin, produced by local boy, Ivan Maronovic. Watch the trailer below.
<a href="https://youtu.be/uDnRluq0EX0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH VIDEO&nbsp;</a>
The heart and soul of the Lustica Bay resort with be Centrale, a residential and entertainment centre which will provide life 12 months a year, and which can only benefit life on the peninsula. The whole complex is built in traditional Montenegrin stone village style, very authentic and with a truly exceptional attention to detail.
I could go on at length about Lustica Bay, but I am conscious not to come across as an unintentional sales outlet for Lustica Bay &ndash; even though it sells itself. You can check out the website here and one of the many official videos below. Because there is SO much more to write about what is happening in Montenegro, while Croatia shuffles those papers.
<a href="https://youtu.be/rQeVrHAmOEE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH VIDEO</a>
But before I go, a quick visit to the golf course in the video below. For as Croatia braces itself for a US$500 million lawsuit from an investor spurned, work is moving forward on Lustica. The driving range will be finished for this season, 4 holes by next summer and the whole Gary Player course open by 2021. One of the main challenges &ndash; water &ndash; is being resolved with a special partnership with the local Tivat authorities.
Partnership. I was surprised to learn that this 1.1 billion euro investment was 10% owned by the Montenegrin government. It makes things easier, apparently. And gets an interested state partner moving things forward.
When I got back home to snowy Varazdin, I sent a message to three friends who work in the luxury tourism business.
&ldquo;Here is a scenario. You receive an enquiry from a client on his yacht at Porto Montenegro, asking you for three options in Croatia for him to take his friends to find something of the same quality. Name the three.&rdquo;
Two of my friends replied with exactly the same question. Existing places in Croatia, or planned ones? Hahaha, planned ones like Nikki Beach on Hvar, now entering its 12th year of non-ownership, perhaps. My other friend was even more interesting in her reply:
&ldquo;Haha. Montenegro is 2020 and Croatia is 1995.&rdquo;
And &ndash; sadly &ndash; in terms of luxury tourism on the Adriatic, that is the reality. And nothing will change in Croatia, as gorgeous as She is. This is not an article to bash Croatia, my adopted home, and a place I have come to love, but if it serves as a tiny wake up call for those with the power to change things, it will have been worth it. This is also not an article to eulogise about Montenegro, far from it. Corruption has not gone away, parts of its coast are overbuilt, the infrastructure is creaking, the State employs an astonishing 90,000 of its 650,000 population.
And yet&hellip;
I met so many people in the hospitality industry last week who were (tired) Croatian veterans. They look ten years younger, engaged, enthused, for things are actually moving. My residence permit took 20 minutes, not a week &ndash; can you imagine! said one, illustrating the difference from the daily grind in Croatia.
And while Porto Montenegro may have been a fluke &ndash; perhaps there were freak conditions allowing it to happen when papers should have been shuffled for another ten years &ndash; it is not alone. Lustica Bay dwarfs pioneering Porto Montenegro, while Portonovi is another major development about to come online in Herceg Novi.
And, just to prove this is no fluke, the international brands which are avoiding Croatia, are investing in Montenegro away from the coast. Oberoi will open its first resort in the region not on the Adriatic, but on Lake Shkadar, on the border with Albania, while Montenegro&rsquo;s main ski resort town of Kolasin already boasts a Sheraton, with more on the way.
Montenegro is open for business for luxury tourism development in a way that Croatia is not &ndash; and cannot be with the current setup. You can&rsquo;t blame Tito, socialism or the Serbs for that one.

Total Croatia News

Lessons from Montenegro: Why Luxury Lustica Bay Will Never Happen in Croatia

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 &ndash; and festering controversy.
It&rsquo;s has Monte Carlo in its sights; St Tropez and Porto Banus, too.
Boats, boats everywhere you look: The harbour at Porto Montenegro is the place to park your super yacht +3
Boats, boats everywhere you look: The harbour at Porto Montenegro is the place to park your super yacht
All it needs now is a little time and a few more millions.
For the rest of us, watching its development will be fun. Canadian gold mining billionaire Peter Munk, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Hungary, is the chief investor.
A friend of Munk&rsquo;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, has just opened and Lord [Jacob] Rothschild, an investor, was there to witness it. &lsquo;It&rsquo;s a miracle.&rsquo; he said. &lsquo;I look forward to coming back here again and again.&rsquo; Sadly, there was no sign of his old friend Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch.
Serene scene: The Regent, which opened in August this year, is Porto Montenegro&rsquo;s first five-star hotel +3
Serene scene: The Regent, which opened in August this year, is Porto Montenegro&rsquo;s first five-star hotel
The latter has a house here but has fallen out with the prime minister Milo Dukanovic over an aluminium smelter he bought, later putting thousands of local people out of jobs.
Porto Montenegro is described as the deepest natural harbour in Southern Europe and Kotor Bay is said to contain 42,000 species of fish. It is next to the town of Tivat, which 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 baroque, Venetian and Austrian architecture. It is surrounded by spectacular untouched mountain scenery.
Porto Montenegro is still in touch with its past.
Two cold war submarines, now open to the public, stand on the harbour shore, and the sawmill and repair yard have been turned into a maritime museum.
Lord Byron described Kotor Bay as &lsquo;the most beautiful encounter of land and sea&rsquo;.
What he would make of modern Porto Montenegro we will never know. But it&rsquo;s some spectacle.

