Antayla (Lara) or Budva Montenegro in April?

[Happydaisydoo]

We are a family of 3 (40 year old parents and a 10 year old boy) and we are trying to decide on the above for a cheap getaway in April. We are off to Malta in Feb and then Denmark and Sweden in July. We don’t really like hot weather so being out of season is perfect for us. We love to see old towns, forts, ruins and do gentle hikes and just explore. We are not into the beach or pool really (this includes my son who hates the heat).

we have got it down to Anatayla or Budva but having a hard time deciding which. We have been to Spain, Portugal, Italy so want to try a new country.

Any recommendations would be amazing :)

Where are u looking at in Lara Beach ? It's very geared up to AI, it's lovely if that's what you want but....
antalya itself is very interesting, it's easy to jump on the bus but Lara beach is basically large, new ai hotels and shitty tourist markets. I recommend the Saturn Palace, we had a good time there and it's a bit smaller than some of the others.

If you don’t like pools or beach don’t go to Lara Beach. It’s a boring town with tons of AI Hotels and a tourist strip with fake designer shops. Stay in Antalya if you want to do sightseeing. There is nothing of interest in Lara beach.

Montenegro is lovely, although I can't speak for Budva, as only did a day trip there. Kotor is a beautiful small city on the Bay of Kotor, with great walks.

Montenegro is drop dead gorgeous.

The majority of Budva is not however - too overdeveloped (the Old Town is nice however).

There are nicer places to stay in the country - anywhere around Boka Bay is lovely. (Though it does depend on what facilities you're after.)

Go to Kotor over Budva. Also, we went out of season and it was HOT… May have been a fluke.

Montenegro is absolutely stunning! I highly recommend renting a car and making sure you have credit cards with you, (they prefer credit cards over debit for car hire insurance). When we visited in November, we opted to stay in Tivat, which turned out to be delightful. Personally, I would choose Tivat over Budva because Budva had a somewhat odd vibe, although the old part was lovely. If I were to visit again, I might explore staying near the Black Lake in the mountains, as the landscape and hiking opportunities there were truly amazing.

Thanks so much :) where in Anatlya would you recommend? The transfer bus said 2 hours 30 mins

Lara Barut is an excellent AI for all the family. I went last Summer and have booked to return next Summer.

Lara beach doesn't sound what you are looking for. You need to look at Side which is further out but you could do a private transfer. Or what about Istanbul? I have stayed in Anatalya and people flew to Istanbul for a day or 2.

Have a look at Kalaeci. Antalya old town.
Plenty to do and see without being mobbed. Easy to go into city centre as well