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Hyatt Regency hotel opens on Kotor Bay, Montenegro

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Last August, my family spent 10 days across Dubrovnik and Montenegro. The opening of two luxury hotels in Kotor Bay (or Boka Bay, it has two names) – IHG’s Regent Montenegro and One&Only Portonovi – means that you can now spend 7-10 days in the area. Dubrovnik is good for three days but you need something more, and these two hotels – just down the road – offer it.

We ended up at One&Only Portonovi. This was built at ludicrous cost – it must be the most expensive resort ever built in Europe – for rich Russians, frankly. Whilst the Russians aren’t coming these days, you can’t avoid the ludicrous room decor which screams ‘plutocrat’. This is room decor you expect in New York, not a beach resort. That apart, it is a stunning hotel covering 60 acres. It looks and feels like a Dubai luxury resort and I mean that as a compliment.

Hyatt Kotor Bay

I strongly recommend Kotor Bay, which is stunningly attractive and a UNESCO World Heritage site.  Another option if you don’t want to see Dubrovnik again is to fly to Tivat, which is literally just a few minutes drive to IHG’s Regent Montenegro. You can hire boats from there, or join group trips, to take you around the bay to Kotor which is basically a mini Dubrovnik. One&Only is across the bay from Tivat and would require a boat transfer or a disproportionately long drive.

Both the One&Only and the Regent are very expensive, however. There is now a new option – the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort.

To quote:

Set against the backdrop of majestic cliffs and the Adriatic Sea, the contemporary property is ideally located on the outskirts of Kotor, one of the country’s most charming cities celebrated for its preserved old town. Seamlessly blending urban convenience with breathtaking vistas along the Montenegrin coastline, guests will be surrounded by a picturesque fjord-like landscape of unparalleled beauty.

Hyatt Kotor Bay bedroom

This is a refurbishment and extension of an existing resort, not a new build. It was previously the Blue Kotor Bay Premium Spa Resort. The press release says that the ‘first phase’ is now open, and it’s not clear what is and is not ready.

When fully open, the resort will have 205 rooms, two outdoor pools, an indoor pool, and private waterfront access. It includes “a state-of-the-art fitness center, a dedicated space for yoga and pilates, and expansive spa facilities.” There will eventually be six bars and restaurants, including one on the roof.

If you’re looking for somewhere new, I do recommend a long weekend – if not more – around Kotor Bay. In peak season, flying to Tivat lets you avoid long queues which build up on the road at passport control between Montenegro (non EU) and Croatia.

You can find out more about the hotel on the Hyatt website here.

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Comments (39)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • The Streets says:
    11 Jun11 June 04:58

    Looking forward to spending my Mileage Plus points here! (Ps.. it’s called League 2 these days)

  • GeoffreyB says:
    11 Jun11 June 06:32

    Division 4

  • astra19 says:
    11 Jun11 June 08:26

    Russians can still visit Montenegro without restriction. If anything it’ll be busier with them because so many other countries have made entry difficult or impossible.

    • pauldb says:
      11 Jun11 June 09:08

      How would they get there, not counting the super-rich? All the Russian flights to Tivat and Podgorica are suspended and good luck circumventing EU airspace.

      • lumma says:
        11 Jun11 June 11:16

        Turkish airlines via Istanbul

      • astra19 says:
        11 Jun11 June 11:34

        Direct flights to Belgrade are still running every day with Air Serbia. Then it’s just a short flight onwards.

        • pauldb says:
          11 Jun11 June 13:40

          1-2 A319s Moscow-Belgrade a day is hardly going to support booming tourism. The IST alternative demonstrates why they’ll be in Turkey rather than MN this year.
          Not many EU nations have totally banned Russian nationals, so MN is not the only option once they get to BEG/IST.

          • His Holyness says:
            11 Jun11 June 17:18

            Yes, tonnes of Russians going to Montenegro, there’s tens of thousands living in Serbia too.

            Entire communities have continued to be built on a the Montenegrin coast for Russians.

            I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a lot of Ukrainians too, there were plenty when I used to visit.

  • Andy says:
    11 Jun11 June 08:55

    Ridiculous that some people seem to think the Wrexham story is in any way romantic or fun. They’ve found rich owners who are playing around with them. Of course they got promoted, they spent a shedload. It’s unsustainable, and the media focus on them, instead of the good, honest, clubs trying to live within their means is appalling. When the rich owners get bored and leave, they’ll be up the creek, just like every other little club that got rich owners before them.

    • BSI1978 says:
      11 Jun11 June 09:09

      Whilst I may have agreed with this initially, there’s nothing dishonest about what the two owners are doing here. The local people have heartily embraced them (despite initial misgivings) and things like the United sponsorship show they are trying to ensure longer term sustainability without their largesse.

      They have bought a level of exposure and interest both to the town, non and lower leagues and their opponents. I stand to be corrected but the core of the team has been in place for sometime so a little unfair to state all their success is as a result of expenditure.

      • Rob says:
        11 Jun11 June 10:02

        Agree. Would have welcomed them at Rotherham Utd 20 years ago!

        • Navara says:
          11 Jun11 June 10:35

          Rotherham are doing a good job. Modern stadium family owned

          • Rob says:
            11 Jun11 June 11:38

            They are now, yes. Still not been to the new stadium. I am told Pukka Pies remain available.

