14 November 2018 - Washington Life Magazine, a premier lifestyle magazine and media outlet in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, has recently posted an article about the “Dalmatian Dream” - a luxurious travel through Croatia and Montenegro. “It’s not hard to see why two small neighboring states on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea have become Europe’s hottest summer destinations. With over 1,200 islands, sky blue water, ancient walled cities, a rich cultural history that includes numerous UNESCO World Heritage sites, high quality local food, snow-capped peaks and pristine lakes, Croatia and Montenegro offer unsurpassed holiday experiences at generally reasonable prices," the writer Kevin Chaffee explains. He suggested to his readers to experience luxurious holidays in Montenegro, exploring the country’s nature and cultural heritage.

“Ferry transportation down the Dalmatian coast stops at Dubrovnik, which means renting a car (or hiring a car and driver) from Dubrovnik is the best option to explore the charms of neighboring Montenegro, now one of Europe’s hottest destinations. The journey can take two or more hours, much of it spent waiting in line to pass through both countries’ immigration controls, so be sure to allow plenty of time if you have a flight to catch on either side of the border at Dubrovnik or the Montenegrin international airports at Tivat or Podgorika. Well-heeled travelers also have the option of private helicopter service.

Porto Montenegro in the town of Tivat on the shore of the nearby UNESCO-protected Boka Bay, is a city unto itself offering every amenity international jet-setters could desire. Developed over the past dozen years and now owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, it has become “the new Monaco” with the world’s largest super yachts filling up every spot (up to 800 feet) in the 450-berth harbor in peak summer season. The adjacent “nautical village” teems with high-end bars and boutiques catering to the tastes of an international clientele for whom luxury is an absolute necessity.

The high-end Regent Porto Montenegro, loosely designed to reflect a refined Venetian Renaissance theme, offers highly personalized service and luxurious accommodations in its 87 expansive rooms and 62 suites and apartments, most with balconies overlooking the water. The stunning 10,000-square-foot pool complex encompasses a luxurious spa and hammam, three swimming pools and a gym. Guests also have access via private shuttle to a separate pool/nightclub facility with a Saint-Tropez vibe as well as a secluded private beach. A meal at the Mediterranean-inspired Murano Restaurant and a drink at the cozy Library Bar are recommended as well as a visit to the outstanding Gourmet Corner, which specializes in artisanal cakes and pastries. From $325. regenthotels.com.

After ogling the yachts, check out the marina’s pricey shops (don’t miss the amazing pharmacy) and watch teenage fashion victims parade about in $700 Dolce & Gabbana T-shirts and other designer duds as they amble to and from daddy’s boat. If you are in a more serious-minded mood, the nearby Naval Heritage Center maritime museum and submarine are worth a look.

You’ll also want to devote a day or more to explore the towns on Boka Bay, Europe’s southernmost fjord. The best way to accomplish this is via private motorboat with a captain/guide who can be hired through the Regent’s concierge (embarkation is immediately adjacent to the hotel). Along the way, Herceg Novi displays a fine combination of romantic, Byzantine and oriental architectural styles while Risan is known for the remnants of classical culture found there, dominated by the remains of a Roman patrician’s villa with beautiful mosaic floors. Kotor, a UNESCO-protected site, is the top attraction, an old Venetian city and cultural center that has withstood numerous invasions over the last thousand or so years and now attracts a lively crowd in summer that throngs its picturesque churches, museums and restaurants. It’s easy to experience daily life while meandering about the narrow lanes and small squares because it has not been totally overwhelmed by tourists except when cruise ship passengers disembark for a few hours of look & see. Finally there is Perast, another UNESCO Heritage-protected town where no cars are allowed, making it rather pleasant to explore its palaces and churches, some in ruins, set amid small hotels and family homes.

Your captain will surely disembark you at Our Lady of the Rocks (Croatian: Gospa od Škrpjela) off the coast of Perast, an artificial islet created by a sinking derelict and pirated ships loaded with rocks. The Roman Catholic Church of the same name was constructed by local seamen who kept an ancient oath after finding an icon of the Madonna and Child on the rock in the sea in 1452. The church, which was renovated in 1722, contains 68 works by Tripo Kokolja, a famous 17th-century Baroque painter from Perast.

