A room with a view

Dubrovnik is becoming 5 star hotel paradise and this has become surprisingly so in a very short period of time. Not long ago, the site of a holiday home in Lapad area owned by the communist area Bosnian company was transformed from beauty to beast. This is a setting now for hotel More, a luxurious treat for those searching that sea view to kill for. This stretch of Lapad Peninsula offers some of the most luxurious apartments and hotels. The promenade that is tick next to the sea and passes by hotel More, leads you to villa Elita, in my opinion one of the most beautiful villas in Lapad, as it airs a certain element of panache, largely thanks to its location. It has been redecorated and is now in the hands of Importanne group together with other three of their hotels part of a luxury resort that was once Hotel Neptun. Villa Elita does not come cheap and it is really suited for those with large deep pockets.
Highly on my list of hotels for mere mortals, is Libertas Rixos, now fully re-built after it has been heavily destroyed during the war. The retro theme prevails together with the element of open space and this is a perfect combination for a hotel that offers a great sea view and for me has a great sentimental value as it was my favorite beach before the war.
Speaking of beaches, there are very few natural ones in Dubrovnik town so people got used to the rocky ones and they quite like them.
Personally I am not so keen on Bellevue boutique hotel. It does have less imposing view than Rixos as it is situated more inwards and cannot compensate for the lack of sunny rays during the peak season summer period as the sun sets earlier than in the case of Rixos.
It has to be said if you fancy to have a rather grande view of the Old Town and sea then Ploce area of Dubrovnik is your best bet. This is where Villa Dubrovnik, hotel Agentina and Excelsior are situated and choosing one of them you cannot go a miss.

Squeezed between Villa Dubrovnik and hotel Argentina is Villa Scheherazade, a tribute to a beautiful belly dancer by a Czech businessman who apparently never met the beauty queen. Love does wonders and all you need is « a room with a view».

Montenegro

Our trip to northern Montenegro was a true adventure for it was snowy at times and we were excited as we do not get snow in Dubrovnik. The scenery on the way to Niksic was breathtaking and one really ought to check it in person as any attempt to describe it words would be pointless. The town of Niksic was depressing and we were glad to have zoomed through it, continuing our journey to Ostrog monastery. The drive that led up to it was the most exciting and at times daunting but it was well worth it. This jewel of a monastery, chiselled in the rocks is a sight that makes you pause and think about human persistence to defend life as the monastery was the legacy of St Vasilije Ostroski, a monk who resisted Turkish rule some 600 years ago. His tomb is visited by many denominations, Christians and Muslims alike who search solace of a prayer for their beloved ones.
Leaving Ostrog we headed for Rijeka Crnojevica. The motorway route, if you can call it one, was ridden with tomb stone fashion reminders of people who died in car accidents. Driving in Montenegro is not for the light hearted, Montenegrins are reckless drivers.
Once we have found the country lane route towards Rijeka Crnojevica we were relieved. Meandering lane was leading us through rocky countryside accompanied by ravines. In one word, truly amazing. As for Skadar Lake and lake estuaries, any attempt to put it in words is futile.
As they say: Seeing is believing!


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