12 independent reviews for Self guided cycling holiday in Montenegro
Reviews for Self guided cycling holiday in Montenegro
Helen Reddecliffe review 27 Jun 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Fantastic winding roads through the alps with little traffic, especially the day from Zabjlak to Pluzine. This was really spectacular.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
This is an adventure! Go into it open and respectful to the locals and embrace experiences that are different from what you may be expecting. From Podgorica to Rijecka Crnojevica there is an optional boat taxi to avoid a “gravel” section. We tried the gravel but thought it was more like a rough farm track and turned back. The boat trip was really good, and much better than taking a scenic boat trip from Rijeka Crnojevica would have been. We had one week in Montenegro and this itinerary fitted that perfectly (we had one extra day at the end in Kotor). When we got there, we would have loved to spend an extra night in Zabjlak, a night at Lake Skadar and two extra nights just out of Kotor at the end (one for Kotor Fortress and another for a boat trip to Blue Cave).3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
I feel confident we helped provide employment for local residents. The local yoghurt, cheese and honey are really good. Fresh fruit and vegetables plentiful.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We had high expectations and these were exceeded. On any outdoor holiday you are somewhat at the mercy of the weather. We travelled in June and it was very hot but had no rain or head wind. We had an unforgettable and wonderful time.Andy Laurence review 21 Jun 2024
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Great route through different parts of Montenegro, you get a feel for the country. Stunning scenery particularly Zablejak through to Pluzine. The food throughout was excellent and all local.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
In the Northern part of the country it is less touristy and therefore make sure you have cash to try local food and drink on the way!3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Definitely benefited local people as the hotels were family or small Montenegrin owned.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent, route was great. You feel you have seen a lot of the country and it is beautiful. People were friendly and the accommodation and local food amaxingCilla Freud review 19 May 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The decent from Lovcan to Kotor was especially memorable as the mist meant visbility was poor in places but when there was a gap in the clouds it was amazing2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Definitely hire e bikes and take plenty of rain gear as the weather is very changableo3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes as we ate out in local restaurants4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Holiday was very well organised by the team in Montenegro the only suggestion I would make is to have a hotel out of the centre of Kotor as it is a very noisy place.Sue White review 19 Nov 2023
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The countryside, the ride around the Bay of Kotor2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
There was no bike fitting, little guidance and the roads can be very rough. The maps were accurate3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Not really4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was ok- we made the most of it, but sort of felt like we paid a LOT of money for someone to basically shuttle our stuff from hotel to hotel- some of which were VERY run down and not always clean. Would’ve been better to just do it ourselves.Read the operator's response here:
Dear Sue,
I hope this finds you well.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on your self-guided cycling tour in Montenegro. We appreciate your honesty and are committed to continuously improving our services to better meet the needs and expectations of our customers.
We understand that the lack of bike fitting and guidance was a bumpy start. We apologize for any discomfort this may have caused but an accumulation of unforeseen circumstances at your arrival day were the reason we could not deliver this service.
Regarding your concerns about the environmental impact and support for local people, we are committed to promoting sustainable tourism practices and working with local providers of transfer and accommodation to maximize the economic impact of your travel expenses in Montenegro. Since we use the closest eg. transfer provider along the route to shuttle your luggage we strive to minimize the impact of carbon emissions.
We acknowledge that sections of the roads the route follows can be rough, since those are secondary roads and less maintained, but this fact ensures on the otherside they are free of heavy traffic. We would have prepared you for this, if there had taken place a bike fitting. Lastly, we appreciate your overall rating of the tour as "ok." We understand that some aspects of the tour may not have met your expectations, and we will strive to address these concerns in future. We hope that you had some memorable moments during your holiday, such as the ride around the Bay of Kotor.
Thank you once again for sharing your feedback.
Best regards,
Angelika
I hope this finds you well.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on your self-guided cycling tour in Montenegro. We appreciate your honesty and are committed to continuously improving our services to better meet the needs and expectations of our customers.
We understand that the lack of bike fitting and guidance was a bumpy start. We apologize for any discomfort this may have caused but an accumulation of unforeseen circumstances at your arrival day were the reason we could not deliver this service.