At the foot of Porto Montenegro’s yacht-infested Jetty 1, One Restaurant’s spacious terrace beckons with “the most expensive view in the country.” Although the modern Adriatic menu featuring local ingredients competes with international favorites unavailable elsewhere, people watching will always be the main course here. The extensive wine list features many rosé labels as well as high-end champagnes. The Clubhouse, located a bit aft in the harbor, is a low-key nightspot that attracts an eclectic, younger crowd. Owned by a pair of Australian “best mates,” this casual watering hole is famed for oddly named drinks (“Boulevardier,” “Pink Pussy”), DJs and live music as well as great eavesdropping opportunities when off-duly crew from the super yachts dish about the owners’ various peculiarities and peccadilloes. It’s also the best place in town to watch major televised sports events like the World Cup.

It is best to rent a car to further explore Montenegro. Begin by driving from Tivat further down the coast to Budva, a summer party paradise boasting the best beaches in the country, ranging from the secluded and quiet to those with bustling party scenes and thunderous dance music that lasts until sunset (when scenesters continue their revelries back in the historic old town). Founded by the Greeks in the fourth century B.C. and fortified in the Middle Ages, it is now the center of the “Budva Riviera,” which runs 22 miles from Trsteno to Buljarica, and is dotted with sheltered coves and miles of sand and pebble beaches. Those with deep pockets but no super yacht can be spotted at Montenegro’s most expensive and exclusive hotel, the Aman Sveti Stefan, a complex of 15th-century stone buildings more like a medieval village than a hotel, housing 50 palatial suites and cottages with inspiring views of the coast. From $750. aman.com.

Head north to Cetinje, an odd combination of former capital city and quaint village that is the nation’s cultural heart. Get a 10-euro ticket to gain entry to six different museums, the most interesting and important of which is the King Nikola Museum Palace. The home of the ruling Petrovi-Njegoš dynasty until they fled in 1918, its somewhat musty rooms contain ornate furniture, Chinese vases, imposing portraits, taxidermied animals and a beautiful library that is closed to the public but can sometimes be accessed via a hired guide. Also visit Cetinje Monastery dating to 1786 and the History Museum, grandly housed in the city’s former parliament, that follows a timeline from prehistoric times to the mid-1950s.

Meander further northward enjoying the dramatic views through the mountainous region where the country’s vast national parks and pristine lakes are located. Check in at the Bianca Resort & Spa, a ski lodge in the town of Kolasin that is quiet, clean and features a huge pool, a whirlpool and an excellent sauna. Rooms are smallish and have no air conditioning or screens on the windows (although that is generally not a problem at this altitude). The cafeteria-style food is bland at best with the staff grumbling if they have to prepare anything off the limited à la carte menu — “communist-era hospitality” at its best! From $75, kolasin1450,com. (TIP: Ask for directions to a nearby restaurant run by the Damjanovica family that features hearty local specialties including local trout and kacamak, a tasty cheese and potato staple.)

From Kolasin it’s a two-hour drive to Biogradska Gora, the second oldest (1878) national park in the world, boasting one of the largest primeval forests in Europe. You’ll want to spend most of the day exploring its verdant landscapes, six pristine glacial lakes and 26 different habitats burgeoning with diverse flora, fauna and fish (including the grayling, which has disappeared from the rest of Europe). Historic heritage sites include sacral monuments and traditional architecture structures. Contact the The Explorer Tourist Agency explorer.co.me for top notch guided tours and be sure to ask about a visit to Eku Katun Vranjak, about 5,000 feet above sea level at the end of a bumpy, winding dirt road. The remote, family-run nomadic settlement of ten wooden chalets (some are available for overnight stays) sits amid breathtaking peaks and rolling pastures with herds of goats and cows feeding on grass as you enjoy a hearty lunch there. Reserve overnight stays and lunch-only visits at jelka.me.

Enjoy the drive south back to Tivat past rolling farmlands, creeks and the impressive Moraca Canyon to Podgorica (pronounced Pod-go-reet-sa), Montenegro’s “pocket-sized” capital known as “Titograd” in communist times. Stroll along the main street, the Slobode, as well as the side lanes to explore the Old Town (Stara Varos) and its shops, cafes and restaurants including Pod Volat for delicious pizzas and regional dishes that are ridiculously cheap.

