Escape the boring wine list and jump in line fast for a chance to preview the year’s First Sip from Plantaže! This Euro trip will be at the top of your wine touring list for years to come, as this large, award-winning vintner produces exceptional wines (both red and white) and has a few very special preview tastes available nowhere else on Earth.

(The fact that the beaches are amazing is, of course, secondary.)

The Plantaže vineyards are extensive – amongst the largest in Europe – and extremely productive, yielding some of the largest exports in the region. Perched at almost the same latitude as Rome, Plantaže is in the heart of Montenegro, a short hop east of Italy and a stone’s throw (a few miles) from the sea. Some top destination beaches (well-reviewed and tourist-friendly) abound at nearby destinations like Herceg Novi and several beachy sweet-spots in and around Budva.

Safe Travels for Silvered Seniors

Taking off for parts unknown at the gray-haired stage of life is still a fun adventure and there is nothing to fear! It may be true that running, jumping for joy and endless flights of stairs are less enticing than they used to be, but there’s a very big world out there to see without resorting to a “bucket list” approach. Organizing  a  Multi-Generational holiday or traveling Alone with Your Grandchildren can be a Great Bonding Experience.

Think “safety in numbers” and go for it! (If you’ve decided that sitting at home gathering dust is more appealing than travel, well, we can’t help you there, granny.) If you think this article is going to talk about pouch belts under your pants to hide your passport, no, no, no; we have better things to discuss.

Zen Recreations is a fantastic solution for traveling at any age and we specialize in the safety-in-numbers approach. By the way, we’re all about the destination; we don’t cut off the fun to travel in herds. But we help with a number of things including locating solo travel deals (here you have the opportunity to share a room with someone who has similar interests), finding lower prices and looking for adventures and showing you the ropes.

Zen Recreations is not a tour bus with a uniformed guide at the front. We don’t say “and if you look out the left window you’ll see an old building.” (Well, sometimes, but not much because we have places to go and things to do!)

Summer ’17 means Euro music festivals; they’ve already gotten under way, but there are opportunities to jump in now for some of the best fun to be had this year! If you’d be satisfied with a nice beach and some mildly scenic eye candy, well then head over to Montenegro’s beaches for a little Adriatic awesomeness anyway. But, baby! There’s so much more!

The world-famous (and enormous) EXIT music festivals are hitting the beach, too, with the Sea Dance landing beachside in Budva in mid-July. What a gas, right? But you jump over to the festival website and get hit with the news that hotels are sold out. Downer? Serious bummer?

For this year’s big getaway, may we propose a something quietly different? How about “unique + calm + touristy + history”? All these are available in Herceg Novi, and summer is the time to relax and absorb all those time-off things you want to indulge in; shopping and sightseeing gives way to munching and sipping on something entirely new and different. But your Secret Sauce for this adventure is to top it all off with moments of serenity you just can’t find anywhere else.

Unique even among historical sites, the still-functioning Savina monastery compound houses two churches called the “Church of the Dormition” and a third church named after Saint Sava. Savina will provide a dose of calm that (according to some records) dates back to 1030 A.D., and the churches house some of the most important religious relics in existence, including the Crystal Cross of St. Sava, dating from the 13^th century. The churches have undergone significant renovations and now represent some of the best Baroque architecture still in use and some of the best preserved frescos predating the Renaissance.

Enchanted by the idea of a special European getaway? The best stopovers are the ones gaining popularity with experienced travelers and we have one for you: Montenegro is a country that’s equal parts convenient, affordable and quintessentially European. And of the many hidden gems there, this gem of Montenegro is the tiny city of Kotor.

This charming “hidden” city is a real treasure of the Adriatic! Thousands of years old and sheltered by beautiful mountains, the Old City is home to marinas and stunning water-side views, too. Charm, history, welcoming people and majestic scenery combine where ancient architecture meets modern conveniences along streets you simply won’t find anywhere else.

Homey and full of flavor, but just a short drive from beaches, awesome national parks, and cities.

