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New Dawn For Golden Mountain Region
February 22, 2009 by Fractional Property Ownership, Timeshare & Luxury Travel Magazine · Leave a Comment
RCI has introduced two resorts in an exciting new destination – Serbia.
Sarah Lee discovers what the country has in store.
FAST FACTS: Serbia
• The capital is Belgrade.
• The main language is Serbian.
• Serbia has a population of 7.5 million.
• The currency in Serbia is the Dinar. One Dinar equals 100 Para.
Vibrant and enigmatic cities, breathtaking mountain vistas, picture-perfect villages, rich forests and pastures all tempt visitors to Serbia. It is all the more exciting for being a little-known destination, largely unexplored by mainstream tourists.
Serbia is not an imposing country, boasting the ‘world’s biggest…’ instead it speaks in a whisper rather than a shout. But when you have charming countryside dotted with blooming meadows, step-back-intime villages and lush forested mountains surrounded by clean air, you can understand the locals wanting to keep it a secret.
RCI’s new affiliations in the striking mountain region of Zlatibor open up this tranquil and beautiful country to its members.
Far from the hustle and bustle of Belgrade – 142 miles to be precise – the ‘golden mountain’ region of Zlatibor has been a popular nature retreat for generations, as its golden pine forests draw visitors to its slopes.
In summer you’ll find hikers wandering up Mt Tornik past waterfalls and through dense forests. At 1,460m it is the highest peak in the Zlatibor region. The really active head for the cross-country running and biathlon trails in the forest of Murtenica, one of the few remaining primeval forests in Europe. The area’s micro-climate means it has more than 200 sunny days a year. Summers are hot, with temperatures reaching around 330C and winters are mild with soft, white snow covering the peaks from October to May, making it a perfect ski destination. Zlabitor has four intermediate ski runs and three lifts as well as cross-country skiing and biathlon tracks.
For those who prefer to take it easy, Zlatibor is also a great place to recuperate and has long been regarded as a therapeutic region.
The areas around Zlatibor offer ample opportunity for sightseeing, including visits to hidden mountain monasteries and quaint villages.
On the northern slopes of Mount Zlatibor, is the village of Mokra Gora, literally meaning ‘wet mountain’ where you can visit the ethnovillage of Drvengrad, created by Serbian film director Emir Kusturica. While shooting one of his movies in the area, Kusturica noticed that although rain in the area lasted for days on end, one hilltop in the distance was almost always in sunshine. He decided to build a village there that typified 19th century life on the mountains of Zlatibor. The village has several original and reconstructed cottages, a cinema, library, art gallery and shops, as well as featuring a charming timber church and a town square made of wood, surrounded by log cabins. A ride on the Sargan 8 steam engine, which ascends the side of the mountain in a figure-of-8 pattern, doesn’t just offer an enjoyable ride, but the opportunity to appreciate quite a feat of engineering.
In the village of Rozanstvo is the Stopica Cave, one of Serbia’s great natural wonders. It runs to 1,662m and consists of two caverns, an underground river channel, and a spring cave.
Further afield the regal mountain of Tara (1,500m) dominates the surrounding countryside with its beautiful forests, meadows, cliffs, ravines and caves. The Tara National Park is well preserved and like a secret destination, untouched by mass tourism. Its forests contain unique species of plants and trees and are home to indigenous animals, including the threatened European bear.
Of particular beauty is the stunning Drina River Gorge, which separates Serbia from Bosnia and can be experienced on an exhilarating raft trip down the river.
The Zlatibor region fires up the adventurer inyou and at once leaves you feeling refreshed, exhilarated and relaxed.
Where RCI can take you RCI members can chose from two resorts in the Zlatibor region. Club Satelit (A846) offers hotel style accommodation sleeping two or four people, with kitchenette facilities including hob, microwave and fridge, cable TV and heating. The resort was completely renovated in 2008 and
features a wellness centre with a minigym, Jacuzzi, swimming pool and sauna, a bar and restaurant.
Kraljevi Konaci (A847), roughly translated as the ‘King’s Shelters’, is situated among landscaped gardens on the edge of a lake, ideal for boating in the summer. It has two- and three- bedroom units, sleeping four to six people, with kitchenette facilities including hob, cable TV and heating. Both resorts have great exteriors that, in winter, are given a fairytale finish by a dusting of winter snow.
To find out more about RCI’s Serbian resorts go to rci.com.
10 things you didn’t know about Serbia
1. Serbia is part of the former Yugoslavia and was known as the Republic of Serbia and Montenegro until Montenegro declared its independence in 2006.
2. Famous Serbs include Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic, and tennis players Monica Seles and Jelena Jankovic.
3. Singer and television star Holly Valance and parodist Weird Al Yankovic both have Serbian fathers.
4. Serbia’s water polo team won bronze in the Beijing Olympic Games.
5. Miroslav’s Gospel is one of the earliest works of Serbian literature dating from between 1180 and 1191 and was entered into UNESCO’s Memory of the World program in 2005.
6. Traditional Serbian folk music remains popular today especially in rural areas, while Serbia won the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest.
7. Serbian cuisine has been greatly influenced by Turkish and Greek traditions. Cevapcici – grilled heavily seasoned meat patties is considered the national dish.
8. Slivovitz, a distilled fermented plum juice is the national drink, with 70% of domestic plum production used to make it, while homemade wines and Turkish coffee are drunk widely.
9. Easter is a colourful affair in Serbia, with decorated eggs featuring in their celebrations.
10. Christmas Day is celebrated with a feast of roasted piglet, koljivo, a sweet cake made of wheat, and cesnica, a bread that contains a coin. The person who finds the coin is said to be assured an especially happy year ahead.
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