Frequently Asked Questions
Is accommodation shared at Villa Miela?
Villa Miela has 2 double bedrooms, one twin bedroom and one 4-bed family/dormitory room. If your party numbers 8-10, or you are happy to pay an exclusivity supplement, it’s all yours! If your party numbers less than 10 then yes, you will potentially be sharing the villa’s living spaces with other guests (kitchen, living room, outside areas) and potential friends.
How far is the villa from local amenities?
The shops, cafes and restaurants of lake village Virpazar are 1.5km from the villa, a 2 minute drive, 10 minute cycle ride or 20 minute walk.
What about accommodation on your other trips? How is that arranged?
For those parts of our holidays that take place in the North of Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia, we have hand-selected comfortable, characterful guesthouses that perfectly balance local charm with modern amenities. We assume occupation of double/twin rooms unless otherwise specified. On each holiday page you will find an accommodation tab – get clicking and have a look!
Do we need a car?
Many of our guests choose to do without for our multi-activity weeks at Lake Skadar as we provide a fleet of bicycles free of charge – it’s an eco way to travel the 1.5 km between Villa Miela and Virpazar (NB. 15 minutes of uphill cycling on the way back) and enjoy the stunning lake views. Local taxis do the trip for approximately 2-3 euros and groceries can be purchased on our way back from activities in the UM team Land Rover. Saying that, we highly recommend renting a car if you are a family, don’t enjoy cycling, or would like to explore a bit further than the lake on your free days and in the evenings. For the parts of our holidays that take place in the North of Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia, all transport is taken care of by us!
Is there WiFi?
We have free WiFi throughout Villa Miela, and all of our other accommodation options also provide it as standard.
How hot is it?
For Lake Skadar, April/May temperatures range from 20-30C. June/July – 25-35C. August – 30-35C. September – 20-30C. October – 15-25C. For the North of Montenegro, knock off 10-15C!
Does Villa Miela have air-conditioning?
Metre thick stone walls and ceiling/floor standing fans are all you’ll need and it’s eco too!
Are there many mosquitos?
Like anywhere in the Mediterranean, mosquitos are around but there are never swarms of them. If you’re worried about bites, bring some repellent and some antihistamine too if you know you react badly to them (hard to buy locally). They are not generally a problem away from the coast.
How far away from the coast is Virpazar?
Petrovac and Bar are both 30 minutes drive away. Podgorica 35, the airport 25. Kotor is 1hr 15 minutes, Budva 45 minutes. Durmitor National Park is 3 hours drive north.
Do I need to bring any specialist gear?
Yes, you will need hiking shoes or sandals, a hat suitable for outdoor activities, rain jackets just in case, a re-useable water bottle and a fleece if you’re heading up north. A head torch is also handy. If you book with us, we send you a list of appropriate clothing etc in a pre-arrival email a few weeks prior to your stay.
Is this holiday suitable for young children?
Active families love our holidays – you can read what guests with children have to say about us via reviews on Responsible Travel and Tripadvisor. The minimum age for most of our holidays is 7 years but we can make exceptions for kids as young as 5 years old if your child is active, adventurous, can swim and has experience of hiking for at least 7 miles including some uphill stretches. On the other hand, our Albanian and hiking holidays are probably only suitable for those over 14!
How fit do I have to be to enjoy the activities?
You don’t need to be a marathon runner or champion athlete to enjoy most of our holidays (those who regularly push themselves to their physical limits would find our trips “soft”!), but you do need to be in good health and have a reasonable level of physical fitness. Age does not seem to be a factor in this – our oldest guests have been in their mid 70s – but if you are clinically obese, need a stick to walk or cannot swim, our holidays are not for you. Hikes on our multi-activity holiday range from 5-15km (hilly), kayaking trips from 7-20km.
Our all-hiking holidays are for experienced, hardy walkers only!
If you have an injury, illness or disability, then please disclose this in your first enquiry as we will need to assess our ability to accommodate your needs within the group. If in doubt, give us a call!
Are any meals included?
It depends! For our multi-activity holidy based at Lake Skadar, on your first evening, there is a welcome dinner. The rest of the holiday is self-catering. Most of our excursions include the chance to enjoy unique visits to local homesteads and fishing cottages where you pay the owners direct for lunch – the average cost is € 10 per person including drinks. Where this is not an option due to the route chosen, we provide a packed lunch. Villa Miela has full cooking and BBQ facilities.
For the parts of our holidays that take place in the North of Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia, all meals are included in the price.
Can you cater for vegetarians or other specialist diets?
Within reason, yes. Of course your choices will be restricted if you don’t eat certain foods, but it ought not to prove problematic for us or our partners. Please note, however, that for our all-hiking kayaking or Albanian holidays we cannot supply vegan-friendly options – you will have to bring your own and prepare your own food separately.
How expensive is eating out or buying food for self-catering?
Restaurants are great value here – mains are generally € 5-10 for seriously large portions, and you should never pay more than € 2 for half a litre of beer. At the supermarket it’s even cheaper of course – a loaf of bread is 80 cents, milk is 60 cents.
Is Undiscovered Montenegro a Montenegrin or UK company?
We are a fully registered UK company which operates in Montenegro, registered company number 06779866. Payment for our holidays is generally made in Sterling.
Are you insured for the activities you offer?
We have full liability insurance up to £ 5 million.
Is any experience necessary for any of the activities, for example the kayaking?
No experience is necessary for any of the activities – our kayaking guides have BCU or equivalent qualifications and all our other guides are equally experienced and qualified in their fields. Full safety equipment is provided where necessary.
Can I pay for my holiday in a different currency?
Yes, but as Lloyds Bank UK somehow still does not offer Euro or Dollar account internet banking we prefer to arrange alternative currency payments via Paypal, for which there is a 3% surcharge.
Is a stay of less than one week possible?
For our multi-activity holidays, in July and August, our minimum stay is one week. At other times, we can occasionally offer shorter stays (3 nights, 2 activities minimum) at our discretion. By contrast, our North of Montenegro, Albania and Bosnia holidays offer 3-4 day itineraries. We do not arrange accommodation only breaks – sorry.
Can we view your standard terms and conditions?
Of course – please click the file below.
How do we best contact you?
email: enquiries@undiscoveredmontenegro.com
UK Tel: +44 (0)20 3287 0015
Montenegro Tel or WhatsApp: +382 (0)69 402 364