I've just returned from this and it was another excellent holiday. Our group was a little big with 40, and we ended up in two different hotels instead of one (the first hotel, which we weren't supposed to stay in, was much better than the one we were meant to be in), but both were clean.
The tour round Dubrovnik was very informative, then getting the cable car provided excellent views over Dubrovnik and the surrounding area. We then had free time for wandering/lunch, before leaving just after 3.
Montenegro (once you were through border control) was lovely. We stopped in Perast and got the boat across to Our Lady of the Rock and had a guided tour in the church, followed by some free time before boarding the boat back. We then travelled on to Kotor which is a lovely little place, here we had an excellent local guide for a 45 minute tour, before having free time for lunch and a wander/shop - this really is a lovely place and there was plenty to do.
Island Tour - this was on a lovely old boat with 3 other groups but the boat never felt crowded and there was always somewhere to sit (inside or out on deck), and the buffet was lovely with a free drink included. We visited 3 islands, the first we didn't stay long as not a lot to see but we found a cafe nearby. The second island/stop provided a 10-15 walk to a church and a choice of shops/cafes. We stayed at the 3rd island for 3 hours, which seemed excessive at the time, but we actually found more than enough to pass the time, including some lovely shops and Cafes, and even a park.
Ston - this took 1 1/2 hours to get to from our hotel, but the coastal views were breathtaking. We visited the salt pans, then had free time for a wander round/shop/coffee and soon discovered the local bakery selling pastries. The winery was a lovely experience, I've done a few of these now and this was by far the best. After a short explanation of the winery by the owner, we had grappa in various flavours, before sitting down to lunch of Oysters (with sparkling wine), Mussels (with white wine), bread with olive oil, and delicious cheese (with 2 types of red wine). I didn't have Oysters or Mussels but still had enough to eat, and still drank all the wine. After having time to purchase the food/drink we'd sampled, we travelled the same coastal road back to the hotel, though most of us snoozed on the way back.
Free Day - I spent this in Cavtat, walking to the second harbour and visited the church and monestry, before walking up the steep hill to the mausoleum at the top of the hill with beautiful views out across the sea. There were paths with lovely walks, and plenty of places to eat and shop. Some of the group got the boat back to Dubrovnik, this could be booked at the hotel and the boat departed from the hotel.
Bosnia - this was a long day 8am-6.30pm but well worth the visit. After getting through border control, which takes time depending on what mood they're in, we reached Mostar. Again we had an excellent local guide for our 1 1/4 hour tour. The bridge has to be walked across with extreme care, it's best to wear sturdy shoes and hold on to the handrail when walking across and back. The town reminded me of Turkey as the streets are lined with loads of shops, if you want gifts/scarves/ceramic/lace etc, etc, then this is the place to get it. Though it's worth remembering Bosnia has its own currency, although you can also use Euro and Kuna here. It's difficult to imagine the horror and devastation that went on here, and many of the buildings are riddled with bullet holes, but they have restored it to its former glory. A visit to an old preserved local house, and lunch (not drink) at a local restaurant was included. We had an hour to freshen up at the hotel before heading back to Dubrovnik for our farewell meal, Dubrovnik at night is beautiful and much calmer and cooler than during the day so it was lovely walking up and down the main street to get to the restaurant.
This was my first visit to Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and this was the ideal tour to see it in one go. I will be going back to Croatia later this year, on a different tour, so I am now really looking forward to that. I met various members of the forum on this holiday and it was nice to put names to faces at last.