Daily Mail Online

Why Porto Montenegro is the new hotspot for the European smart set

As a travel stylist (yes, it&rsquo;s a job), Maria Paradisis of Where In The World Is Paradise? knows a thing or two about where to visit next. Here, she highlights four must-visit destinations that will have you feeling like the globetrotter you always wanted to be.
Lefkada, Greece
If paradise was a colour, it could be the striking light blue of the water at Egremni Beach on the Greek island of Lefkada. The island is located in the Ionian Sea, and Egremni, on its south west coast, is one of its longest beaches at 2.5 kilometres.
Lefkada is the birthplace of the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the site of Sappho&rsquo;s suicide. Porto Katsiki is another favourite beach on the island. The name translates to &lsquo;Port Goat&rsquo;, as formerly only goats could reach this area. Located on the west coast of Lefkada, it is accessible via approximately 80 steep steps down a remarkable cliff.
Panarea, Aeolian Islands, Italy
The idyllic sleepy island of Panarea, located north of Sicily, is accessible only by boat. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Panarea is the smallest of the Aeolian Islands. Transport on this boho chic island consists of golf carts or Vespas but most people choose to walk. Don&rsquo;t miss sunset drinks at Hotel Raya, dinner at Da Pina and, if time permits, custom-made sandals at Moda Mare.
Take a day trip to Isola Di Basiluzzo for a swim and head to neighbouring Stromboli, a volcanic island and much-loved home to Dolce and Gabbana, for a late dinner. On Stromboli, the tiny village of Ginostra (with a population of 40) is a must-see. Located at the opposite side of Stromboli to the main settlement, the vibe is slow and peaceful with a couple of restaurants and donkeys for transport. Stargaze your way back to Panarea.
Montenegro
There is much to do in this tiny Balkan paradise. The enchanting village of Perast, nearby man-made island Our Lady of the Rocks and the UNESCO-protected, medieval walled town of Kotor are must sees. If cobblestone streets lined with cafes, churches and museums isn&rsquo;t your thing, then don&rsquo;t miss Tara River Canyon &ndash; at 82 kilometres and surrounded by 1,300-metre cliffs, it is the deepest canyon in Europe.
Head to Porto Montenegro, which, at 250 metres is the largest superyacht berth in the world, for lunch, drinks and shopping.
Located close to Budva, the long stretch of sand at Jaz Beach hosts an impressive line-up of live music in the summer &ndash; Madonna and The Rolling Stones have played here.
Connected to the mainland only by a narrow walkway, Aman Sveti Stefan was once a fortified village dating back to the 15th century. Reminiscent of a fairytale, it has since been converted into a luxury hotel and is definitely one for the bucket list. The cottages are inspired by authentic Montenegrin fishermen&rsquo;s homes and feature lanterns in each window. The lanterns are a tribute to the fishermen&rsquo;s wives who used the light to help guide their husbands home safely from the sea.
Chengdu, China
A city of over 14 million inhabitants, Chengdu is the capitol of China&rsquo;s Sichuan province. It is a UNESCO City of Gastronomy and home to delicious Sichuan cuisine, featuring the hot and numbing Sichuan peppers.
The surrounding area, Chengdu Plain, is known as the &lsquo;Land of Abundance&rsquo; and the &lsquo;Country of Heaven&rsquo;, with more than 70 per cent of the world&rsquo;s panda population found in the area.
The Giant Panda is a national treasure and you can observe them enjoying their favourite pastimes: sleeping and eating. You can head up high in the mountains, and even volunteer for the day as a panda keeper.
There are many festivals to attend in Chengdu such as Grand Temple Fair, Lantern Festival and Huanglongxi Fire Dragon Festival, as well as Monasteries and Temples to visit including Qingyang Temple, considered to be the birthplace of Taoism&rsquo;s founder Lao Tzu.
Chicago, USA
Located in the state of Illinois along Lake Michigan, Chicago &ndash; fondly known as the windy city and Chi-Town &ndash; is one of my favourite cities in the USA.
Home to the renowned basketball team Chicago Bulls as well as arguably the best burger in the world (Au Cheval), the city boasts a vibrant arts scene, amazing museums and popular upmarket shopping strip The Magnificent Mile. You will find Millennium Park located in the heart of the city, set against an impressive architectural backdrop. Don&rsquo;t miss The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise &ndash; you&rsquo;ll get the lowdown on the city and buildings such as Willis (Sears) Tower, Merchandise Mart, Marina City and Aqua.
Be sure to try their deep-dish pizza and the classic Chicago-style hot dog.
Maria Paradisis offers a glimpse into her many discoveries &ndash; think pristine beaches, first-class cabins and plush hotel suites &ndash; via her Instagram account, @whereintheworldisparadise.

