Tag Archives: Mountains

Weekend In Montenegro

Three Days of Discovery

Budva As a Base For Our Stay

We arrived the day before via Dubrovnik, where we collected the rental car. Budva, the famous seaside resort of Montenegro, will be the base for our short stay: a three-day weekend on site (to which must be added one day for arrival and departure, for a total of 4 days ).

The first day: we head to Kotor, with Sanja, a really nice certified guide. You enter through a small door in the thick walls which surround the picturesque old town. Throughout the visit, I thought about Game of Thrones. Kotor, where the Byzantines, Slavs, Venetians and Austrians succeeded one another. We continue to Perast, a village nestled in a superb fjord, where we take the boat to the islet Our Lady of the Rocks. The panorama of the Adriatic sea and its shores is simply magnificent! We have lunch at the Conte restaurant in Perast: delicious fish and seafood with a spectacular 180-degree view of the sea and fjord. Then back in Budva, we walk through the old town, one of its beaches and its walls. The setting is very pleasant and the late afternoon light gilds the old stones of the houses. Budva also has a very modern part, but we will have dinner near the old town by the water.

The second day: we head to the northern part of Montenegro, more precisely the Biogradska Gora National Park (about 3 hours drive from Budva). With Ivan, our guide who is passionate about botany, we visit the park and the surroundings of the lake. Then we head to Kolasin, the starting point of our buggy tour to Katun Vranjak. Sporty driving to the top of a mountain. Impressive courses in a setting at the end of the world, with a chairlift in the background. A break with a family of breeders: a lovely meeting, even if I didn’t want to ride horses. We take our buggy back for lunch in a neighboring property. On the menu: local specialties based on local products: the meat is excellent. The return to Kolasin is intense: it is raining and the track is slippery. If you have never ridden a quad or buggy, I do not recommend it. Otherwise it’s great! We still have three hours of driving to return to Budva, with magnificent landscapes.

The third day: mountain e-bike on the program! Suffice to say that I am averagely motivated (lololol!)… Let’s say, I like the mountains. And cycling. We leave Budva for Orijen. The two-lane road (the width of which can only accommodate one car), meanders happily and unconsciously in the mountain (we often flirt with the precipice). The low vegetation reminds me of the Corsican maquis: lots of stones and rocks, against a backdrop of the sea. Arriving at the starting point, we follow the young cycling champion who will be our bike guide. The track climbs gently but surely, then the difficulty intensifies with the small stones and inclination. So much so that at the last third of the trail leading to the summit, I turned back. In the afternoon, we visit the old town of Herceg Novi which extends over several levels (in stairs): from the Kanli Kula fortress built by the Ottomans, through Belavista square with its small church, to the pebble beaches. And it’s already the end of this exciting weekend discovering Montenegro! I’ll be back for sure.

                        The trip in pictures below

Day 1. Visit of Kotor, Perast & Budva

Day 2. Biogradska Gora National Park & Buggy Tour

Day 3. E-bike Tour in Orijen & Walk In Herceg Novi

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés

Informations 

Sunweb, Montenegro.travel

Many thanks to Sunweb and Montenegro Travel for this beautiful invitation. As always, these are my opinions.

Switzerland: Weekend in Crans-Montana

Relaxation and Skiing in Crans-Montana

Hi everyone! Back on the front page, this article of Crans-Montana to help you to organize your trip in this beautiful destination. Enjoy your reading!

In the afternoon, we arrive in Montana in the Valais canton. Then we take a ride into a caterpillar to reach the Chetzeron hotel. Stunning landscape with snow, the magic of the Swiss Alps! Located at an altitude of 2112 m on the slopes of the Crans-Montana ski area: the Chetzeron offers a sleek design quite Japandi, in a former gondola station (photos “The hotel” below and photo of the swimming pool in “Day 1” below). From the warm welcome to the excellent dinner with regional products, to the comfort of the room with panoramic views of the moutain peaks and the valley, as well as the really cool team: everything is great! I could be able to spend my stay without leaving the hotel!

Day 1: snowshoeing, early departure from the hotel under a bright sun. Sporty snowshoe descent! Especially when you find yourself on ski slopes (oops!)… Crans-Montana has 140 km of marked ski slopes, including 14 blue, 39 red, 8 black and 40 km marked and secure paths for ski touring routes. Well yes, we got lost on snowshoes. After walking along a few ski slopes, we finally found the restaurant where we reserved for lunch. In the early afternoon, we go up in the cable car to the Plaine Morte glacier at 3000 meters above sea level. Stunning setting, brisk air and blinding (photos “Day 1: Snowshoes & Glacier” below).

