What a lovely apartment. Modern, fresh and clean. We are booked in for 3 nights but soon make it 5 as we decide to have a rest. Travelling days are tiring, there is a lot to take in, especially if there are a lot of transfers .

Well, always be prepared to be surprised!

This is what I wrote after our first night: Budva is a holiday spot. Sunshine, beaches, bars, restaurants and nightlife. There are a few sighseeing opportunities, but to be honest we are a bit monumented out. So, we are having a break. I cannot wait to get in the sea.

This what I write four nights in: Its foodie heaven if you know where to look! Look no further than `TERACA`. It is tucked up a back street just south of the main road through the town. And, fortunately for us, down the stairs from our apartment. We are able to wave to our favourite waiters and indicate to get our table ready. Read further on about this fabulous restaurant.

The town beach is a few minutes walk away. It is a gravelly beach with bigger stones as you get deeper. The actual beach is only about 24 feet from promanade to the water, so its packed. The swimming area is roped off from the bustling marina, where you can get boat excursions, banana boat rides, fishing trips etc. Every kind of fast food is catered for but I havent seen the dreaded McD` or KFC yet. The kebabs actually look fabulous, filled with lots of salad etc. Again, there is this damned music everywhere. We walk along the prom toward the quiet end and find a nice looking restaurant with tables at the waters edge and a pontoon with tables too. They specialise in fish and they do a platter for two. Sea bass fillets, two types of mussels, clams, prawns, squid, baby squid stuffed with shrimp puree. Bring it on! The waiter is  attentive but not in your face, and there is no music. Just the gentle sound of the sea clawing at the pebbles a foot away from our tables edge, the odd glass clinking and cutlery tapping. It is music to my ears. The platter arrives in a procession of waiters from the kitchen. One to proudly carry the platter, one to carry extra plates to put shells on, one a basket of different breads and damp towels to clean fishy fingers with. Norman and I eye each other up over the mountain of the seas bounty and get stuck in. Its a tough job but someone has to do it. It was delicious. Just fish and seafood cooked to perfection, no fancy sauces (but there was a salsa verde and lemon slices on the side if we wanted).

I am determined to get in the water, my confidence in my ankle took a battering after the Sibenik experience. I have no worries about swimming and love deep water, its the getting in and out that could be a problem. We decide to go down late afternoon when the searing sun has lost its edge a bit. Leaving Norman in a patch of shade under a palm tree I take off my leg brace and carefully head to the waters edge. Taking my flip flops off is not an option as my feet sink unevenly into the soft gravel. So I wade in wearing them, then take them off and use them as paddles on my hands. Bliss! I have swum in nicer water, I have swum in worse. I float about for a while and do some gentle swimming. I am happy. Getting out is slightly more tricky but achievable with a little patience. I even carefully walk home without my brace on. If only the surfaces were flat.

In our little square under our balcony there is a restaurant called `Teraca`. Although they do the usual pasta, pizza, and fishy delights, they also do some traditional food of the region. It is reasonably priced, the service is impeccable, and the ambience is excellant. There is just a little gentle background music, not offensive too the ears. They are open for breakfast and close when the last diners leave. And, last page of the menu - a rakije list! I resisted Raki for many years in Turkey, just didnt see the appeal. Searingly strong alcohol with an aniseed/liquorice taste washed down with iced water. Then I discovered its the very best thing on a scorching day, especially after a swim in the sea. I have been hooked ever since, but would never drink it at home.

RAKIJE LIST

From Montenegro

Lozova Rakije

Lozova Rakije Institut

From Serbia 

Dragacevka Zlatna

Jelicki Dukat

Viljamovka Takovo

Kajsija

Dunja

Visnjevaca

Meduska

From Turkey

Yeni Raki

Five days, ten Raki`s - best get cracking!! They are served here as shots in glasses fresh from the freezer, with a glass of ice water on the side. Turkish style is usually in a tall glass with ice cold water in a bottle. Our waiter is enthusiastic about Rakije and says the Dragacevka Zlatna is his favourite. Dragacevka is the village, Zlatna means gold. This  is indeed dark golden in colour and is like a cognac. There is no burn, just a gentle spreading warmth that is very refreshing washed down with the iced water. It is important not to mix the Rakije and water, and certainly dont throw the Rakije straight down your throat. Drink it while it is still icy cold, and savour the flavour. Delicious. The Jelicki Duvat is made from plums, I think it is actually Schnapps, but is again flavoursome and lovely. 

