Return to Montenegro (after 90 days) - Eleven days to go.

If you have seen my Trip Reports on any place I have visited in the Balkans, you know I have a trip planner that does my visits for me. No place else in the world do I let someone else plan my trips, but she does such a good job … I am still a control freak, so I outline the trip and she makes it work; and she knows I don’t do Eco-garbage. Not my style.

Then last year I had friend visit Montenegro and I stopped in to surprise them … anyway I met them for dinner at the Eco-lodge run by the family of my Trip Planner, and it was very nice. So, this year traveling with my S.O. who I thought might like this sort of thing we stopped in twice, dinner one day and breakfast before the flight home, for mom’s cooking and a cooking lesson. I enjoyed the heck out of it (but never really confessed).

My September trip has a late arrival before heading north for fishing and then an early departure I must make after a trip up from Albania. So, she has “suggested” I stay a night coming and a night going because its 15 minutes from the airport. The place is so reasonably priced that it will offset the 4-star hotels I am staying at during the 6 nights of the trip. I saw one of the rooms the last time I was there and it looks exactly like what you would want it to be. But again, I have never rented a room there. This will be a first.

The place is called Balabani Local Stay. It’s a self-sufficient small, almost urban, family farm that added rooms for tourists to spend the night. Three generations of the family, including uncles and cousins and grandchildren living on something less than 5 acres that has been in the family for generations.

Here mom gives cooking classes https://docleatravel.com/signature-tours/culinary-experience-at-balabani-local-stay/ , brother makes the herbal Rakija (fruit brandy) and the wine from the grapes on the farm, and the food, thanks to mom’s hard work, appears in silly quantities. All the food, including the pork and chicken, is off the farm. For a second opinion the atmosphere, the food and the cooking class you can contact “That Fly Guy” as I know he visited a few months ago https://community.ricksteves.com/users/63365 and I think maybe TexasTravelMom stopped in on one occasion https://community.ricksteves.com/users/50966 . But I don’t think either spent the night.

Conversation at dinner is great, and learning about another way of life is priceless. I am not into this sort of thing, or I wasn’t, I know now if I were 12 months younger, I would be trying to figure out how to marry into the family so I could spend my last year’s eating mom’s cooking. Here is what it looks like: https://www.instagram.com/balabani.local.stay/ and the location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Pp1rR5k4Wo8bPdi27

Since I hammerd the Eco-resort. Let me tell you about the others. Keep in mind that the best of these is less than a 3 star near the Ringstrasse in Vienna. And while travel is about a lot more than hotels, the cost difference is somewhat indicitive of the cost difference of the complete experience. Even that doesnt count thought. Because I can think of no stops more beautiful or more interesting than the ones I have planned at any cost.

First, Albania, cause this one really excites me; Hotel Tradita in Shkodër, Albania. https://www.instagram.com/hotel_tradita_shkoder/ and https://maps.app.goo.gl/9SBvLySmQFZWvr2m8 and https://traditagt.com/ I hope it lives up to what I am seeing. I can hardly wait.

Then the hotel in Ucinj. I have never stayed here, but I have eaten and drank here. I love this place. I love this city. https://www.instagram.com/hotel_palatavenezia_ulcinj/ and https://maps.app.goo.gl/MaFDdFCMFXVtSxta7 and https://www.palataveneziaulcinj.me/

Finally, another I have eaten and drank at, but my first stay. Very excited. This is Montenegro hight country at its best. https://www.biancaresort.com/ and https://maps.app.goo.gl/XnB87A1nPo9mmse99

Hey, I stayed 3 nights at Balabani and loved it! I beat you there. I was there in September and breakfast was on the covered porch in amazing quantities. The yard is large and green, and daily I ate fresh figs from the tree. I ate dinner one night there - a delicious spread by lamplight on the porch (right outside my door). And one night mom texted me to come sneak into the next door kitchen and try what she had made for an Italian couple who were staying and eating dinner. Lol. I also learned how coffee is made. I could have done a cooking class, but since I quit cooking and knew I would never repeat at home, I just ate the results instead….

The room was very nice and comfy, but not luxury. I didn’t see any other rooms, but mine was a loft - small living room and bathroom downstairs and bed upstairs. I was there on a Sunday when long-time friends came to visit for coffee and cake and sat down with everyone for a while. When I go back, I will absolutely be staying there.

You know me, I don’t like people and I don’t like being in a situation where I can’t just walk away or bark an order at the bellhop. So, dealing with this sort of thing is almost a hardship. But they wore me down over the three visits and I can’t imagine doing anything but loving the experience. After all the typical tourist stuff in Europe, is this what they mean by "traveler"?

Look at the photos of the Albania hotel. I am totally pumped for that. It’s not the hotel; it’s the embodiment of the culture in the hotel. It’s just 3 stars. You and I have both spent some real time in Albania, so you can see that place drips Albania. You know I am dog food if someone finds out....