Day 2: skiing in overcast weather. Refresher course with an instructor from the ESS (Swiss Ski School). Months and months without skiing, an eternal beginner/intermediate level. Then we take real descents and I am euphoric (photos “Skiing & Fooding” below). Lunch at the restaurant Cry d’Er Club d’Altitude. Tired, I spend the rest of the afternoon in the swimming pool of the Hotel Royal in Crans. More traditional than the Chezteron, this hotel has a gastronomic restaurant, Le Cadre Royal. Rooms are comfortable and the service is pleasant and professional. I really enjoy my stay. For our last evening, we have a dinner at the Mosaic: simple and tasty cuisine (photos “Skiing & Fooding” below).

The Chetzeron Hotel

Day 1 : Snowshoes & Glacier

Day 2: Skiing & Fooding

The Hotel Royal

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés

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Crans-Montana, My Switzerland,

Related articles : Hotel Reviews & Destinations

Many thanks to Crans Montana and My Switzerland for this beautiful invitation. As always, these are my opinions.

France: Wellness & Yoga Week-end in La Clusaz

  

Day 1

The Yoga

I had the pleasure of rediscovering the mountain in the summer, during the Satiam Yoga Festival in La Clusaz, in the French Alps. An epic arrival after a day between two flights, two airports! In the morning, I flew back to Belgium (first trip), then changed airport that turned into an odyssey via the train (lol). Followed by a big thunderstorm over the airport of Geneva that has us (a journalist friend and I) held an hour and a half in the air … Then transfer by car to La Clusaz. 

So the next morning at 8 AM, sitting on my yoga mat, I can’t wait to benefit from the first yoga and meditation “Master Class” with Robin Golt marking the opening of the festival. In the background, the mountains! Very good meditation session followed by workshops and activities around Yoga and well-being. In the photo above: SUP yoga (or Stand-up paddle yoga) at Lac de La Ferriaz, in a beautiful setting!

  

Sushi Time

Lunch break at Sushi Fumi: cool little restaurant with a slightly surfer atmosphere. Very nice sushi dishes with traditional sushi and others reinterpreted by the two cooks and patrons, with local ingredients and more Western flavors (photos above and left).

We ate so much sushi that we had trouble getting off the restaurant, where you can also have a drink in the afternoon. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beauty Discovery : SNÖ Eternelle

The workshop that I really liked (you know I’m a beauty junky, lol): the meeting with the founder of luxury organic cosmetics and relaxation, Snö Eternelle and also former multiple World Champion in moguls skiing, Raphaëlle Monod.

The range of the brand includes sun protection (“Mon fluide protection”), a face skin care (Ma crème riche) and a body oil (“Mon huile S.O.S”) with 100% natural ingredients.

As soon as I have tested them, I will give you my thoughts. As they contain essential oils, I prefer to wait this fall or this winter, my skin being more reactive in spring and summer. Coached by the bubbly Raphaëlle to tone our face, we made a lot of grimaces (and laughed a lot). A kind of facial yoga (photo below). 

The Dinner

We go up to the Chalet du Lac, an altitude restaurant of Savoyard traditional cuisine based on local products. Awesome landscape! The cottage is in the Aravis nature reserve. Too bad that night falls quickly.

The dishes are delicious, with huge portions and the atmosphere really cosy thanks to the very friendly owner who made us taste many different Génépi. Photo below: a 5 kilo bread made especially for the restaurant.

  

Day 2

Finally in Nature!

As I didn’t want to try for the first time mountain biking, I took the Beauregard cable car and then walked for an hour through the pastures in altitude. 

Feeling of peace and euphoria sourrounded by the mountain tops and my friends, the cool cows (lol). Then again the cable car to join the group for lunch.

Bucolic Lunch

While part of the group arrived by mountain bike, we arrive on foot to the Chalet de Paccaly located at 1490 meters (photo above and photo on the right). The Aravis chain is spectacular! And the weather oscillates between threatening clouds and blinding sun.

The dishes are simple, but tasty based on flowers and cheeses (photos below). A pure moment of relaxation. 

  

The spa

And to finish in style this short weekend in La Clusaz: 2 hours Deep Nature Spa, one of the largest spa in the French Alps (with an area of 850 m²). The water course of 160 m² is designed by Serge Blanco (a French famous former rugbyman) and includes multiple hydromassage jets …

Exactly everything my body needs before the long drive to Geneva by car and then the plane! 

Photos : © Mademoiselle Le K – Tous droits réservés

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La Clusaz

Related articles : DESTINATIONSBEAUTY

Many thanks to the Tourism Board of La Clusaz for this beautiful invitation. As always theses are my opnions.