Perast: Pearl of Montenegro
The winter in Manchester was dragging on so I sought escape to sunnier climes.
Spain seemed an obvious place for a relaxing break. But just one image in a web search turned this into… Montenegro.
I picked a small historical town for a week’s holiday. So is it worth ditching the usual hot spots? FIND OUT MORE BELOW
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Montenegro is a small country which sits between Croatia and Albania on the Adriatic Sea, with a modest population of 617,000.
It has been welcoming tourists since the days of Yugoslavia from the 1970s and this has been a mainstay of the country’s economy since independence in 2006.
I flew direct from Manchester to Tivat, a town on the Bay of Kotor which is an arm of the Adriatic that snakes inland and is surrounded by steep mountains. Think a Norwegian fjord.
The image of Perast which spurred me to booking my trip was of the Hotel Heritage Grand, an exquisite five star property at the heart of the town, consisting of smart modern buildings, a restored palace and even an old church.
I had a vast, comfortable room to myself, feasted on the sumptuous breakfast buffet and took relaxing dips in the indoor spa pool and rested on the sun loungers by the water’s edge.
Clamber Perast’s stairs and you’ll enjoy views like this
The hotel staff offered a consummate and friendly level of service, with even the manager stopping to chat on her rounds.
If that isn’t for you, there are more modest accommodation options available in Perast, should you decide to make this town your base.
In short, it’s beautiful with its bayside setting and mountains in all directions. Honey-coloured stone from its Venetian heyday still stands, including the lofty St Nicholas belltower. Stairs lead up to an elevated view of Kotor Bay.
Even in early April, day trippers visit Perast making the waterfront quite busy. But after they melted away, I enjoyed relaxed dinners in the many waterside restaurants while watching some colourful sunsets.
Forget Spain?
If you’re looking for lively nightlife, Perast might disappoint you. It’s a peaceful spot and lends itself to relaxed, early nights or sitting outside nursing a coffee.
If you stay in Perast, you’re very close to a famous Kotor Bay attraction. A tiny island topped with a blue-domed church – Our Lady of the Rocks – is just a short and cheap boat ride away from the shore.
The island also boasts its own little lighthouse and can get very busy, so it’s worth taking the trip just after breakfast.
Is it a good move to swap a Spanish getaway for this Montenegrin town? True, you won’t get acres of golden sand here or raucous nightlife. But it boasts a majestic waterside setting and has a timeless elegance.
If, like me, you enjoy exploring and finding plenty to photograph, then Montenegro offers more. I’ll tell you about that in upcoming posts.
Cumbria: Little island trip
When you have a friend with a car who suggests a last-minute trip to Cumbria’s lesser known islands, you fetch your camera and hop in.
The sun was shining in an early Spring sky blobbed with fluffy white clouds and the two-hour journey from Manchester passed swiftly.
The highlights of the Furness Peninsula include tiny Piel Island, accessible only by ferry boat which had a lot of passengers waiting for a ride. I’d taken this commute back in 2018 on a quieter weekday.
Instead we looped through the industrial town of Barrow to visit Walney Island. Its rock-strewn beach was practically empty and proved a haven for beachcombing and enjoying the seascape. A blissful retreat from the city.
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On a day trip of spontaneity, we decided to make a homeward detour to the pretty little town of Kirkby Lonsdale, just as dusk was beginning to sink in.
There was a much-needed pub pitstop and a swift wander around the honey-coloured houses and charming little shops of a place straddling the Lake District and Yorkshire Moors.
With just time to take a couple of photos, it was clear Kirkby warranted its very own grand day out another time.
São Tomé snapshots
The small, little-known African island nation of São Tomé e Príncipe is a place worth visiting.
My smartphone came along for the ride with my camera and played its part too, even though I’ve been reluctant to make use of its photo-taking abilities.
These portrait format phone snaps are less disciplined and capture some little instant details – and the occasional selfie.
Visit my São Tomé and Príncipe pages to find out more about these warm, engaging islands. Any travel questions? Feel free to leave a comment below.
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São Tomé: Holiday paradise?
Choosing an unusual holiday destination is a bit of a gamble.
But when a country has relatively few visitors, you hope your efforts will be rewarded with something out of this world (and bragging rights!)
So I journeyed from Manchester to Lisbon to catch a six-and-a-half-hour flight to São Tomé e Príncipe, a small island nation off the African coast.
São Tomé is the largest island with the bulk of the country’s 223,000 inhabitants. The journey from the airport was straight through the capital city at dusk, which hummed with life.
Was it worth going the extra mile to see this island? CONTINUE READING BELOW
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My first lasting impression of São Tomé was one of holiday bungalows set in palm-fringed grounds, with a private beach and pool area close by.
Club Santana seemed geared up to European visitors who could happily wile away a fortnight relaxing in the winter sun – and I tapped into that vibe.
