The beginning of June is the perfect time for me. Last year, at this time, I got married, and it was decided to spend the honeymoon somewhere on the coast. Since the pre-wedding chores took a lot of time and effort, I also could not deal with visas, and our choice fell on Montenegro. Before that, I had already rested in Montenegro several years ago, and the country impressed me so much with its beauty that I did not doubt for a minute that my husband would definitely like it there

Best hotels in Montenegro

Having decided on the location, I began to search for the perfect honeymoon hotel. I immediately dismissed large pompous hotels – yes, beautiful, yet elegant, but, alas, not romantic. Private villas were also not suitable – if you consider them as an economical solution, you can find very good options (last time we vacationed like that with my mother), but for a trip with my husband, I needed something special.
Looking through fifty hotels, I found two places that I, finicky and capricious, really liked. The first is a small hotel Conte Hotel in ancient Perast. Beautiful interior with authentic stone walls, gorgeous views outside the room window, great reviews – I already wanted to book, but … Perhaps the only drawback for me was the lack of beaches nearby. Yes, there you could find a place with stone slabs from which you need to jump into the sea, but I just wanted the beach. Therefore, the Conte Hotel was postponed until the next visit (I believe that you should come to this hotel in spring or autumn when there is no purpose to swim, and you just want to walk together, breathe the air, enjoy incredible landscapes and romance).

After a little sadness about such a beautiful place (be sure to take note of it), I finally found what I was looking for for a whole week. This is a family-run Meridian Hotel in Rafailovici.

I’ll start right away with its main advantages: beautiful rooms with full-wall panoramic windows overlooking the sea (if you take the upper floors); to the promenade and the nearest beach – a few minutes; the best restaurant on the coast is right next to the hotel; delicious breakfasts; absolute purity; very polite staff; own swimming pool and sauna. The hotel is small, its owners live on the top floor, which undoubtedly affects the service and cleaning – they are ideal here. We, as newlyweds, were given a room with a large balcony, a huge bathroom with a shower, and a Jacuzzi. All guests are greeted with a bottle of Montenegrin Krstic.

By the way, a small life hack – you need to book a room very early, as there are not many places, and they understand like hotcakes (some tourists book already six months in advance, or even for the next season).

The best restaurants in Budva and Rafailovici

This time I decided that I would not do cooking on vacation. Although, when we rested with my mother in the villa, we had a mini-kitchen, and it was not difficult for us to cook shrimp or fish bought from local fishermen in the evening.
My husband and I decided to explore all the local restaurants. As I mentioned earlier, right next to us was the best restaurant in Rafailovici – Porat.

Unlike other restaurants, delicious grilled vegetables are served here as a side dish, and not potatoes with spinach, as elsewhere. Yes, and it’s better to book a table here in advance, in the evening, even at the beginning of the season you won’t be able to sit down right away.
As for the rest of the restaurants, we also visited the Three Fishermen (it is quite famous in Rafailovichi), but it did not make a special impression on me. The taste of the dishes, in my opinion, is very simple (although in Montenegro this is the main feature of the cuisine). I took freshly caught fish here, my husband – steaks with french fries. The average check with a glass of beer and a glass of wine is about 25 euros.

Another restaurant that I would like to talk about and perhaps warn about is Aleksandar. The institution is located in the building of the hotel of the same name, which looks very presentable and modern in appearance: glass and white walls, beautiful flowers, greenery. Hostesses who invite people walking past the restaurant say that there is nowhere better than theirs. So my husband and I were tempted by all these tricks. And why didn’t we pay attention that there are very few people here in the evening (and for me, this is the first sign that something is wrong here)? We were met by a waiter who, by his behavior, showed that he was at least the president of Montenegro, and was doing a great favor by serving us. The food is the most ordinary (we took fish, prosciutto, and cheeses), but the check is much higher than in other establishments. We got about 50 euros.

Well, I can’t help but remember one of the most popular restaurants in Budva – Jadran. It is also very crowded here in the evening, despite the fact that the area is quite large. You can take a table both in the hall and directly near the water, on the beach or on the pier. The waiters are aged uncles, very pleasant. The food is delicious. My husband took kebabs, I took mussels, the bill was about 25 euros with alcohol. There is no such refined presentation as in the same Porat, but Jadran is appreciated for live music, the owner, who himself escorts guests to the table and a romantic setting near the sea. By the way, on the one side, which overlooks the sea, Jadran is a classic restaurant, on the side of the city – an American-style bar with loud music, burgers, and pizza. And there are always a lot of guests there too.

Lifehack – if after the beach or walking you do not want to go to a restaurant and wait for an order – you can buy fast food, which is very tasty everywhere in Montenegro. Various meatballs and grilled sausages, large slices of pizza – all this is cooked within a few minutes, and I guarantee you will fill up so that you will not remember about food for at least half a day. The price of the issue is two euros.