Regarding your concerns about the environmental impact and support for local people, we are committed to promoting sustainable tourism practices and working with local providers of transfer and accommodation to maximize the economic impact of your travel expenses in Montenegro. Since we use the closest eg. transfer provider along the route to shuttle your luggage we strive to minimize the impact of carbon emissions.
We acknowledge that sections of the roads the route follows can be rough, since those are secondary roads and less maintained, but this fact ensures on the otherside they are free of heavy traffic. We would have prepared you for this, if there had taken place a bike fitting. Lastly, we appreciate your overall rating of the tour as "ok." We understand that some aspects of the tour may not have met your expectations, and we will strive to address these concerns in future. We hope that you had some memorable moments during your holiday, such as the ride around the Bay of Kotor.
Thank you once again for sharing your feedback.
Best regards,
Angelika
Frank Rittman review 31 Aug 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The bike route was amazing2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Tell them upfront what level of accommodation you are accustomed to, say one star to five star.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Of course, I was on a bike. I spent a lot of money in meals and drinks. Met people. No impact.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The maps were amazing. The destinations were amazing. Those are the important things. Strictly to help them get even better: The accomodatioms were not all up to where I'd like them because I'm a 60 and have some money. I should have made it clear at the outset but they should ask at the outset too. There was some sense that not everything was fully figured out before I got there and I would have preferred getting all transfers with people from the company and not a local taxi. But I can't comment on what they can do and how many employees they have. It was PERFECTMary Fox review 29 Jul 2022
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Stunning scenery throughout, challenging but rewarding cycling, very friendly people, and delicious food.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Although our overall average daily cycle was only 44km, the first four days featured some challenging and often long climbs. For this reason, we would not recommend this tour for inexperienced cyclists unless you have a good overall fitness level. Apart from a short climb at the start of day 5, it and day 6 are generally easy cycling days. If you are a regular cyclist and use cleated cycling shoes, then it might be worth taking your own pedals and cycling shoes. We opted to do this (pedals fitted on arrival) and it certainly helped on the climbs. We experienced excellent but hot conditions in May, so found it necessary to carry plenty of water especially on days when refreshment stops were few and far between. We received good information and advice at our welcome meeting about what to expect on each stage, so we were fully prepared for all eventualities. Route directions and maps were comprehensive, though we would recommend making sure the location of overnight accommodation is clearly known as we did have some initial difficulty locating our accommodation in Virzipar and Stari Bar.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Being a cycling holiday ensures there is very limited environmental impact. We used local restaurants and shops throughout our holiday. We visited a local winery near Virzipar for a wine tasting and purchased wine to take home. We also visited Old Town of Bar (Stari Bar) which is a UNESCO World Heritage site and well worth a visit as is exploring Kotor Old Town. Our overnight hosts provided excellent recommendations for eating out locally and we were never disappointed in the quality and quantity of food, and friendly service.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We had a wonderful holiday. It was originally booked for 2019 but due to medical reasons, it was postponed until 2020. The Covid pandemic then intervened, and it wasn’t until May 2022 that we were finally able to undertake the cycle tour. Throughout this time, communication with Boris was excellent and the fact that the holiday was honoured without any extra costs despite a 3-year delay since the original booking was exemplary. We also found the tour operator to be quick and responsive to any questions or queries arising during the holiday. We would certainly have no concerns about booking another cycling holiday with the tour operator again. Montenegro is certainly well worth visiting for the scenery, food and friendly helpful people. Cycling is a great way to experience all Montenegro has to offer.Victoria Hills review 7 May 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Incredible views after hard climbs! Coming through the clouds on our last day's descent, we came to an amazing, dramatic view of Kotor bay with turquoise seas and a scattering of dark green islands - it was one of many breathtaking scenes.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for dramatic changes of weather! (Depending on the time of year). We woke on 1 May to snow outside! Admittedly, up a mountain, but we weren't expecting it, so wore very many layers... Worth checking your route notes, especially destination hotels - it sometimes wasn't very clear, and without data to get online, it wasn't possible to check once on the road.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We stayed in small local hotels/guesthouses and used local services like taxis. We tried to use some language and get to know hosts a bit - they were incredibly friendly in pretty much every case. The company seems to have developed good relationships with local hotels, etc.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
