11 August 2018 - Since splitting from Serbia in 2006, the Balkan nation has reimagined itself as a must-visit destination for deep-pocketed travellers looking for an untapped getaway.
“Then came the war, old sport...I was promoted to be a major, and every Allied government gave me a decoration—even Montenegro, little Montenegro down on the Adriatic Sea!” Tom Buchanan's words have been immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 masterpiece, The Great Gatsby. And as a result, for generations of readers, the sovereign state of Montenegro, or rather, "little Montenegro," as Buchanan sardonically calls it, became known as the ultimate cast-off country, more of a novelty than a nation. Yet those words were written nearly a century ago, and much has changed since the summer of 1924 when Fitzgerald sat in the French Riviera to write his most famous novel.
“No, we don't like being compared to Monaco. Monaco has lost its soul—there's no real atmosphere there anymore.”
Like most nations that have experienced the carnage of war, Montenegro is a complex place. Yet, things are on the rise in the tiny Balkan nation (which is sandwiched between Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, and Albania) and have been for over a decade. Sure, it helps that the country's mountains and lakes and coastline along the Adriatic Sea are stunningly beautiful, but the people are about as friendly and warm as the Mediterranean climate. In fact, it's not just the unspoiled terrain, ample sunlight, and hospitable locals that have made Montenegro an exciting travel destination but also a bevy of newly renovated and built luxury hotels and restaurants, which have caused some to call Montenegro the next French Riviera. And while the Côte d'Azur is alluring for countless reasons, parts of southern France has lost its charm, mainly due to the endless stampede of tourists coming to soak up the legendary sun. Montenegro, on the other hand, has the same incredible local cuisines, wines, and splendid natural beauty of the Riviera —yet hasn't forfeited its soul with an influx of visitors from other countries.
This country has spent the past decade proving that they don't merely want to bring in hordes of crowds from around the world, but rather those travelers who are looking for a highly-luxurious getaway. A look at one wing of Porto Montenegro, a beautiful yacht marina that, when completed in 2009, was among the most ambitious leisure projects in Europe.
Anytime a major yacht marina is built anywhere around the world, comparisons to Monaco are inevitable. But that's not what Porto Montenegro is hoping to achieve. In fact, far from it. "No, we don't like being compared to Monaco," says Kai Dieckmann, general manager of the Regent Porto Montenegro, the first five-star property in Boka Bay (the clean and calm body of water that Porto Montenegro is located on). "In my opinion, Monaco has lost its soul—there's no real atmosphere there anymore," he continues. "But in Montenegro, we have natural beauty, incredible food and wine that are both locally grown, and friendly people. We don't need this country to be a tax haven to attract visitors; they will come without that."
The Yacht Club Pool at Porto Montenegro has become a hot spot in the country, as visitors flock to enjoy the views from the infinity pool overlooking the Bay of Kotor.
For decades, much of what makes the French Riviera such an attractive locale (including, of course, the climate, culture, and scenery) is that it's a very enjoyable environment to live in. For any potential transplant debating a move to a new country, crime is certainly an issue taken into serious consideration. Here, Montenegro actually outpaces European countries such as France, while landing only one spot behind the U.K. (this is according to rankings from the 2018 Global Peace Index, which takes into consideration such indicators as relations with neighboring countries, terrorist activity, and levels of violent crime, among others).
With Montenegro's current trajectory in building luxurious hotels, and its propensity to lure deep-pocketed investors, maybe in the not-so-distant future the roles will be reversed: A young novelist will sit at a table and, in his or her book, write a scene involving the splendors and luxe throughout "ritzy Montenegro."
Source: architecturaldigest.com
