Isn\u2019t life better when the sun is shining?! Easy breezy floaty dresses, the feeling of warmth on your skin, family BBQs, al fresco dining with friends\u2026 I love it all! My husband has been so busy with work that we were not able to get away as planned for Easter or May half term. When he said he could take a specific 5 days off in June, we had a frantic search for somewhere that was not too far away. We stumbled across Portonovi on Google Maps which is an idyllic Mediterranean style village set amid Montenegro\u2019s Boka Bay. When we found out that they had a One and Only hotel, we booked it immediately. I love this chain of hotels, they exude luxury and elegance. I have been lucky enough to visit the One and Only St Geran in Mauritius and the One and Only Palm Dubai \u2013 both beautiful resorts in their own right.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Montenegro does have an airport but the flights are infrequent so we worked out that it was best to fly to Dubrovnik and then drive to Portonovi. The flight was a do-able 2 hours 20 minutes. Geographically it should take about 1 hour to get to Portonovi but we had a long wait at the boarder to cross from Croatia to Montenegro by an overzealous police officer. Luckily for us, the kids were asleep!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When we arrived I was blown away not only by the beauty of the hotel itself but by the spectacular scenery of Boka Bay. The mountains covered in lush greenery in the background reminded me of Lake Como, whilst the boats in the port, chic people and buzzing atmosphere reminded me of the South of France. It\u2019s no wonder that it is called the new Riviera destination! Boka Bay is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site with plenty to see such as monasteries, hidden citadels and all the surrounding beauty of the land and sea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The white sand and crystal clear waters on the private beach make this a perfect family hotel. Do they have a kids club I hear you say?! The answer is YES! An outdoor play area equipped with slides and daily activities ensured that the children had a wonderful time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since we have been back I feel as though it has been non-stop at my son\u2019s school. I mean how does a 4 year old have a better social calendar than I do?! It turns out that you don\u2019t have to wait until your children have finished university to graduate, they can do it when they are 4. The sight of the children in their mini caps and gowns, clutching on to their certificates was one of the cutest things I have ever witnessed! We then had a circus event to attend, followed by sports day the very next day. I have always been into sports and I am probably one of those competitive soccer mums that shouts on the sideline!! The morning of sports day, I said to my son, \u201cmake sure you run really fast today,\u201d and he said, \u201cMummy it\u2019s not the winning that matters, but the taking part that counts\u201d. This was a good reminder for me that sometimes as parents we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves because we just want the absolute best for our kids and for ourselves. Last weekend my husband was away and each day I felt as though I had failed in some way. For example the house was a mess and I didn\u2019t have time or energy to make food from scratch. It\u2019s so easy to think we are failing when one small thing goes wrong. Instead we should remind ourselves that nothing and nobody are perfect and each morning is another chance to do the best we can.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Isn\u2019t life better when the sun is shining?! Easy breezy floaty dresses, the feeling of warmth on your skin, family BBQs, al fresco dining with friends\u2026 I love it all! My husband has been so busy with work that we were not able to get away as planned for Easter or May half term. When he said he could take a specific 5 days off in June, we had a frantic search for somewhere that was not too far away. We stumbled across Portonovi on Google Maps which is an idyllic Mediterranean style village set amid Montenegro\u2019s Boka Bay. When we found out that they had a One and Only hotel, we booked it immediately. I love this chain of hotels, they exude luxury and elegance. I have been lucky enough to visit the One and Only St Geran in Mauritius and the One and Only Palm Dubai \u2013 both beautiful resorts in their own right.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Montenegro does have an airport but the flights are infrequent so we worked out that it was best to fly to Dubrovnik and then drive to Portonovi. The flight was a do-able 2 hours 20 minutes. Geographically it should take about 1 hour to get to Portonovi but we had a long wait at the boarder to cross from Croatia to Montenegro by an overzealous police officer. Luckily for us, the kids were asleep!<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When we arrived I was blown away not only by the beauty of the hotel itself but by the spectacular scenery of Boka Bay. The mountains covered in lush greenery in the background reminded me of Lake Como, whilst the boats in the port, chic people and buzzing atmosphere reminded me of the South of France. It\u2019s no wonder that it is called the new Riviera destination! Boka Bay is actually a UNESCO World Heritage site with plenty to see such as monasteries, hidden citadels and all the surrounding beauty of the land and sea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The white sand and crystal clear waters on the private beach make this a perfect family hotel. Do they have a kids club I hear you say?! The answer is YES! An outdoor play area equipped with slides and daily activities ensured that the children had a wonderful time.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Since we have been back I feel as though it has been non-stop at my son\u2019s school. I mean how does a 4 year old have a better social calendar than I do?! It turns out that you don\u2019t have to wait until your children have finished university to graduate, they can do it when they are 4. The sight of the children in their mini caps and gowns, clutching on to their certificates was one of the cutest things I have ever witnessed! We then had a circus event to attend, followed by sports day the very next day. I have always been into sports and I am probably one of those competitive soccer mums that shouts on the sideline!! The morning of sports day, I said to my son, \u201cmake sure you run really fast today,\u201d and he said, \u201cMummy it\u2019s not the winning that matters, but the taking part that counts\u201d. This was a good reminder for me that sometimes as parents we put unrealistic expectations on ourselves because we just want the absolute best for our kids and for ourselves. Last weekend my husband was away and each day I felt as though I had failed in some way. For example the house was a mess and I didn\u2019t have time or energy to make food from scratch. It\u2019s so easy to think we are failing when one small thing goes wrong. Instead we should remind ourselves that nothing and nobody are perfect and each morning is another chance to do the best we can.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Isn\u2019t life better when the sun is shining?! Easy breezy floaty dresses, the feeling of warmth on your skin, family BBQs, al fresco dining with friends\u2026 I love it all! My husband has been so busy with work that we were not able to get away as planned for Easter or May half term. When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":6994,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"yoast_head":"\n