Vogue

A travel stylist shares four must-see destinations to add to your 2018 bucket list

With its rugged mountain views and glistening seaside ports, it&rsquo;s surprising that the charm and allure of Montenegro has been reserved for locals or those visiting from other Balkan states. Thanks to new cruise ship routes, high-end hotel openings, and a flood of interest from off-the-beaten-path travel enthusiasts, Montenegro is quickly becoming the place to go on the Adriatic. From sweeping views to a fresh focus on food&mdash;and ample outdoor activities to keep your heart pumping&mdash;this often-overlooked country might be the most surprising place you visit in 2017.
Njegushi
Uncluttered Coastline
Although Croatia boasts more beaches and sprawling Adriatic coastline, Montenegro&rsquo;s claim to fame lies in its unspoiled terrain. The water&mdash;which is more opal than cerulean&mdash;sparkles in the afternoon sun and the bevy of pristine sandy beaches offer spellbinding views of the country&rsquo;s iconic limestone cliffs. Be sure to visit Budva, the country&rsquo;s hottest tourist spot&mdash;with a vaguely Miami vibe, it boasts a slew of buzzy (and fascinating) bars, a gorgeous old town, and miles of beaches. Not all of the beaches in this Venetian-inspired city are bustling, though; hidden down an unassuming narrow path, Mogren offers views without the crowds. Far quirkier is Ulcinj&rsquo;s 7.5 miles of picture-perfect shore, featuring one of the country&rsquo;s top nudist beaches and some of the best people-watching. A little more exclusive&mdash;and once the holiday playground of Marilyn Monroe&mdash;is Sveti Stefan, another stretch of coastline worth exploring. The medieval residential village turned luxury islet has a public beach that sits right outside of the city&rsquo;s walls that offers beachgoers an unparalleled view of the 15th-century buildings. With their outstanding red roofs, they cut a striking contrast to the astonishing blue water and the island&rsquo;s unique and craggily rocky coast.
Lushtica Bay
Foodie Dreams
The fare might seem recognizably Mediterranean as you hop from restaurant to restaurant in Kotor, Budva, or Sveti Stefan, but there&rsquo;s far more depth to the local cuisine than meets the eye. Thanks to the country&rsquo;s strong Balkan heritage, the dishes are just as influenced by neighboring Albania and Macedonia as they are by Croatia or Greece. The fresh-caught octopus is grilled and drizzled with olive oil and served alongside sarma (cabbage leaves stuffed with mincemeat) or slices of salted sheep&rsquo;s cheese arranged around platters of succulent vegetables. The flakey burek, which is inspired by the Turks, is stuffed to the brim with an assortment of cheeses, spinach, or meat and is best noshed for breakfast as you&rsquo;re strolling the streets of Kotor or Budva. For a hearty bite that&rsquo;s 100 percent traditional, head to Pod Valet, a carnivorous restaurant in the city of Podgorica, which offers hearty slabs of lamb kebobs, meat stews, and ćevapčići, a typical grilled southeastern dish of mincemeat made with sausages. For a meal that&rsquo;s a little less artery clogging, stop by Restaurant Conte on the Bonte Bay. Here you&rsquo;ll find locally sourced seafood dishes like the Perast appetizer, which is a bountiful collection of mussels, octopus, anchovies, and squid, and poached local fish served with succulent prawns.
The country&rsquo;s prime location on the Mediterranean means the seafood is bar none, which is precisely why famed restaurateur (and actor) Robert De Niro opened one of his world-renowned Nobu restaurants on the stunning Sveti Stefan island this past June. Although the yellowfin tuna and famous black cod are flown in, the other seafood is locally caught. Other high-end restaurants are joining Nobu&rsquo;s lead, so don&rsquo;t be surprised if you find more globally recognized eateries popping up in some of the country&rsquo;s newest luxury hotels (like the much-anticipated Chedi, slated to open in early 2018).
Hotel Marija in Kotor
Smaller Price Tag
Although a little more expensive than Macedonia and Albania, the prices in Montenegro are still a far cry from other Mediterranean hot spots, like Croatia and Greece. Even in the touristic areas of Kotor, meals rarely cost more than 30 euros. Same goes for lodging: A five-star hotel like Aman on Sveti Stefan are 10 percent less than similar properties in nearby Dubrovnik and you can rent an entire apartment with a balcony overlooking the Bay of Kotor for less than 30 euros a night&mdash;half the price you&rsquo;d pay for the same view and same amenities in Croatia. Prices do go up in the summer tourist season, so for even more savings, visit in the shoulder seasons. But probably the best testament to the country&rsquo;s prices are the tours. The Great Montenegro Tour, for example, takes you on a full-day excursion from Kotor up to Boka Bay, down to Njegu&scaron;i for breakfast, through Lovćen National Park to the town of Cetinje for a walking tour, a boat ride, and lunch around the Crnojevića River, then another walking tour of Budva&rsquo;s old town, a stop at Jaz Beach for swimming, and a nightcap of rakija in Kotor for a mere 35 euros.
Perast
Outdoor Adventure
More than just beaches and cities, Montenegro is actually one of the Balkan&rsquo;s best bets for outdoor adventure. Durmitor National Park is a great place to start, with its protected pine forests, crystal glacial lakes, cascading waterfalls, deep gorges, and abundance of well-marked trails. Formed by glaciers and traversed rivers, the more than 50 limestone cliffs create a dramatic background in photos, with the staggering Bobotov Kuk soaring above the rest at more than 2,500 meters in height. In winter, the park is a beacon for skiers, while summer brings with it rafting, hiking, and climbing enthusiasts. Also inside the park is the famous Tara River Canyon, which is Europe&rsquo;s deepest river (at more than 4,000 feet deep). The rushing river is most famously enjoyed on a raft, but the best panoramic views of the river flanked by the lush forests and limestone peaks come from the top of Mt. Ćurevac. For serious adrenaline junkies, the Tara River Bridge also touts an 865-meter-long zip line that soars above the rushing river rapids. Beyond the National Park, there&rsquo;s plenty of activity to be found in Kotor. The city&rsquo;s famous Fortifications, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers 360-degree views of the bay and the walled city. The Bay is also a hot spot for kayaking and canoeing, which also let you explore the complex collection of fjords that punctuate the coast.
Kotor
Push for Luxury
One thing that always put Montenegro behind the pack of its glamorous neighbors was the lack of luxury lodging in and around the country&rsquo;s most popular cities. However, with more visitors than ever crossing the border from Croatia to Montenegro, either by cruise ship or car, five-star properties are starting to populate the glistening bays. Luxury hotelier Aman, for example, was one of the first to open, and other high-end properties have followed suit. Notably the biggest opening for luxury yachters and millionaires was the Porto Montenegro, a stunning and expansive yacht marina that opened in 2010. Along with high-end residences, Porto Montenegro will also be home to a new Regent hotel later this year that will offer guests balcony views of the harbor. On the more affordable side of luxury is Starwood&rsquo;s Four-Points Sheraton, which will open in the ski town of Kola&scaron;in in February. One of the most talked-about openings won&rsquo;t happen this year, but the suspense of the new Chedi Hotel in Lu&scaron;tica Bay is enough to get people booking as soon as the site opens. The property will be the first five-star one to open in Boka Bay and will have two restaurants, a spa, a bar, a business center, and an incredible outdoor pool.
Kotor
New Cruise Itineraries
Although the locals will say there are already plenty of cruise passengers flooding the city of Kotor, 2017 is bringing even more ships and itineraries to the country of less than 1 million residents. Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Lines, and Celebrity are adding more stops to Kotor, while luxury brands like P&amp;O, Cunard, Viking, and Azamara Club Cruises will also add stops along Montenegro&rsquo;s glistening bay. Unlike Dubrovnik, which can welcome thousands of visitors at a time from multiple ships, the port authority of Kotor isn&rsquo;t as developed, which still means a far less crowded and overwhelming port visit.