Lake Skadar is not on the normal tourist route because it is neither on the coast nor anywhere near to the sprawling national parks. It is however a great place to stop if you enjoy the great outdoors and want to hike, bicycle, swim at freshwater beaches or explore nature preserves. Be sure to visit the Serbian Orthodox Vranjina Monastery, one of the country’s oldest religious sites located on the south-east part of Vranjina island and accessible by an access road from the shore.”

Read more information about the article and the luxurious travel through Montenegro and Croatia here.

08 November 2018 - The Montenegrin movie Lijenština ("Lazy Guy") is going to be premiered at the Cineplexx in Podgorica on December 5th, while during the next month it will be played daily on the Cineplexx schedule. The movie will also be presented to the German audience on November 10th during the Cottbus Film Festival, as well as during the Cinedays Film Festival on November 12th, which will take place in Macedonia.

So far, the movie Lijenština, by the director Aleksa Stefan Radunović and Andisheh Namvari as the movie's producer, participated at numerous film festivals, such as the Motovun Film Festival in Croatia, the Herceg Novi Film Festival in Montenegro, as well as at the Omladinski Film Festival in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the Herceg Novi Film Festival, the movie Lijenština won a Special Mention Jury Award.

Lijenština follows a young man named Miloš, separated from his wife, who is forbidden to see his child because he is unable to pay alimony. He tries to find a job in order to be reunited with his baby boy. On his path, he faces obstacles such as his own pride, apathy, corruption, and the economic conditions of his country. When asked about movie content, director Radunović said that this movie is a look at the life of many youths and their families in Montenegro's capital city, Podgorica. Through the story of a young man struggling to find a job, the movie attempts to show the culture, economic conditions of the country and the way the normalization of corruption and dishonesty has led to despair and apathy. Lijenština refers to the stereotyping of Montenegrins as lazy people.

"Through the experience of the main character, fighting against chronic hardship and disillusionment, in an environment knowing little prosperity, we should come to see the error of the label," concluded Radunović.

Read more information about the movie Lijenština on its official Facebook Page and Instagram Page.

Lijenština is also available on IMDB.

08 November 2018 - The people of Herceg Novi, as well as their guests, will be able to enjoy the 2019 New Year in the open air. Organized by Tourist Organization and Municipality of Herceg Novi, a multi-day programme with rich accompanying contents is being prepared, along with the magnificent New Year's celebration in 2019, both at the location of the Youth Park - Igalo, and the Škver. The programme will be adapted to various musical tastes, so New Year's Eve will mark the hits of Riblja Čorba, Jelena Rozga, Sergej Ćetković, performances by Ljuba Stanković and many DJs.

The people of Herceg Novi and their guests will enjoy the hits of the Belgrade rock band "Riblja Čorba" and their frontman Bora Đorđević. They will perform on stage in Igalo on December 31st from 11 PM and as an intro band "Light under the black mountain" will start from 9 PM. On the same stage, the night before, December 30th, the Croatian pop singer Jelena Rozga and the winner of Pink's Stars Ljuba Stanković will create a great atmosphere starting from 12 PM, when the "Children's New Year" will be also organized.

A particularly interesting programme is being prepared for the youngest with the children's theater play "Enchanted Santa Claus". On January 1st, the show is reserved for the performance of the biggest domestic music star, Sergej Ćetković, while the band "Toć" will be an intro band. This, however, is only part of what people of Herceg Novi and guests can expect during the New Year holidays.

On 31 December and January 1, Škver will bring the sounds of electronic music, or more precisely the performances of popular DJs, while the daily parties will be organised as well during the New Year's holidays. Also, with the engagement of music stars from the former Yugoslavia, along with large, well-known hits and fireworks, Herceg Novi will proceed in the most beautiful way in New Year 2019.

November 5, 2018 - This year's first mimosas on the Herceg Novi Riviera flourished on Topla.

The yellow sun, known as the mimosa flower, is the trademark of the largest town in Boka and it has been honored for almost half a century every year in February, a tourist propaganda event called the Mimosa Feast. Mimosas bloom from November to March.

