Last minute week break

[paul_oshea]

Last minute break within the next 2 weeks. Im thinking somewhere chillaxing that might not be too busy but will be sunny and possibly sit by a pool/beach but also be able to do touristy things/sightseeing, im thinking somewhere like croatia, but open to anywhere i think!! can someone recommend something to me?

[pineapple stu]

Montenegro was kind of cool; similar to Croatia I imagine, but fewer crowds. Try Kotor and Budva. Kotor's got a UNESCO medieval walled city which is really atmospheric in the evenings for drinks; Budva is more your beach party town. Both very nice places. Don't know if you were over for the Ireland game last year though?

[paul_oshea]

no i wasn't stu, could def do that, the missus has now informed she wont be able take the time off work, im going between jobs and i haven't had a week off in ages so really fancy just going somewhere, are these places good by yourself, i mean i dont fancy going out 2 or 3 nights eating dinner by myself and then hitting a bar/club :D But i would enjoy just relaxing and going around diong stuff in the day to make up for it if that were the case?!

[pineapple stu]

It's less fun, but definitely doable. You can easily get lost in Kotor and spend an hour or two wandering around; there's a fjord for hiking along and a big hill for walking up. Bring a book and sit out with a few pints in the evening; very relaxing. Budva's more an activity town (if you know what I mean); Kotor's easier to relax in and wander around.

[paul_oshea]

how far are they apart and is it easy to stay between the two?

BTW, see i dont read either(yes i know pretty obvious from my posts :D), honestly, only book i think i ever read and finished was mccarthys bar, and possibly with the help of a teacher lord of the flies :D So the book is out for me, need to be doing something, though i spose i can just sit back and drink pints :)

[pineapple stu]

About an hour by bus.

[Schumi]

Budva has a nice old town that's probably similar to Kotor. There's nice bars there and good restaurants for pretty cheap prices. The views on the bus from Podgorica are stunning, although the driving is a bit hair-raising! It'll be pretty hot in June (well over 30 I'd say) so be prepared.

[Closed Account 2]

I would recommend the Black Sea... if you can get yourself to Stanstead Airport then you should be able to fly to Trabzon for around 100 Euros return. It's a great place, I was there last week and the people are really friendly and the whole coast from Sinop, to Samsun, Trabzon, Rize and Batumi is very nice.

[paul_oshea]

is there anything you need to watch out for going around there on yer own? What is the nightlife like there?

[pineapple stu]

Another option, by the way, is to head to one of the Irish clubs' European away games. Could be a bit of craic. Choose from Riga, Shkoder, Salzburg and either Malta or Iceland (can't remember where exactly).

[paul_oshea]

I was thinking this stu and it would be a great idea, plus sligo rovers aren't too far away of a home club for me, but its too late, those matches are mid july, im looking the week after next ilterally to accomodate switching between jobs. Would love if it fell around this time and would have gone to the sligo or bohs game(considering i was a cabra park blow in for a few years and attended all bohs home European games during this time i can count myself a proper fair weather supporter :D)

[pineapple stu]

There's First Round and Second Round matches. Sligo v Vllaznia is one week, and Derry v Skonto is the next week, for example. Assuming the legs don't switch, you're looking at -

Vllaznia v Sligo 9 July
Salzburg v Bohs, 14/15 July
Skonto v Derry 16 July
Valletta/Keflavik v Pat's 23 July

So a good mix of dates there.

[paul_oshea]

sorry i thought first round started on the 14th. ya i think that sligo one would be doable. thanks stu

[sligoman]

sorry i thought first round started on the 14th. ya i think that sligo one would be doable. thanks stuYou can join us in the stand rather than the Albanian's;).

[Closed Account 2]

is there anything you need to watch out for going around there on yer own? What is the nightlife like there?

No it's fine, if you can pick up the odd word of Turkish it will help a lot, otherwise the people are really friendly and you will have no bother. There are lots of restaurants and cafes (all very cheap), for night life, there are some discos and night clubs. Avoid anything called a "Nightclub" adn head to the Discos instead, the former are very seedy and pretty much brothels in all but name, but the Discos are fine - just like conventional night clubs in western europe.

You could take the bus to Batumi too (3-4 hours) which is a very nice town especially in July and August when lots of people are there enjoying the seaside and nightlife. Batumi's probably the best place in Georgia (and the only big town there worth visiting really). The Black Sea is great, it's calm and there is no salt in it and this time of the year the temperature is just right.