6 Reasons Montenegro May Be This Year’s Most Tempting Travel Destination

Where is there to go now that is only a few hours flight from London, still pretty unexploited, yet guarantees beautiful landscapes and is at the cusp of becoming the next global luxury destination? Somewhere fresh and exciting, that combines the old world European style and luxury, yet still provides a little adventure?
Montenegro&rsquo;s history is diverse, complicated and like most of Europe a tale of battles won and lost. Following the collapse of the Roman empire, they were dominated by the Austrian and Ottoman empires that ruled all the neighbouring countries. They were part of the millennium long struggle against the Ottoman empire and Turkish rule, but managed to retain some small amount of independence, pretty much due to cunning political manoeuvres and a talent for warfare much outstripping their meagre population. They suffered huge casualties in World War 1 fighting against Austria-Hungary very early on, and then against the Italians and Germans in World War 2. Once part of Yugoslavia they declared their independence on June the 3rd 2006 and are now looking to write the next chapter of their history themselves.
They speak Montenegrin, which make sense, with a small population of around 630,000, a mix of every nationality in the region, with a smattering of Italians mainly in Koto. The Montenegrins themselves are tall and big into basketball, pun intended, second only to the Dutch as the tallest nation in the world. They receive over 1,6 million visitors each year, and when you look at the geography it soon becomes obvious why. They have one of the most beautiful bays on the Adriatic, more like a fjord. A large amount of investment is pouring into the country aiming to make it an elite tourist destination. It boasts many great beaches and the mountains are a mere two hours away with some great snow skiing. You can ski down the mountain in the morning, have a long lunch at one of the vineyards, followed by water skiing in the bay as the sun sets. Sounds like heaven to me.
Montenegro, or Black Mountain, not only has a brilliant name that will soon become a byword for great food, glamorous celebrities and luxury hotels, it is now about to become one of the foremost destinations for luxury yachts and even superyachts. Azmont Investments are developing a supremely luxurious new marina and living environment, aimed at an elite clientele seeking the very best location to bring their yachts, friends, business and family. The Portonovi Montenegro Marina is being built at an idyllic location, at the entrance to Boka Bay, with a 240 berth marina and 290 premium residences. All designed by the leading international companies, such as Winch Designs and Harrods and boasting Europe&rsquo;s first One&amp;Only resort and Espace Chenot Health Wellness Spa.
This is a bold and exciting venture in Montenegro will bring fresh investment to the area and provide a welcome boost to the economy. For the yacht owning clientele this will become the latest and greatest destination to visit all year round. I would call it daring, but there appears to be little risk involved here. Every important piece of this vast puzzle seems to have been covered. It is in one of the most beautiful locations in the world, it boasts the finest builders and designers of international renown, the bay is relatively undeveloped, well served by excellent cuisine, and there are numerous places of outstanding beauty to visit, many of great historical interest. It is a short sail from the elite yachting destinations in France, Italy, Spain and Greece and only three hours flight from the UK, less from mainland Europe.
I was staying at the Palmon Bay Hotel and Spa in Igalo, with a view out on the whole Bay of Kotor, all the way over to Tivat on the other side. It&rsquo;s a great location, but anywhere along this scenic inland sea is a perfect base to visit the whole of Montenegro. You could spend your entire trip out on the water or visiting the different beaches, but to get a real feel for the country I would recommend travelling widely as the region is still unspoilt and full of wonderful treasures to discover. On the way in from the airport we stopped off at the Savina Vineyard, owned by successful businessman Zoran Obradović and his wife, for a few olives, hors d&rsquo;oeuvres and a small personal wine tasting. The winery is set on the side of the hills overlooking the bay, with a magnificent terrace view. We sat at the wooden tables in the sunshine and sampled the new reds and whites, while Zoran described them with great knowledge and passion. The wines are very good as you would expect from this region, which has been growing wines for as long as the French and the Italians. Both the Merlot and the Cabernet Sauvignon are excellent and can be found at the very best restaurants in Montenegro, London and New York.
That evening we toured the old town of Herceg Novi, which reminded me of a mixture of Gassin in the South of France and Lake Garda, with lovely old churches, restaurants and bars overlooking the bay. We dined at the seafood restaurant Konoba Feral, overlooking the little marina. A small owner run restaurant on two floors, a stone entrance and a picturesque roman ships decor. The food is fresh, plentiful and the service is very friendly. The grilled squid is exquisite and the Rakija or fruit brandy goes down a treat and enlivens an already happy atmosphere. By the way &ldquo;cheers&rdquo; is &ldquo;Živjeli&rdquo; in Montenegrin.
The next morning I took advantage of the hotel pool to swim a few laps before meeting up with friends behind the hotel where our Fjord 48 motor yacht was waiting to take us on a complete tour of Boca Bay. The Fjord is the ideal yacht to tour the Adriatic, perfect for sunbathing whilst cruising along, fast enough at 40 knots to keep it fun and nimble enough to get to any of the lovely inlets with ease. I love the design and it is stable enough for the queasiest landlubber. We even took the boat into one of the four decaying and unused submarine tunnels that were used to hide the Italian boats from the allies during the war. These are imposing cement tubes cut into the waterside cliffs around the bay have a lot of atmosphere, redolent with history. There are numerous old forts dotted about these little island hilltops that were used to hold prisoners of war, very much reminiscent of the Count of Monte Cristo, with natural barriers preventing any escape, thick ancient stone walls, treacherous rocks, surrounded by open sea, crisscrossed with strong currents.
We cruised past the new Portonovi Montenegro Marina, impressed by the low key footprint of the buildings, clearly designed to blend into the landscape, maintaining historical building traditions and materials. Located half way into the Bay of Kotor, so the yachts berthed at the marina would be well protected in all weathers and ideally centrally located to enjoy all the different offerings from around the entire bay. The low, tile roofed apartments look out over a magnificent unspoiled bay view, curtailed only by the scenic and pristine hills on the opposite side. The apartments and beaches along the marina are all sun facing for that perfect sunset moment at the end of the day. Portonovi Montenegro is set to become the next luxury marina to rival St Tropez, but with even greater surroundings and opportunities.