The Mimosa is an exotic tree belonging to the acacia branch, which seafarers brought from their distant journeys to Herceg Novi. It is believed that the sailor Mićo Lepetić from Topla was the first to bring it to Herceg Novi from Australia, while in Europe it was mentioned for the first time in France, where it was planted around a castle in Cannes in 1860, from where it spread to other Mediterranean countries. There are about 800 species of this yellow flower, whose native land is in India, Africa, America, Australia and other dry, subtropical and tropical parts of the world.

At the end of the 1980s, there were about 5,000 mimosas in the area of the municipality, from which 30 flower wagons could be picked up. It is estimated that now only 10 percent of the trees are left. In the sixties and seventies of the last century, when the mimosa was massively planted, it was a lucrative job. Of the dozens of yellow flower producers, there are only a few left today. The mimosa tree has a short lifespan of up to 40 years. That is why the local government has launched an action of mimosa planting which is the symbol of the town so that it would not disappear completely and thus question the survival of the Mimosa Feast. In the area of the Herceg Novi municipality, 100 mimosa trees are being planted, of which 60 are allocated to the citizens and their private areas, and 40 will be planted on the municipal parcels. Thirty trees were planted before the commencement of the tourist season.

Text by Slavica Kosic, on November 4th, 2018, read more at Vijesti

04 November 2018 - As a result of the long-term cooperation between the "Pasar" Gallery, the Herceg Novi Comics Festival and the comics shop "Mr No" from Podgorica, the first comics shop in the Bay of Kotor opened in Herceg Novi.

The opening of the comics shop located in the Art Craft Gallery "Pasara", will try to revive the habit of reading comics, as noted from representatives Herceg Novi's Comics Festival.

"This is kind of a logical step in the development of our festival. The recently completed twelfth Herceg Novi Comics Festival has shown that the event has reached the level of European manifestations devoted to ninth art, as well that the best promoter of Montenegro in the world of comics, and also the best promoter of comics culture in our country is this festival in particular. We simply aim to return this form of art to people, return to the place it belongs to, and return comics to the citizens, as well as create a habit of reading comics," said representatives of the Herceg Novi Comics Festival.

Apart from the favorite comics of renowned publishing houses, the comics shop offers aworks by top authors who have toured at the previous festivals, as well as various souvenirs.

"Herceg Novi's comics shop of the gallery "Pasara" will feature all the kiosks from "Veseli Četvrtak" and "Ludens", to the exclusive collection of Belgrade's "Darkwood" and Zagreb's "Fiber", as well as all other renowned publishing houses from region, with a large selection of Japanese manga comics that are released in our region. In addition, the comics shop will also feature works created by top authors visiting our festivals, and there will be all Herceg Novi Comics Festival souvenirs and memorabilia such as t-shirts, posters and calendar for 2019 with the works of our 12 special guests this year," concluded representatives of the Herceg Novi Comics Festival.

They also believe that the comics shop will be a place for the gathering of lovers not only in the ninth art but of creativity in general, given the fact that the gallery "Pasara" was founded by Herceg Novi's artists Boris Šuberić and Vanja Berberović Šuberić.

01 November 2018 - Within a four-day visit to Montenegro, Herceg Novi hosted the leaders of 11 renowned tour operators from China over the past week. This study visit organized by the National Tourism Organization of Montenegro was initiated by the European Commission for Travel, in cooperation with the tourist organizations of Serbia and Romania.

As reported by the Tourist Organization of Herceg Novi, during their stay in the town, guests from China visited the villa "Galeb" and, thanks to the guide Alen Filipović, they went to the residence of Josip Broz Tito. After that, they visited the old town and visited the Forte Mare Fortress. Alongside Tourist Organization Herceg Novi, the study group from China was hosted by "Lazure Hotel & Marina", where they stayed overnight.

Despite the rainy weather, Herceg Novi has made a special impression on tour operators from China who are fascinated by the natural and cultural beauty, as well as the city's position, as noted by the Tourist Organization Herceg Novi.

This is the second study group that traveled to Montenegro in the past few weeks since Polish Tour Operators recently visited Bar, Kotor and Ulcinj.

October 27, 2018 - Herceg Novi Mayor, Stevan Katić, hosted the Finish Ambassador to Montenegro, headquartered at Belgrade, HE Perti Ikonen. Besides the agreement on joint organization of the exhibition dedicated to modern design, the subject of the meeting was also the actual political situation in Montenegro.