But this was also my base to begin exploring the island, which I did courtesy of guide Diego and a driver.
The eastern side of São Tomé is pierced with coastal highlights including the lively Mouth of Hell and broad sandy beaches.
This was also my first taste of the country’s roças. These grand estates were built by the Portuguese during their centuries of rule to exploit São Tomé’s cocoa resources.
Since independence in 1975 the roças have fallen into disrepair, but families are still living in the dilapidated buildings and struggling to make a living. It’s ironic that these colonial throwbacks are now very much on the tourist trail.
My Mucumbli bungalow was surrounded by lush tropical greenery
I visited Roça São João which has been turned into a small hotel and is famous for its multi-course tasting menu. Maybe this is the future for São Tomé’s dessicating colonial leftovers.
There had to be a trip to São Tomé’s capital city, where I was drawn to some crumbling but boldly painted architecture.
It has the chaotic verve of any African city with people going about their daily business under tropical humidity. It’s a lot and you need to keep your wits about you.
I left São Tomé for a number of days to stay on its tranquil smaller sibling Príncipe, returning to a new home and a different set of experiences.
Mucumbli lodge is on the west coast of the island, a verdant oasis with views over the ocean. I had my own bungalow again, with rustic furnishings and a peaceful terrace facing the trees and Atlantic.
Activities here were more energetic, including a hike around the island’s Lagoa Amelia, a rich area of cultivated terraces and dense rainforest.
Seven hours and many slippery paths later, I was proud to have made it and needed a very long shower back at Mucumbli and one of their beautifully cooked, tasty dinners.
Is São Tomé worth the journey?
So did my São Tomé gamble pay off and is it the holiday paradise we haven’t yet discovered?
Well if you want a very exotic couple of weeks basking in the sunshine, that’s possible. The island has some well established accommodation to suit languid Europeans. The quality of food and level of service is impressive.
But there’s so much more this country has to offer, with beautiful landscapes, stunning nature and a compelling history. You’d be missing out if you didn’t venture beyond your relaxing compound.
A word of warning, however. English has only been taught in high schools since 2019 and São Tomé is only used to relatively small numbers of visitors. But well worth considering before tourism really takes over these little islands.
My trip to São Tomé e Príncipe was organised by Archipelago Choice, a small specialist travel agency based here in northern England. International flights to the islands were with Air Portugal and inter-island flights with STP Airways.
Príncipe: African island gem
“I’m going to São Tomé e Príncipe.”
“Where on Earth is that? I’ve never heard of it.”
That was the reaction of all my friends when I told them about my travel plans. I’d picked an obscure holiday destination for the average Brit.
In a nutshell, São Tomé e Príncipe is a small African island nation located in the Gulf of Guinea. The country gained its independence in 1975 after centuries under Portuguese rule.
After a hop from Manchester to Lisbon, it was a six-and-a-half hour flight to the warm equatorial climes of São Tomé, the main island.
So what does this largely unheralded country have to offer? First stop is Príncipe, the much smaller partner with a fraction of the population. CONTINUE READING BELOW
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Príncipe is a 40-minute flight in a small passenger plane from São Tomé – or a 14-hour ferry crossing if you’re feeling adventurous or reckless.
The tiny airport is a testament to the island’s remoteness and seclusion, while the good quality road doesn’t last for too long. There’s an abundance of greenery everywhere on this lush, equatorial speck of land.
My home on Príncipe was Roça Sundy, once a plantation owner’s home turned into a small hotel filled with colonial features. Dinner is served on the rear verandah and ceiling fans gently whir throughout. A sumptuous bolthole which I fell in love with.
Roça Sundy. My large, lofty room was to the left of the entrance.
The house is surrounded by old cocoa plantation buildings which have fallen into disrepair. Just a small operation now gathers the raw materials and makes them into high quality chocolate, which tastes out of this world.
It was time to explore Príncipe along with a Roça Sundy guide and driver. Essential stops included the view over Praia Banana, a perfect Desert Island Discs beach framed by turquoise waters and dense forest.
Up in the hills overlooking the Atlantic is another sumptuous plantation property called Belo Monte, exuding luxury for those who make the long journey here.
A trip to Santo Antonio, the island’s only city – more of a sleepy, slightly larger village – was a highlight, with its decaying colonial architecture, zany pastel paintwork and languid inhabitants.
The northern half of Prìncipe is where most people live. The southern half is ruggedly mountainous and was declared a Biosphere Reserve a decade ago. The best way to view this spectacular volcanic landscape is by boat in the Bay of Needles, a coastal area studded by pristine little beaches.
Was it worth the long journey to see this little-known territory? Absolutely and I’d recommend it to anyone looking to break with the usual holiday destinations.
Next time: A trip around São Tomé’s main island. Bigger, bolder and busier than little Príncipe with much more to discover from this small nation.
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