The bay cruise is unmissable, there are so many different small towns, beaches, islands, marinas and sights to see. The most memorable island is Our Lady Of The Rocks, a quaint oval islet, built by fisherman throwing rocks into the sea overtime as they passed, still a tradition now, dominated by a single church dedicated to the Madonna and child. The first church there dates back to 1452 and the paintings are world famous, particularly the tapestry that was embroidered by Jacinta Kunić Mijović who used gold and silver fibres, including her own hair whilst waiting 25 years for her lover to return. There is something magical in alighting at such a fairytale spot in a stylish yacht and if you are lucky enough to find it deserted, it is a haven of tranquility and peace with 360 degree views of the bay and mountains around it.
Just opposite is Perast which sits between the hill of St. Ilija and the Bay of Kotor. It boasts much of the oldest architecture and a staggering 19 churches for a population of only 269, measured in 2011. It is a trip back in history, and you can sit out on the terrace overlooking the islets at The Hotel Conte, which is well worth a stop. Deep at the end of the bay is Kotor itself with its own little marina nestled between the two adjacent mountains. We dined at the Galion restaurant for lunch, with its glass fronted pier that puts you right out over the water, admiring the sailing boats as they floated in and out of the harbour. The atmosphere and seafood at the Galion are excellent, the perfect place to gain the strength required for our march up the mountain to St John&rsquo;s Fortress. This is a hike of over 1300 steps up the fortress walls, ramparts, gates and church shrines and if you are fit will take about half an hour. The steps are loose and there are no railings, it is pretty steep at times, and all the better for all these things, for it is a genuine climb, without having been developed for tourism. The best time to go would be to catch the sunset at the top, plus cooler for the climb up (and down). The view over Kotor Bay and the mountains is breath taking.
That evening we dined at the Stari Milini restaurant in Dobrota, just outside Kotor. It is an old water mill used for making flour and the setting is old world charm, with its ancient bridge across the river Ljuta that powers the huge ancient wooden wheel. It is reminiscent of a medieval Alice in Wonderland garden overlooking the Adriatic sea and it is renowned for its fine cuisine and great wine selection. The decor inside is large round wooden tables, a mixture of Italian and Swiss decor common to the region with a fusion of mountain and sea which characterises the food too. Both the meat and the fish were succulent and well accompanied by wine from the local vineyard we had visited the day before. Not to mention a few Rakijas, purely for medicinal purposes and to aid sleep as we had seen so many wonderful and exciting new places. The people of Montenegro are very hospitable and do expect you to do justice to the food and wine that is offered, so do always try to finish up as it is impolite to leave anything.
Next morning we set off for Lovćen, the mountain national park, which has impressive twin peaks, the tallest rises to almost 1800m (just under 6000ft) and the vista is jaw dropping. In a little over two hours we reached the Petar Petrović Njego&scaron;&rsquo;s Mausoleum, the tomb built to honour the warrior poet king and his wife who fought ferociously against the Ottoman empire and is widely admired in Montenegro. His texts are still read and abound with tales of glorious battles and his warrior philosophy. The tomb itself is absolutely magnificent and should be included in any bucket list of extraordinary places to see in the world. It is built entirely covering this tiny peak right at the top of the mountain and is accessible only by climbing vertical steps up to a neighbouring peak, then walking across an extremely narrow windswept path atop of the connecting crest. There are no barriers, and the fall is vertical. It is straight out of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and this view puts it right up there as absolutely unmissable. The king&rsquo;s tomb would make Lara Croft insanely happy and the statues of Njego&scaron; and his wife are imposing and majestic. There is a 360 view of the mountains, the national park, Kotor bay and the Adriatic sea, you could spend days there just taking it in and still not have enough time to do it justice.
Our next stop was the old royal capital of Montenegro, Cetinje, at the bottom of the Lovćen mountain. This town was often attacked by both the Venetians and the Ottomans but it is the official home of the president of Montenegro and its culture heritage. The palace there extends over a wide area with ancient fortifications and the town is dominated by a wide paved main street with cafe, bars, shops and restaurants. The people are mostly farmers and we lunched at one of the local restaurants where the owner and his family not only cooked and served, but grew and bred everything on the menu themselves and even made the wine on their farm. The food was authentic local cuisine, lamb, pork, steak, sausages, chicken, local fish and farm vegetables. During the meal a wedding party celebrated upstairs in the private rooms while the father of the bride fired a few celebratory rounds outside in the front garden (an old tradition), watched with fond amusement by the bride and groom.
We then made our way back to the coast to Sveti Stefan Island, an isthmus with a five star Aman resort perched between two beaches, like inverted eyebrows, with some lovely cafe&rsquo;s and restaurants. Particularly family friendly with playgrounds and terraces overlooking the beaches so you could dine and watch the kids playing happily in the granulated sand on Kings Beach. Queen&rsquo;s Beach next door has the superior architecture and exclusive villas and its own spa. The Aman resort itself has over 50 rooms and villas with eight grand suites and was formerly the playground for the rich and famous from the 60&rsquo;s to the 80&rsquo;s and has recently been beautifully remodelled by the Aman group in 2009. It where the Count of Monte Cristo would reside once he&rsquo;d escaped and made his money and was looking to impress, a tiny picturesque island fortress paradise with the Adriatic as a moat.
Montenegro reminds me of Spain and Italy in the 70&rsquo;s before the tourists got there. A place where great new travel legends and adventures can be created. Set to become the next elite luxury destination for the yachting and sailing crowd. So get there before everyone else and do make sure to see all the sites. Very few countries have so many exceptional things to do and see in such a small space. This is the chance to experience a beautiful country before it becomes too commercial, before railings are put up and the sites are turned from genuine historic locations into more easily digested tourist destinations. Experience the full luxury of this shiny new marina, invest early in an apartment or bag a mooring for your yacht.

