Review: Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort, Montenegro – a picture-perfect hotel stay

This is our review of the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort in Montenegro.

If Montenegro isn’t on your bucket list, it’s about to be. This tiny Balkan country is quickly becoming the next ‘it’ destination in Europe. Tourism is booming and for good reason: as you will see, this is a country with stunning scenery, friendly people and good prices.

For now, though, it’s still up-and-coming: direct flights from London (to Tivat or the capital, Podgorica) are still fairly limited, with easyJet currently flying a handful of times a week. British Airways hasn’t cottoned on to the country yet.

The major hotel chains are also late to the game, and the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay is virtually the only game in town when it comes to earning and burning points in the region.

Rob visited One&Only Portonovi in October 2022, which he didn’t fully review due to having no loyalty angle but he did cover in his 2022 year-end round-up. Another option is the longer established Regent Porto Montenegro which is part of IHG One Rewards.

You can find out more on the hotel website here.

Hyatt offered us a stay for review purposes. HfP paid for all of its other costs.

Where is Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort?

As one of the smallest countries in the region, Montenegro is tiny and you can travel from one corner to the other within a couple of hours. Despite this it has a varied landscape, from the fjord-like coastline of Kotor Bay to the alpine mountains in the North.

Formed from a collapsed river canyon that flooded after the last ice age, Kotor Bay is home to a handful of towns including Kotor and Tivat. Tivat is where you’ll find a tiny airport serving flights from Jet2, easyJet, Turkish Airlines and a few others.

The resort itself is on the coastal road between Tivat and Kotor Town itself – about 15 minutes drive from Kotor and 20 to 25 from Tivat Airport, assuming no traffic. Do be aware, however, that the ‘main’ roads along this part of the coast are mostly single lane and traffic can pile up during the peak summer months, increasing journey times.

(Unfortunately, there is no easy way to widen the roads given they are bounded by the sea on one side and housing on the other. The mountains rise very quickly beyond this, which means there is very little space for new infrastructure. This is by far the area’s biggest challenge.)

Perast, the postcard picture you’ll most likely see in marketing for Montenegro, is just across the bay and easily accessible via boat.

Inside the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort

The resort is a conversion of a former, 1980s-era health clinic / resort. It was turned into a hotel in 2020 before joining Hyatt as a Hyatt Regency in 2023. Since its opening in 2020, the hotel has made a number of improvements including additional sea-front villas, an additional wing of guest rooms and a new conference centre that will open this year.

Due to the area’s challenging geography, the hotel is bisected by the ‘main’ road. However, it is a very quiet single lane and there is also an underground tunnel connecting the two sides. The reception is on the mountain side, rather than the coastal side:

Rooms and apartments at Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay

The resort offers a large range of different room types, suites and even villas, ranging in price from around £150 per night to £300+. There are even cosy 17sqm single-bed rooms.

Standard rooms

Whilst I was upgraded to one of the impressive new one bedroom apartments, I wanted to take a look at one of the standard rooms first. This is a king bed standard room at approximately 28sqm:

The shape is slightly odd due to the nature of the converted building. This one is an interesting L-shape, with a wardrobe and desk around the L:

Here is the bathroom:

The view is, as you would expect, across the garden rather than a sea view.

I would be perfectly happy in this room – it is spacious and comfortable. Design-wise it is identical to all the others.

One bedroom premium apartment

At the other end of the spectrum, you have the brand new premium apartment / villas that were opened last year. These are impressive. Ours was a vast 90sqm.

It’s worth knowing that 2-bedroom apartments are also available which makes this a great option for families. There is also a 4-bedroom option which covers 160sqm.

We had three floors: a bathroom, living area, kitchenette and living space on the ground floor:

The sofa can be folded out as a sofa bed, as you can see here.

The kitchenette features a Lavazza coffee machine and kettle. There were two bottles of water as well as two induction hobs:

A dining area is adjacent:

and

The bedroom is on the first floor. The stairs opens up onto an open-plan bathroom with two washbasins and a heated mirror:

The shower and toilet are in a separate unit: this feels bizarrely small for a villa this big, and the absence of a bath seems like an odd oversight.