Montenegro is getting popular for superb scenery, great travel bargains, a thriving art scene,  a real Unesco Jewel meandring down the cobbled streets and fantastic things to do, Kotor is your perfect place to call home base while you’re here.

                                                                                                                                          “Lost, but not Really” ……………….. ;-)     

The Old Town in Kotor is a sightseer’s paradise jammed into the old fortified area of town, meaning an hour’s walk will take you to several neato spots if that’s all you want to do. And it’s all pretty good stuff! A little calm meandering will fulfill your tourist needs with regard to all things historical, certainly, and along the way there are opportunities aplenty for shopping, snapping photos, grabbing snacks or taking in a full meal.

But you will absolutely hit the scenic jackpot if you can stand to put a half a day into it, or hit the city on more than one day; there is a LOT to see, shop, eat and drink along the way!

Low season can be a great time to visit if you don’t a little bit mind cooler weather. You might enjoy walking around without getting drippy, you’ll certainly save cash and there just won’t ever be any crowds at all after summer winds down.

Year ‘round, the natives of Montenegro work play hard to enjoy everything! As the Montenegrin search for a great time is pretty constant, perhaps the French phrase “joie de vivre” could be best translated as “Montenegro, any time and all the time”. This little seaside country serves up a full-time joy for life at every turn:

Food: How about “tasty and amazing food influenced by cultures North, South East and West?” Step out for food in any town and you’ll find something different and delicious.

Scenery: Well, that’s built in – and amazing! Ancient cities, modern amenities, mountains, enormous parklands, beaches, rivers… all here, all fantastic. From some spots you can see all those things at the same time!Beer and wine: Beer is more than a hobby here (it’s a way of life) and given that the land and climate are *perfect* for viniculture, wine holds center stage quite often as well.

December – March   Hot Winter in the Hills

Vrela Zima u Brdima

This is a long-running (constantly “on”) festival that runs in many individual venues throughout the northern region of Montenegro. Culture, art and entertainment events are featured in shows, music events, parties, café gatherings and ski and sports events. Special musical guests make appearances to highlight the fun and events throughout the region.

Hot Winter in the Hills events are held in the towns of Kolasin, Zabljak, Niksic, Rozaje, Berane, and Cetinje, as well as on the slopes and ski paths of Durmitor, Bjelasicam Sinjajevin and more.Durmitor national park is a world heritage site, formed by glaciers and sliced by rivers and underground streams: along the Tara river canyon, which has the deepest gorges in Europe, there are dense pine forests and clear lakes.

To counterbalance the relaxing parts of your trip, Montenegro offers plenty of outdoor fun, including abundant chances to get more than slightly wet. Jet ski, schmet ski,we’re talking about getting as wet as you can possibly get by taking a big dip under the water!

Even if you’re new to SCUBA diving, we’ll strap some air on your back and (safely and expertly) guide you to some sites and sights few people get to see.

These guided instructor-led trips where you do NOT have to be a certified diver are for SCUBA newbies and experienced divers alike —let’s go!

You can expect to see rays of sunlight shooting through the water, majestic kelp forests, colorful fish and an ocean floor full of fascinating creatures—all the stuff that landlubbers never get to see. As you glide over the bottom you can expect to play Peek-a-Boo with fish darting around the rocks and watch anemones waving to you with a zillion arms.

Want to see critters that look like they were designed by a color-mad fashion guru? Fish will certainly fascinate with lively colors not found on land animals and anemones are usually interesting balls of color, but there’s more…

Nudibranch, anyone? Pink, yellow, purple and amazing shades of blue! Like snails without a shell, these “sea slugs” crawl about on the bottom but you might also see some kinds swim by, waving their entire bodies slowly through the water.

In these waters, too, we’re fortunate to have dolphins  and  playful Mediterranean Monk Seal (Monachus monachus), some of whom come to visitors like a group greeting committee. Dozens of them will sometimes whizz by our group to say hello.

Whether you’re and experienced diver or a total noob, call some friends, plan your trip and explore our gigantic parks under the sea. We’ll see you soon!

https://www.zenrecreations.com/destinations/montenegro/diving/