Petrovac – Hidden Gem of the Montenegro Coast

From David’s Perspective:

One of the challenges of traveling to a small, unknown country (like Montenegro) is you don’t have a lot of information available.  Are they friendly?  Is it clean and safe?  Is it an interesting place to visit with cool things to see?  These were the questions running through our heads as we tried to decide where to visit and stay for a week of our vacation.

Christina and I looked at many coastal towns in Montenegro, hoping to find the one that fit us best.  After searching through lots of Google images and web pages, we narrowed it down to Budva and Petrovac.  Budva was larger and less expensive, but we chose Petrovac because it looked a little more charming and a lot less crowded.  We weren’t disappointed!

Petrovac is a small coastal village tucked between the mountains and the sea in a crescent shaped cove.  As you zig-zag your way down the hill from the highway, you pass through a small neighborhood of houses and finally reach this quiet, secluded shoreline with crystal clear blue-green water gently lapping onto the sandy beach.  Along the beach is a boardwalk lined with cafes, shops, and restaurants.  It was the ideal location for us, as we were in search of a little tranquility.

We used Booking.com to find a nice studio apartment just a few blocks from the beach. ($21 per night) Our host was very helpful with suggestions and information on sights to see nearby, and then asked if we would like to see his Roman ruins.  “Your ruins? Ummmm……sure???”  We weren’t sure what he was talking about, but we followed him to the back yard.  There we found a small sunroom-looking structure among the trees.  Marco let us in and showed us a complete 4^th century mosaic tile floor that his grandfather had found while trying to make a garden in the yard.  He explained that it was from a Roman villa built on this site and his back yard was now a protected archaeology site.  Outside of the sunroom, you can see the excavated walls of the rest of the villa.  When you come to towns like this, you forget that they are 2,000+ years old and there is history everywhere.

On our first full day there, Christina and I set off to explore.  Just past the boat dock, near the fortress tower, we found a set of stairs going up the hillside.  “Where do these go?”…”I don’t know.”…”Wanna check it out?”…”Sure.”…because that is how we roll.

You can just see the stairs going up the cliff behind the houses…

At the top we discovered a paved walkway that meandered along the top of the cliff for as far as we could see.  It was a perfect day for a walk, so down the path we went.  After about a ½ mile we found a staircase leading down the cliff to the rocks below.

“Oh look…..Stairs going down the cliff!”

Why they were there, we have no clue, but they sure were not OSHA approved!  Christina managed to make it halfway down because there were no handrails and it was really steep and uneven, but I decided to take my chances and explore the rocks below.  I won’t admit it publicly, but it was a lot more scary than I imagined.  Pictures don’t show how narrow and steep it truly was.

One of our favorite things to do in Petrovac was to find an outdoor seat at one of the local cafes and “Waste Time”.  We need to remind ourselves that EVERY moment doesn’t need to be spent exploring, visiting castles and churches, or climbing hills.  Sometimes it’s just good to sit and listen to the waves tumble onto the beach.  Christina would photo edit with a cup of tea and I would do my Sudoku with a beer or cappuccino.  And with a view like this, life is good!

For us, Petrovac was exactly what we wanted and needed.  It’s not a place of tourist crowds and parties, but it is definitely our speed.  At the end of the day, we would climb to the top of the fortress tower and hold hands, watching the sun set on another day in our blessed life.

 

More pictures of this beautiful town……

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