We are treated like special regulars now at `Teraca`, and the owner, who usually keeps a back seat, has introduced himself. We go down for breakfast and he seeks us out. There was a big fish landed, a `Krnia` weighing 22 kilos. Its a deep water fish. There is not a big deep sea fishing industry out of Montenegro, so a fish like this is much prized. The restaurant bought the whole fish and are planning a special menu tonight, are we interested? Well, of course! I would have loved to see the fish intact, apparently they laid it on a table usually set for six people (three each side) to prepare it. So, the menu;

Fish soup

Seafood salad

Homemade breads

Grilled fish steaks with potato and sea kale

Chefs cake (a chocolate layer cake and a fruit layer cake)

The owner also is a knowledgable wine importer and recommends a `Gavi` from Italy to compliment the fish, not too many flowery overtones to spoil the fish. Blimey, he was right. I would say this is the best meal we have eaten so far.

We were recommended to go to Sveti Stefan beach. A €2 bus ride up the coast. The view was pretty, and old village perched on a rocky outcrop. But the beach was like Brighton, pebbles, and they wanted €25 to sit on it. I dont think so, I am pretty sure I would not have been able to negotiate the pebbles into the sea, and its seems extortionate just to sit on a towel on a pebbly beach. So, we climb the hill and get back on the return bus.

Puppy rescue! Walking back along a very busy stretch of dual carriageway complete with a junction. Norman stops and exclaimed `Sue look!`' There is a delivery van in a driveway and bounding out as fast as his four paws can carry him is a puppy (German Shepherd?). I drop my rucksack and swoop him up before he gets to the pavement, then comes number two! Deliveryman couldnt care less. The owner comes running out and picks up number three, and I field number four who is worrying a piece of rope on the driveway. So I have three wiggly balls of fur all desperatly trying to bite my fingers, lick me and eat my glasses off my face. Just as I am about to have a right go at the owner, I can see he is as shaken as me. The door got left open! I can see inside the house there is a proper puppy cage, water, clean floor Etc. I didnt see mum, but the puppies looked fit and well. What more can you do? (Other than kick the delivery driver of course).

Tortoises. Love a tortoise. And our restaurant `Teraca` has two adults, one baby just hatched and a couple of eggs soon to hatch. They live in a wall with olive, lavender and rosemary plants that shield the diners from the fountains outside. So you sit eating your meal and feed your salad garnish to the tortoises. Lovely idea. I have named the baby Norman just because he looks grumpy.

We had a lovely stroll around the old town. The yachts and cruisers getting bigger on this side of the marina. The old town is lovely, tiny streets with jewellery shops and little juice bars etc. Its a nice cool distraction from the crowded main drag. On the way along the quay, we see a fishing boat just mooring up, boxes of fish being unloaded, still flapping in the boxes. And oysters! We cant resist. With gnarly hands the fisherman opens these jewels of the sea, defty detatches them from the shell, sqeezes on a drop or two of lemon and hands them over. I have eaten a lot of oysters but these are the very best ever. They taste like the sea used to smell like when we were kids. Kind of briney, salty and seaweedy in a good way. The smell of rock pools on a day out. 

I am loving Budva, I Iove the people, the humour, the hospitality and the food. I thought this was going to be a chill out rest over, how wrong am I? Budva has something for everyone. Party central for the youngsters, gormet food for the foodies. The old town for charm and photo opportunities, the new town has the shopping centre with all the top brands. 

So, its our last night in Budva. `Teraca` ask if we would like something that is not on the menu? Something special, a celebration of Montenegro. It wont be cheap, and chef will have to time it perfectly. We agree to present our selves at 8 for pre dinner drinks. We will not be late. We start with carpaccio of tuna. Melt in the mouth! Chef had called me into the kitchen earlier in the day to see these beautiful fillets of tuna rolled in fine chopped herbs and carefully seared on a griddle. Then chilled in the fridge before being sliced and served. Then the main course. Igor, our lovely waiter, comes over looking serious and worried! `main course, is cancelled........Octopus escape`. Ha ha, very funny. `Its ok, I catch it`. Octopus cooked slowly with vegetables in wine in a huge iron dish in the charcoal oven under the kitchen. I could kick myself for not getting a photo of that oven! (Got to go back!) The octopus was so tender, it fell apart under the knife. We ate until we were stuffed. It was the most delicious meal ever.. at this rate I will have to be delivered home by sea freight. 

Love Budva! Love Montenegro!