I've been running across a number of these articles recently in which some wooed-over travel writer predicts he's discovered "the next Croatia."

Croatia, as you might know, has moved from civil war battlefield to Europe's hottest summer destination over the course of just a few years. This hip status will soon peak, however, and some other great locale will take over. Many believe this will be Montenegro.

Lying just south of Croatia, Montenegro shares the same weather and scenic coastline as its more popular neighbor to the north. But, as David Farley of The Washington Post reports, it has a whole lot more to offer than just a cheap substitute for Croatia.

Currently, one of the most attractive elements is that hardly anyone is there right now. Farley ran into very few tourists and, as a result, the country's reasonably priced accommodations reflect a supply and demand philosophy when it comes to pricing.

Farley also appeared overjoyed with the medieval town of Kotor, located on Europe's southernmost fjord and whose city walls boast longer ramparts than more popular Dubrovnik a few hours north. Budva, a town known affectionately as the "St. Tropez of the Adriatic," also impressed Farley. Reading his description makes me think of, you guessed it, Croatia.

I don't know about you, but I think there might just be something to the whole Montenegro-as-the-next-hot-spot rumor after all.

Filed under: Serbia, Red Corner