The one in Ulcinj has been a want for many years. Tempted to bring a sports coat. I should have done two nights, but someone said no … But I can be back in the Fall.

I insisted that my guide in Stari Bar in June be reworked into this schedule. In June, she asked me about our president. In my explanation I sarcastically used the term fascist because that’s what so many want to hear and it ends the conversation with everyone happy. But she turned on me. She didn’t like our president either, but she informed me that she grew up under fascist leadership and if for a minute I thought that the worst in the US had anything to compare … oh sheet. Open mouth insert foot with smart woman. I underestimated her and I got what I deserved. I plan on talking politics for the day into Ulcinj and the day out of Albania with her. Someone once said you are judged by the company you keep (Aesop). Judge me by her in September.

“I am going to Bulgaria and need some help.”
Me, “I know someone who ….”

Now insert Bulgaria with Romania or BiH or Croatia or Hungary or Ukraine or Slovakia or …. People say BS. How is that possible. Because I have meaningful conversations. A third of the time it ends in a long-term relationship, the rest of the time I end up standing on the side of the road all alone. Fair trade off.

My friend and I stayed one night at Balabani last September. It was our last and 5th night in Montenegro. It was amazing and so restful. The food was home cooked and delicious. We arrived mid afternoon and just lazed around the rest of the day enjoying the peaceful surroundings. One of the family members took us to the airport the next afternoon to catch our flight to Budapest. Highly recommend. How did you arrive there Mr. E?
Also, who makes your arrangements for Albania? I would like to explore that area a bit.
Thanks. Regina

regina, I've been to Balabani a few times for dinner and conversation. The last was in June. I have known the owner and "mom" for several years. This will be my first time to stay the night.

The trip to Albania will be my second. The first was a "real" trip. I stayed about 9 days and did the north to the south and worked in a little fly fishing at the same time. This second trip will be just a couple of nights across the border from Montenegro in the city of Shkodër. I missed it the first trip and I have been back to Montenegro so many times that I dont lose anything by doing short trips to explore.

The person who set up the first Albania trip went from being a guide to a hotel owner, so she cant help you. But Dijana, who has set up a number of trips for me to Montenegro, Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina since July of 2020 is part of the family you stayed with at Balabani and also arranges trips to Albania. Texas Travel Mom (TTM) will probably weigh in as she was in Albania not too long ago and has used Dijana's services in Montenegro. TTM is a brave sole and just sort of wings her trips. Anyway, here is the contact information for Dijana:

DIJANA KRKOTIC
Doclea Travel
+382 69 277 749
(WhatsApp, Phone, Text)
[email protected]
www.docleatravel.com

Regina, I am laughing. But I do second the work that Dijana does.

However I do not wing. 🤣 I plan carefully - it’s just that in Albania, I had to take local transportation on a little more faith than some other countries and be willing to flex if needed. Here’s my 2023 report - which is becoming outdated and I need a return! https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/albania-a-lovely-adventure

Because I DO plan, I handed off Montenegro and Bosnia to Dijana to plan for me because I felt like I was making a change in destinations with less time to plan than I like. I feel very sure she would do an amazing job with Albania, as well.

Carol from Martinez https://community.ricksteves.com/users/16796 has been more recently than me and planned her own trip. They made about 3 stops for a few days at a time and used Daytrip for transfers, I think.

How do you plan around Albanian bus schedules? No, TTM, you just didnt know you were going to wing it.

TTE and Mr E. Yes, we used Dijana last year for our Montenegro trip. She was fabulous and so were the plans that she helped us with. I was not aware that she would also do the planning for Albania. That is great to know. Too many other travels in the works right now but I will file this info away for a later time. Thanks. Regina

Well Regina, we need a trip report ..... hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

If it were Italy, who would care? There is 138,793 trip reports from Italy on this forum. Those are the people that say that Europe has gotten too crowded. Go figure. There is 17 on Montenegro. Okay, maybe a few more, but only 4 in the last two years that I can think of. RELAX, I am joking around. No one take offense.

Oh, on Albania, Dijana has an Albanian company she works with. I sent one of my clients there about 2 years ago and let her take care of them. They came back ranting and raving such a wonderful time they had (thank gwad).

And since Regina has breathed a bit of life back into this thread. A few interesting facts about Montenegro.

• The airport code for Podgorica Airport is TGD. How does that make sense? From 1946 to 1992 Podgorica was named Titograd after Josip Broz Tito, the leader of Yugoslavia from 1946 until his death in 1980
• Montenegro is not in the EU and it certainly is not in the Eurozone. The currency of Montenegro is called ... well ... its the Euro. They just decided one fine day in 2002 that they would use the Euro and there wasn’t much the EU could do about it.
• 1.7 million people live within the city limits of Budapest, 650,000 live within the borders of Montenegro.
• Interestingly the entire nation of Montenegro does about the same number of tourists each year as does the city of Dubrovnik.
• https://youtube.com/shorts/5KNUA1YFp-g?si=0tYAc_s0J9_3qAdo