            Looked at a taking a hospitality suite a few years ago when I thought I’d be there and I think they wanted £350 for the whole thing, fully catered.

            Kid of a friend of mine was mascot recently. £250 which included piles of tickets and a pre game meal. Bargain.

        • Paul says:
          11 Jun11 June 16:56

          As a loyal Chester FC season ticket holder, I will now begin an immediate boycott of United Airlines, utterly petty and pointless as they don’t even fly from Manchester, which in itself says a lot about this sponsorship deal

      • David P says:
        11 Jun11 June 10:37

        If you look at the lineups of the team which won promotion compared to the team which played on the day the takeover went through, the entire starting XI has changed. Hollywood financed a massive spending spree and it has bought them the success that they desired. I don’t have a huge issue with it, but lets not pretend that their success isn’t all down to money.

        • dougzz99 says:
          11 Jun11 June 12:46

          Where in football is it not all about money?

          • TGLoyalty says:
            11 Jun11 June 15:40

            Always find it funny. It’s like some money is worse than other or having it quicker than others is a crime etc

            All of football success ever was because you could afford to hire the best players and managers and pull together the best facilities all of which costs money.

          • David P says:
            11 Jun11 June 17:30

            Well, considering the National League alone, it is still possible for the likes of Sutton and Barrow to win promotion without being massively bankrolled. Money isn’t everything at our level, though it certainly helps a lot.

    • Panda Mick says:
      11 Jun11 June 10:16

      Supporting a newly relegated to the Conference (or whatever it’s called), I can’t help feel a touch of envy by what;’s happened at Wrexham.

      However, I see the pride and enthusiasm that Rob and Ryan’s purchase has brought to the town: A town that certainly needed it.

      Whilst none of us can’t predict what’s going to happen, I do wish them well.

      And let’s not forget that football is cyclic. My team used to be playing the likes of Fulham and Brighton in the 4th division. And Blackpool used to be playing in the Premiership

      • TGLoyalty says:
        11 Jun11 June 11:27

        And Man City we’re in the 3rd tier (division two/league one) only 25 years ago 🙂

    • David P says:
      11 Jun11 June 10:27

      Wrexham are a very different proposition to the likes of FGR, Fleetwood, Salford or any of the other hobby clubs that have been bankrolled up the leagues. Wrexham had a long EFL history, a huge latent fanbase and an existing infrastructure which was out of place in the National League. Hollywood have rebuilt that club properly: getting the ground back under the club’s ownership, pushing through plans for a new stand to increase capacity and re-engaging the fans. When Hollywood eventually leave, Wrexham will be in a far better place than when they took over and I don’t expect to see Wrexham back in the NL.

    • GeoffreyB says:
      11 Jun11 June 11:23

      Price of everything, value of nothing

    • Rob H not Rob says:
      11 Jun11 June 17:35

      +1

  • soloflyer1977 says:
    11 Jun11 June 11:32

    Any good recommendations for hotels in Dubrovnik at the end of September in the old town? I’m taking my mum there for her birthday for 3 nights. I have my eye on the Hilton but it’s €€€ at the moment (circa 700 pn).

    • cabal of rabid baboons says:
      11 Jun11 June 17:32

      Try Lapad if Dubrovnik is a bit pricey, its 10 minutes away on the local bus.

    • JohnTh says:
      12 Jun12 June 07:47

      Hilton is great location but pricy if not using points. They gave us a fantastic upgrade last week. Local buses are good and Dubrovnik pass is good value and includes buses.

      • Rob says:
        12 Jun12 June 08:24

        That’s what it costs. I think we paid €1200 at Villa Dubrovnik in last week of August last year.

        • Soloflyer1977 says:
          12 Jun12 June 09:35

          Thanks all. I thought the rates might have softened by the end of September (Hilton is 205k points per night). Plenty of time until the trip to find the hotel my mother deserves 🙂

  • pauldb says:
    11 Jun11 June 13:59

    I’m off to this Hyatt in August. Seems a good use of a Cat4 free night cert, and 18k for a Regency Suite that sleeps 4 is pretty decent (though with the plethora of room types I’m hoping for better family room). We also really like Kotor Bay having previously stayed in the lovely little town of Perast: not sure if a big resort is the right choice to be honest.

    There are several other luxury hotels that could have been mentioned: The Chedi, HUMA and Aman down the coast.

    • Rob says:
      11 Jun11 June 14:00

      There is a Rixos in Perast just opened (converting an older hotel) but oddly its not one of the Rixos hotels inside Accor.

      • pauldb says:
        11 Jun11 June 14:35

        Oh yes. That hotel opened as an Iberostar in 2018 I think but went independent last year.

    • redlilly says:
      11 Jun11 June 21:16

      Perast is beautiful. OH proposed to me there last October, right by the water in the evening, so very special place to us now. We stayed at the Heritage Grand, which was stunning – albeit the other guests were a tiny bit stuffy for us.

  • Julia says:
    11 Jun11 June 17:15

    We have a NH stay in Porto on Tuesday using this offer (tks Amex). I would like to take up the avios offer but have never been able to link my BA and Iberia accounts to transfer them. It’s the way Iberia asked for your name to be written on the application.

  • Swifty says:
    11 Jun11 June 20:40

    Clearly no-one else above was thinking, I can’t wait to get into a hospitality box with ryan..- when you get the invite Rob, call me first!

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