In the evenings, my husband and I arranged romantic gatherings on the balcony (we had it overlooking the sea, so it was a sin not to admire the incredible sunsets). We took prosciutto, local cheese (both of which are delicious, I always take it home as souvenirs) and enjoyed the views and each other with wine and rum.

As for wine, I cannot say that I am a fan of Krstač (white), Vranac (red), or Rosé. For those who don’t know, in Montenegro, there is only local alcohol from several producers, and its taste is not that bad, but it’s not special either. Therefore, we took several bottles of our favorite alcohol with us. Sometimes you can indulge in blueberry or strawberry wine – this is such a fruity drink, it resembles Lambrusco in strength.

Next time I will tell you about the most interesting places in Montenegro for excursions and walks.

Batumi is an ideal place for a family trip. If you are going on vacation with children, do not hesitate, you will definitely not be bored in one of the most colorful and beautiful parts of Georgia! You do not know where to spend an unforgettable vacation with the whole family? We will name 7 reasons why this year it is worth visiting Batumi – one of the main cities of modern Adjara!

Visa-free regime and affordable prices

Georgia has a visa-free regime for citizens of many countries, including Ukrainians. This means that you will not need any certificates or documents to enter the territory of a friendly state for Ukraine, you only need passports for the whole family (and/or special children’s documents).

We save on visas, but we do not save on vacation! It is worth noting that the prices in Georgia are reasonable, and the choice of places to stay and rest is huge – you can have a good rest with a fairly modest budget.

Course: 1 GEL (Georgian lari) = 11 UAH (Ukrainian hryvnia), in Adjara you can pay with bank cards.

You can get to Adjara by different types of transport, and here you also have a choice – air, sea or road. The best option is a direct flight Kyiv-Batumi, which Ryanair operates from Zhuliany airport twice a week. From June 1, this flight will be daily. The minimum ticket price is $200 (including airport taxes), but this price includes luggage and meals onboard. And for Georgia, where the most valuable souvenir comes from – delicious local wine – this is an important fact. From the beginning of June, a direct flight to Batumi will also be launched from Odessa.

Security

Thanks to recent reforms, Batumi has received the status of one of the safest cities in the world – this is confirmed by various international studies.

Georgia is a country open for tourists. In Batumi, tourist information centers are open 24 hours a day, where you can get any information about the location, prices, find suitable accommodation, find out the address and phone number. And all this happens very quickly and completely free of charge!

Sea and Batumi boulevard

The sea is perhaps one of the main reasons to visit Georgia. During the season, Batumi has a large number of well-maintained beaches, where you can comfortably bask in the sun and enjoy the friendly hospitable Black Sea. The subtropical, warm maritime climate and good infrastructure create ideal conditions for a family vacation. The length of the beach area in Batumi is 21 kilometers, and the water warms up to 21-29 degrees – the children will definitely not be cold.

Batumi Boulevard is an incredibly long eight-kilometer embankment with many colorful installations and sculptures that make this place especially attractive for families.

What is not here! Everything your heart desires: restaurants, lounge cafes, bungalows, children’s attractions, mini-zoo, fitness equipment, dancing fountains … And you can also rent a bike and enjoy the beauty and nature of Batumi on the move. The sea, mountains, palm trees, unusual flora, unforgettable views and landscapes can be observed at any point of the Batumi embankment.

Botanical garden and nature

The Batumi Botanical Garden is considered one of the richest botanical gardens in the world, it is really really huge and covers an area of ​​110 hectares. If your family loves hiking (walking with children is also very real since you can move around the garden on a special excursion electric car) and nature, the botanical garden will become your favorite place in the capital of Adjara, and what a view of the sea it offers, it’s worth to see at least once! But more is possible…

Mountains, landscapes and historical monuments

The combination of sea and mountains in Batumi is 100% unique conditions for recreation. The breathtaking nature of Adjara, the purest air, many cultural and historical monuments, hospitable people, Georgian dishes made from organic products, and, of course, wine are unforgettable.

Dolphinarium

One of the symbols of Batumi is a dolphin, so when traveling around Georgia you can meet not only the sculpture of this animal but also watch with the whole family an exciting show at the local dolphinarium, which is held in three languages: Georgian, English, and Russian.

The bold tricks of these incredible animals will give unforgettable emotions and vivid impressions, and you can also dare and swim with dolphins, which psychologists highly recommend, especially for children and pregnant women.

Georgian cuisine

Adjarian cuisine is an integral part of the world-famous Georgian cuisine, which cannot be imagined without Adjarian khachapuri. Forget about the dish of the same name that you tried in Ukraine. After you taste the real Adjarian, you will understand that these are two big differences. And the portion is such that one khachapuri can feed the whole family!

Dairy products predominate in the cuisine of high-mountainous Adjara. The influence of the East is also felt here, a lot of spices and sweets remind of this. It’s hard to put into words, you have to try it.