It's luxury, Jim, but not as we know it. How Montenegro’s upmarket hotels give you more bang for your buck

A few years back, if you’d told someone you were going to Montenegro, it was likely to elicit a response along the lines of ‘oh lovely, I’ve heard of that. Where is it exactly’? 

But not any more. The tiny country (with a population of just 633,158 and covering 13,883 sq km, it’s nearly 20 times smaller than the UK), sandwiched between Croatia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina has been busy making a name for itself. And why not? With dramatic mountain scenery, a picture perfect Adriatic coastline and an abundance of luxury accommodation (a Nobu hotel, restaurant and apartments are in the offing) at prices that won’t induce a heart attack, tourism to Montenegro has increased 20 per cent year on year. From May, a new British Airways direct route from London Heathrow to Tivat, in the Bay of Kotor, will add to the roster of flights already operating to this tourist hotspot.

Montenegro was once a favourite haunt of royalty and Hollywood A-listers, where the likes of Princess Margaret, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor partied hard. The Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s more or less killed off tourism but that’s all a thing of the past. Since 2011 and Lord Rothschild’s investment in a luxury 600-berth marina and nautical village (now called Porto Montenegro) in the Unesco-protected Bay of Kotor, the country has never looked back.

You might see the likes of Michael Jordan, well-heeled polo players and various supermodels wandering among the superyachts and Chanel boutiques of Porto Montenegro but this ‘Rodeo Drive’ of the Adriatic is worth a visit for mere mortals too. A room at the 5-star Regent Porto Montenegro, for example, starts at a very reasonable £130 during low season. In amongst the bling, there’s a museum showcasing the area’s maritime history, a 64-metre infinity pool at the Porto Montenegro Yacht Club and a vibrant calendar of events such as an international fashion festival, various sailing regattas and a jazz festival. 

Split into four smaller bays (Tivat, Herceg Novi, Risan and Kotor) the Bay of Kotor or Boka Bay as it’s sometimes called, contains several picturesque islands, most notably Mamula Island, occupied solely by Mamula Island By Banyant Tree hotel, housed in a meticulously restored Austro-Hungarian fortress, and Our Lady of the Rocks with its Catholic church and attached museum. Tripo Kokolja, an 18th-century painter known as the ‘Dalmatian Michelangelo’ painted the ceiling. As we drive past late one morning, the island is still shrouded in an ethereal mist. 

On a buggy ride up Vrmac mountain in Luštica Bay with Buggy Safari Montenegro, we’re afforded a fabulous view of the Bay of Kotor from the top at 765 metres. Horses graze next to an old Austro-Hungarian fort and there’s an abandoned cottage where a farmer lives a precarious life with his pigs and sheep.

There’s more luxury at Luštica Bay, a coastal town on the Luštica Peninsula. Built to offer a refined existence to those with deep pockets, there are high-end residential developments aplenty (with more being constructed), fine dining restaurants, private beaches and Montenegro’s only 18-hole golf course, perched on a clifftop and designed by the retired South African golfer Gary Player. It’s the only course in the world where every hole has a sea view. 

At The Chedi Luštica Bay, there’s an outdoor infinity pool overlooking the 115-berth marina and floor-to-ceiling windows in the Italianate bathrooms. Rooms start at a very reasonable £127 a night. 

A short drive away from The Chedi, or an hour’s walk if you’re feeling energetic, the Solila nature reserve is a 150-hectare protected wetland on the site of an old saltworks. It’s home to nearly 120 bird species, including flamingos, pelicans and herons, as well as endangered reptiles and the tiny Gatalinka tree frog. 

From there, it’s a 15-minute drive to Kotor Old Town, a Unesco World Heritage site and one of the best preserved medieval walled towns in the Mediterranean, with diverse architecture reflecting its Roman, Byzantine and Venetian heritage. As well as an impressive cathedral in St Tryphon’s, it’s full of meandering cobbled alleyways and Venetian palazzi, former palace homes of wealthy merchant families. 

Restaurant Galion, Montenegro’s premier fine dining destination, is a few minutes’ walk from Kotor Old Town right on the water’s edge. Signature dishes include Adriatic squid and a rich fish stew called Riblja Čorba and the wine list runs to more than 100 labels. At around £40 a head for a meal with drinks, it’s about the same price as any mediocre high street restaurant back home.

A short drive up the coastline, the Palazzo del Mare Essenza is part of a small cluster of boutique hotels in the area that blend historic stone Baroque architecture with modern luxury. With just 10 individually designed sea view rooms, the 4-star property has an intimate feel, a private sunbathing jetty and an outdoor pool set in a pretty stone courtyard. 

There are more wines at Savina Winery, a family owned estate just outside Herceg Novi set on a steep hillside above the 11th-century Savina monastery. Private tastings (you need to book ahead) of Chardonnay, Rose and Merlot, all fermented in French oak barrels, take place on the terrace, with its sweeping views of Kotor Bay.  

Herceg Novi is a charming coastal town with terracotta-roofed houses, located at the entrance to the Bay of Kotor and often hailed as a less crowded alternative to Dubrovnik, just a 25-minute drive away. It’s known for its health spas, hiking and mountain biking trails in Orjen national park and the Citadela, now mostly in ruins after a powerful earthquake in 1979, but once a strategic fortress built by the Venetians in the 18th century.

A couple of kilometres from the centre in Meljine, the 5-star Lazure Hotel & Marina has 128 carefully curated rooms split between a former Venetian military hospital and a modern wing with rooms, suites and apartments. There’s also a private beach and marina.

A game changer for Montenegro’s luxury hotel scene was the opening of One&Only Portonovi just outside Herceg Novi in 2021, the first One&Only property in Europe. Out of season you can get a room for as little as £223 a night. After a lengthy legal dispute, the super luxe Aman Sveti Stefan on the tiny islet of Sveti Stefan is set to reopen in May 2026.

Factbox 

A double room at Regent Porto Montenegro starts at £130 per night including 10% service charge; Lazure Hotel & Marina from £85 and Palazzo del Mare Essenza from £105. 

Return fares with British Airways LHR to Tivat start from £172, May onwards; easyJet London Gatwick, Manchester, Luton and Bristol, from £83 March/April onwards.