We really enjoyed it. Seeing Montenegro by bike was a fantastic experience - the perfect way of seeing a phenomenally beautiful country. We found wonderfully welcoming people, a well-chosen route with a variety of amazing landscapes and a healthy dose of adventure. Thank you!Jannie Petersen review 6 Sep 2019
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The view over Skadar Lake and the Kotor fjord2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Check the gradiaents carefully before you book3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Don't think so4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Fantastic route choice and lovely accommodations, expect for the Panorama Restaurant/Hotel, which was VERY filthy and the toilet seat was covered in old pee. Very friendly and good service from the company. Can highly recommend this holiday, but you have to bit prepared to do a lot of hill climesTerry Mayor review 29 Jun 2018
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Day 2 : Overlooking lake Skadar, that had so many great view points en route to the edge of the Albanian border. On day 5, the Bay of Kotor was also beautiful, from every angle around the circuit.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Check your cycling ability. I underestimated the difficulty on some of the climbs, and had to walk a few times. Not a big issue, as time was not an issue. Take plenty of water as the temperature was also touching 30C by 1:00pm on our last three days.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Benefit: Yes, we ate out every day. Environment: Yes, I believe so given it was a cycling holiday. We were certainly welcomed by all the locals we met.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent, we had a great time. Thanks to Boris and his team for looking after us throughout the week. The hotels were fine, and the luggage appeared in plenty of time for our arrival in the afternoon at the next stop.Pamela Wittfoth review 26 Sep 2017
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The landscape and the scenery in Montenegro are incredible. Reaching the top at Lake Skadar after 1,5 hour non-stop-cycling uphill in the heat is an uplifting experience. The view is always stunning. Very sleepy and unspoilt areas make you "feel alone on the planet":-).2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Day two is challenging. Be prepared for a long and tough riding day, especially in the heat. The distances at all the other days are very good to handle, especially day 4 to 7. Biking shorts are recommended, maybe even gloves due to the sweat in the heat for a better grip. Roads are mostly quiet, on those with more traffic, cars are often passing closely which is a little tiring.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
We bought all our supplies in local shops and only used local restaurants. We had some very pleasant contacts with local people, we felt welcome at all times.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
The trip was wonderful and is highly recommended. Montenegro is an amazing country that we would love to come back to. The company was very good in all concerns, always helpful and friendly. Bikes and equipment are very satisfying. Local mobile phone and detailed route descriptions are provided. The variety of the different bike routes (mountains, woods, small villages, coast line, bay) was very well chosen. The mixture of an active and relaxing holiday (bike riding, swimming, sunbathing, enjoying good food) makes vacation brilliant. Prices in Montenegro are very decent.Jane Cowan review 11 Sep 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Montenegro is a beautiful country. The scenery was stunning and we were welcomed in all the places that we stayed. The cycling itself was challenging - as the maps did not always reflect the actual road layouts and the routes were not always entirely straightforward. The hill climbs were tough but always rewarding.2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
The bicycles we used were high quality mountain bikes and therefore heavy and strong. The heat during the day ( early September) was such that we would have been better to start each day much earlier and avoided the heat of the day for the climbing. The routes were on the whole very quiet - so no facilities - we needed to carry plenty of water and provisions. Better maps would have helped - but the support from the company was excellent.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Once we arrived - there was no environmental impact as we cycled each day between places and received a planned taxi transfer on one day. Our luggage was moved - so that did involve car journeys. we bought all our provisions in local shops and only used local restaurants. We had some very pleasant interactions with local people on each day of our touring and felt welcome at all times.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
It was an excellent holiday and we will return to Montenegro in due course. The company was very good to deal with and had chosen a good itinerary for this particular tour.Olivia Wolff review 19 Jul 2015
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
Cycling over the hill into Kotor bay, and also the second day, beautiful scenery along Lake Skadar2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Be prepared for the heat. Also its more of a cycle touring holiday than a mountain biking or road biking holiday.3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, reduced environmental impacts or supported conservation?
Yes, we stayed mostly in family run hotels & the company seemed environmentally aware.4. Finally, how would you rate your holiday overall?
Excellent! Montenegro is an amazing country and still relatively unspoilt, with no crowds. Delicious food & wine for very reasonable prices.Holiday Reviews
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