International Excellence

Portonovi Montenegro The New Luxury Destination

Kerzner International Holdings Limited has entered into an agreement with Triangle Investment and Development Limited, to develop and operate a new One&amp;Only resort in Kumbor, Montenegro overlooking Tivat Bay.
&ldquo;As the Minister responsible for tourism, urban planning, real estate and the environment, I am extremely gratified to have One&amp;Only for the first time in Europe in Montenegro. This proves that the sustainable development concept that Montenegro has committed to is becoming a reality,&rdquo; said Branimir Gvozdenovic, Minister of Sustainable Development and Tourism.
With approximately 150 luxurious guest rooms and villas, the One&amp;Only will also house a world-class Marina, tennis academy,, dining and retail outlets. The property is expected to attract travellers from around the world and is expected to be ready in 2018.
Strategically located at the most narrow part of the entrance to Tivat Bay, the 60-acre project will command an enviable position between mountain (Montenegro translates to &lsquo;Black Mountain&rsquo;) and sea and will overlook 1.2 km of pristine Adriatic Sea coastline.
This will be the brand&rsquo;s first resort in Europe and is located less than an hour from Dubrovnik International Airport.
&ldquo;Montenegro is a perfect location for the first One&amp;Only experience in Europe. The location is remarkable and I am very confident the resort will be well received by our many loyal guests and new guests alike,&rdquo; says Sol Kerzner, Chairman, Kerzner International. &ldquo;I am excited about this project and looking forward to designing and managing this new world-class resort.&rdquo;
The property in Montenegro will offer a variety of world-class cuisines
showcasing regional specialties in restaurants overseen by internationally-acclaimed chefs. The resort will also house a spa, utilising ancient Mediterranean traditions and holistic practices fused with modern spa therapies
&ldquo;We are excited about this new development and its expected contribution to the continued growth of the infrastructure and economy of the region,&rdquo; commented Gafar Gurbanov, Executive Board Member, Triangle Group. &ldquo;One&amp;Only Resorts are found in the most beautiful locales in the world and this location in Montenegro is just that.&rdquo;
Like all the resorts within the collection the European destination will place an emphasis on privacy while evoking a &lsquo;sense of place,&rsquo; using materials that showcase the natural elements of Montenegro. The country&rsquo;s rich history will be reflected throughout the resort by highlighting the natural juxtaposition of elements from snow-capped mountains to undiscovered lakes and pristine coastline. As with all One&amp;Only properties, this resort will also boast innovative programming for families, including the celebrated KidsOnly and OneTribe club for &lsquo;tweens&rsquo;. Guests will also have access to a host of sporting and entertainment facilities on-site.
&ldquo;With so many guests from Europe already experiencing One&amp;Only resorts worldwide, it made perfect sense for our next resort to be in Europe,&rdquo; says Alan Leibman, CEO, Kerzner International. &ldquo;I am thrilled we were able to partner with Triangle to develop this amazing area and know our guests from all over the world will be anxious to discover it. Montenegro is the perfect place for us to create an extraordinary new &lsquo;playground&rsquo; for the most influential and well-travelled people around the globe. I know One&amp;Only Montenegro will set a new level of guest experience not only for our brand, but for the industry.&rdquo;
Set in some of the most beautiful locations in the world including Mauritius, each award-winning resort offers guests a distinctive style and personality borne of its local culture, a genuine hospitality and a lively energy.

