Montenegro is a Balkan country with rugged mountains, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline. The Bay of Kotor is dotted with coastal churches and fortified towns. The European country also boasts of the Durmitor National Park, home to bears and wolves, limestone peaks, glacial lakes and 1300 m-deep Tara River Canyon. The Montenegro government's priority is to develop the country as an elite tourist destination. Actress-TV show judge-author Shilpa Shetty, who brought in her 40th birthday in the island nation, takes stock of her vacation...

WHAT A SURPRISE!
Raj (Husband, Raj Kundra) threw me a surprise birthday party on June 8 and flew down 50 of my closest friends and family to Montenegro for a three-day getaway. It remains my favourite memory because it was so unexpected. I'm a light packer and had only a duffle bag with clothes, shoes and toiletries and absolutely no idea where we were headed until we touched down on the Italian city of Naples. When we reached our hotel, my loved ones took me by surprise. After that it was a three-hour road trip to Montenegro. The trip was planned to perfection by Raj. We had booked out almost the entire Sveti Stefan Aman island resort. Our rooms faced the water, so we spent a lot of time on the beach which was a stone's throw away. I do a lot of paragliding and jet skiing but there is no scope for it in Montenegro which is more of a luxury island. I enjoy backpacking but now, it's difficult with a child.

SUN, SEA FOOD AND TURKISH SWEETS
On the last day of our vacation we hired a luxury boat and around 20 of us went into the city for a lip-smacking seafood spread. It was yummy! I forgot all my diet regimes in Montenegro and ate stuff not easily available in India. The traditional dishes of Montenegro's heartland, and its Adriatic coast, have a distinctively Italian flavour which shows in the bread-making style, the way meat is cured and dried, cheese, wine, spirits, soup, stew, stuffed peppers and meatballs. The coastal area in Montenegro is traditionally a representative of Mediterranean cuisine, with sea food being a common dish. I tried to stick to grilled, preservative-free organic food as much as possible. In Mumbai, I'll only east desserts once a week, but there I was binging on cake and Turkish sweets like baklava and tulumba.

PAMPER ME
Long spas by the water were a regular during our stay. They left me relaxed after a long night of partying. Montenegro is buzzing with local talent and I got to see performances by illusionist Darcy Oaks, an accordion player in action, live music and an open air set. Since, our vacation was in the first week of June, the weather was warm enough to slip into evening dresses.

We also spent time in the coastal city of Kotor where I enjoyed shop ping. It's a quaint town, so ridiculously stunning that it's almost surreal. On our way back from our resort, Aman Sveti Stefan, we saw the largest natural harbour in the eastern Mediterranean. It was spectacular! Montenegro's Venetian architecture with the Romanesque cathedral and clock tower also left me marvel ling. The chic boutique hotels and seafood eateries were a great day-long escape from our luxury resort which was surrounded by a medieval stone village that rests on a fortified islet with a causeway connecting it to the mainland. It was during the Yugoslav years that it was first converted into a hotel, housing renowned guests. It later re-opened in 2009 as a five-star.