Sveti Stefan (St. Stephen): luxury on the coast of Montenegro

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Sveti Stefan (St. Stephen) is a small fishing village built on a rocky island off the coast of Montenegro. The island is only a few meters from the coast to which it is joined by a sand isthmus, this sand isthmus gives it a very characteristic appearance and makes it one of the most photographed places on the Montenegrin coast.

The islet is formed by a small picturesque town of medieval origin fortified by its inhabitants to protect themselves from pirate raids. Sveti Stefan has three churches: on the top of the islet is the church of St. Stephen (Sveti Stefan), which gives its name to the village, the other two churches are that of Alexander Nevski, and that of the Transfiguration.

Mentioned for the first time in fifteenth-century documents, the small fortified village is today a world-famous luxury hotel with villas and apartments where kings and queens, statesmen and politicians, actors, athletes, writers, models and personality of the world jet set.

In the vicinity of Sveti Stefan is also Miločer, a seaside resort famous for its beaches – such as the Queen’s Beach – and for being the seat of the summer villa of the Serbian royal family of the Karadjordjevics. The villa has now been transformed into a luxury hotel, which encloses a vast botanical garden and a 32-hectare estate with over 800 olive trees and cedar and pine woods.

This article is also available in: Italian Portuguese (Portugal)