VeryFirstTo

One&Only First European Resort To Launch In Montenegro — VeryFirstTo

Even before the &euro;60 million reinvention of Sveti Stefan that Aman Resorts revealed in 2011, the tiny island off the coast of Montenegro was an idyllic place for a luxury yacht charter on the Adriatic coast.
On my first visit, in 2003,1 dined with Branko &ldquo;Diki&rdquo; Kazanegra, who had worked at the Sveti Stefan hotel as general manager during its glory days in the 1950s and 1960s. As the wine flowed he began to drop the names of the guests he&rsquo;d looked after at this fortified islet of fisherman&rsquo;s cottages turned jet-set hotel. There was the Hollywood contingent: Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Sidney Poitier, Richard Widmark; the British royal family: Princesses Margaret and Anne and, once, the Queen; assorted Russians: Yuri Gagarin and the Bolshoi ballerina Maya Plisetskaya; and many Italians, who would bring their yachts over the water: Monica Vitti, Alberto Moravia, Sophia Loren and her husband Carlo Ponti&hellip; In 1968 Paris Match judged Sveti Stefan one of the top 10 hotels in the world.
It is still easy to see why Montenegro proved such a draw. Despite unregulated development along its 180 miles of rocky coastline, Montenegro remains a country of remarkable natural beauty: a land of fjords, canyons &ndash; it has five national parks &ndash; and the largest lake in southern Europe, Skadar, shared with Albania and which teems with pelicans and flamingos. Then there is the hinterland of maquis-clad white karst mountains &ndash; &ldquo;If you ironed Montenegro, it would be as big as Russia,&rdquo; Diki memorably said at one point &ndash; where you can ski if you don&rsquo;t mind an infrastructure best described as unsophisticated.
If Montenegro&rsquo;s reputation as a glamorous yachting destination survived the Cold War, however, the break-up of Yugoslavia in the 1990s rather did for tourism. But since the early 2000s and through Montenegro&rsquo;s 2006 declaration of independence, the country and Sveti Stefan in particular have been enjoying a second golden age. In 2002 Jeremy Irons stayed at Sveti Stefan while shooting a film called Mathilde and rescued its precarious finances by racking up a bill of &pound;65,000. Claudia Schiffer and Sylvester Stallone followed and a couple of years later Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones stopped by when scouting for property in Perast. And last summer Novak Djokovic, from nearby Belgrade and the world&rsquo;s N0.1 men&rsquo;s tennis player, married Jelena Ristic here. Montenegro has indeed been an A-list magnet ever since Lord Byron came here in 1809 and judged its rugged coastline &ldquo;the most beautiful encounter between the land and the sea&rdquo;.
A large part of this magnetism is down to Aman Resorts, which transformed Sveti Stefan into an ultra high-end resort during this period. In 2003 Adrian Zecha, then chairman and founder of the Singapore company, stayed at Sveti Stefan and &ldquo;decided I would love to do something&rdquo; with it. A meeting with Milo Djukanovic &ndash; Prime Minister then and now &ndash; was convened. The resort re-opened in 2009.
This was the spark. The year after the Aman project began, Djukanovic resolved to revive the near-derelict former headquarters of the Imperial Navy of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and then the Yugoslav Navy on the Gulf of Kotor. He approached Hungarian-born Canadian mining magnate Peter Munk, founder and former chairman of Barrick Gold, the world&rsquo;s biggest gold-mining company, with the idea of developing what has become Porto Montenegro.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d barely heard of Montenegro,&rdquo; Munk says. &ldquo;I thought it was in Italy. But
I came down to take a look. We took a helicopter out over the Gulf of Kotor, and it was magnificent. To see those phenomenal docks, twice as wide as Monte Carlo&rsquo;s main dock, or the ones in Nice or Cannes, in that setting &ndash; it is as great as any natural harbour I have ever seen. Djukanovic said he had this dream [to] create in the Adriatic what Monte Carlo has become in the Med. I really liked the idea of building a port on the Gulf of Kotor.&rdquo;
Munk formed a company, Adriatic Marinas, and put together a consortium of investors, among them the British financier Lord Rothschild and his son Nat; Bernard Arnault, president and CEO of LVMH; the Russian aluminium oligarch Oleg Deripaska; and Munk&rsquo;s son Anthony. Then he hired Australian Oliver Corlette, fresh out of the Harvard Business School&rsquo;s MBA programme, to get the place built.
Yet Djukanovic&rsquo;s enthusiasm to create more holiday developments shows no sign of waning and international companies continue to make landmark investments.
&ldquo;These include the resort developments of Lustica Bay,&rdquo; Djukanovic wrote in a blog on the Financial Times&rsquo;s website, &ldquo;where Orascom, the Egyptian telecom and construction conglomerate, will invest &euro;1.1 billion by 2018; Porto Montenegro, where a Peter Munk-led consortium has already invested over &euro;280 million; and Aman Sveti Stefan Resort, where Singapore&rsquo;s Aman Resorts has a &euro;55 million expansion phase on top of an initial &euro;60 million investment.&rdquo;
In addition, Kerzner International has signed a contract to operate a &euro;500 million resort, One&amp;Only Portonovi, currently being built by Azmont Investments, a Montenegrin subsidiary of SOCAR, the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, on the site of another former military facility, Orjen Battalion at Kumbor. &ldquo;Ten years ago I couldn&rsquo;t have told you where Montenegro was,&rdquo; said Sol Kerzner, the founder and former chairman of Kerzner
International, at the project&rsquo;s launch event. &ldquo;Now I&rsquo;ve chosen this place for the first One&amp;Only experience in Europe.&rdquo;
Then there&rsquo;s Dukley Gardens on the Budva Riviera, the liveliest stretch of coast, where the majority of visitors and investors are Russian. This is a development of 36 three- to five-storey buildings containing 202 apartments as well as a 13-storey tower in the town itself with an additional 36 flats.
Yacht facilities are an important part of the new developments. There&rsquo;ll be a marina with room for up to 250 yachts at the One&amp;Only, as well as a tennis academy and Henri Chenot spa. Stratex, Dukley Gardens&rsquo; parent company, has acquired an existing marina with 330 moorings, in which it plans to invest &euro;45 million &ldquo;to make it the most luxurious in the entire Adriatic&rdquo;. Lustica Bay will have slips for 226 yachts and by summer 2015 Porto Montenegro will have 454 berths for yachts from 12 to 180 metres, 159 for superyachts. Serious superyachting events are also starting to arrive, including the Superyacht Rendezvous Montenegro, 2-5 July 2015.
It&rsquo;s not hard to see why Montenegro, and especially Porto Montenegro, appeals to charter yachts. Where once was a derelict dockyard, there&rsquo;s now a state-of-the-art marina with fuelling and 24-hour assistance. The port has become essentially its own town, with streets and piazzas, homes and shops, a hotel and restaurants initially designed to cater not so much for the world&rsquo;s wealthiest and most discerning have-yachts as the captains and crews they employ.
In addition to the yacht club, lido and 64 metre infinity pool (where Nat Rothschild celebrated his 40th birthday in 2011), there&rsquo;s a bilingual English-Montenegrin school, a customs and immigration office and a museum to showcase an array of extraordinary Cold War-era vessels, which have been pulled from the harbour. There&rsquo;s also a Crew Club entertainment programme and a sports club. Indeed it is perhaps the only marina in the world that rents its own ski chalet &ndash; in Kolasin, a 100-mile drive away, which crew can use for free when they winter here.
&ldquo;Having captains onside is essential,&rdquo; says Charlie Birkett, co-founder and CEO of Y.CO. &ldquo;Oliver Corlette made a wise decision in concluding that entertaining crew is as important as the more obvious logistical requirements. They took time to talk to people in every aspect of the industry, something new-development ports often overlook. And they were clever to recognise that, though they&rsquo;ll never replace Saint-Tropez or Monaco, they can offer something missing elsewhere. Porto Montenegro will grow to become the significant yachting destination in the Adriatic.&rdquo;
Corlette is cool about the competition. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re very much encouraging new marinas. It&rsquo;s all about critical mass,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;The more yachts, the more berths we can have in and around Montenegro, the more attractive it becomes to the key players in the industry and the more likely they will be to relocate here. It makes it easier and ultimately more cost-effective for the customer, and we want to attract as many customers &ndash; yacht charter customers that is, not anyone &ndash; as we can. After all they&rsquo;re promoting Montenegro, they&rsquo;re encouraging more airlines to fly in here. So overall growing the pie like this is a great thing.&rdquo;
There&rsquo;s also the very real attraction of Montenegro&rsquo;s favourable tax regime. No duty on fuel, for example, and no VAT on yacht charters. In neighbouring Croatia (Dubrovnik is four hours&rsquo; sailing to the north), VAT, at 25 per cent on all yachts above 40 metres, is levied, as it is throughout the EU. At which point it&rsquo;s worth noting that yachts in Montenegro may not remain exempt ever after. The country entered into accession negotiations to join the EU in 2012 and is already ahead of the other four candidate countries. Still, as one still-buoyant senior player in the
Montenegrin marina industry quipped at last year&rsquo;s Monaco Yacht Show: &ldquo;Just because you&rsquo;re engaged doesn&rsquo;t mean you have to go through with the marriage.&rdquo;
But then tax advantages or not, it&rsquo;s still a beautiful, exceptionally located, well-connected place to keep a yacht.