As is standard for a Hyatt Regency, toiletries are by Pharmacopia, from their Argan Oil Collection:

To the left, in a separate room (but with no separating door), is the bed:

Both bedsides have European-style mains sockets.

There is a small open wardrobe with luggage storage:

The entire floor is controlled via a touchscreen. This can control the air conditioning, underfloor heating, curtains and lighting. It’s good to have it all integrated but it could be a bit more responsive and it’s a shame not to have one by the bed.

Finally, on the very top floor, you’ll find an outdoor terrace:

Each floor has its own outdoor space: on the ground floor, a terrace overlooking the pool shared with the other villas:

The first floor has a large balcony and the top floor is obviously a rooftop terrace.

Note that the beachfront apartments are all north facing, which is probably a blessing in the hot summer season.

All this can be had for as little as £300 in the off season and shoulder seasons. In May this apartment is available for €359 per night for a minimum two night stay. This reduces to €339 for longer stays.

Find me a better designed, more spacious suite at this price in Europe with a view this stunning:

Spa, gym, pools and beach

High season for the hotel is from May onwards, and whilst the hotel is open all year-round, some of the facilities remain closed. Fortunately, it has some weather-proof facilities including a lovely beachside spa and indoor pool, with views that catch the sun setting across the mountains:

There is a fantastic steam room and sauna, including a lovely port-hole window.

Somehow we managed to stay during an unseasonably cold weekend. The previous weekend was in the mid to high twenties, whilst the forecast for the following weekend was around 30 degrees.

Unfortunately for us, we had drizzly weather with highs of 14, so I looked forward to boiling myself in the sauna before taking a dip in the chilly Adriatic sea when returning to the hotel in the late afternoons. Watching the sun track across the mountains and finally set was a lovely way to end the day’s activities.

Of course, you also have the private villa pools to enjoy (albeit too cold when we were there) and there’s also a large shared outdoor pool (opening for the season in May). Some of the villas/apartments also have their own hot tubs which are good for the winter months.

Beaches in Kotor Bay are few and far between and the hotel has one of the largest right on its doorstep, at around 50m wide. By law no beach in Montenegro is private.

As is typical in the area, the beach is pebbly, albeit they are small enough that you can walk on it barefoot with relative ease. The water here, and indeed throughout the bay, is crystal clear.

The spa, operated by Turkish brand Spa Soul, offers the usual range of treatments and also features a private hammam where you can enjoy the traditional exfoliating treatment.

There’s also a small gym:

….. as well as, unusually, a physician-led health centre called the Vrmac Health & Wellbeing Retreat de’MAR. It offers all sorts of treatments, from cupping to shock therapy, lymphatic drainage and more (some beauty treatments, such as botox, are also offered). This has carried over from the hotel’s previous existence as a health centre, with the area historically known for its healing sea air.

Dining at Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay

Again, due to the shoulder season, many of the hotel’s bars and restaurants were closed during my stay but will re-open in just a few weeks. Open all year round are the Blue Restaurant, offering a buffet service (or a la carte if less than 40 guests) and the flagship Lighthouse restaurant, serving Mediterranean food.

In the summer you also have Ole, another beach-front restaurant and bar serving Latin American dishes; the Bliss Pool Bar at the main outdoor pool; and Hedonist, a new rooftop bar.

We enjoyed dinner at Lighthouse, where I was impressed by the quality of the food. Whilst too cold for us, there is a lovely outdoor terrace overlooking the water which I’m sure is very popular in the summer:

The menu features a range of seafood and meat, with main courses from €24 and cocktails around €9. Our favourites included the rolled beef carpaccio starter:

and, for a main, the sea bass:

The most expensive item on the menu is a black angus rib eye steak, at €70. This was, I felt, not reflected in the quality or presentation of the meal and is something I’ve fed back to the hotel.

I want to give an extra special shout out to the desserts, which were somehow some of the best desserts I’ve ever had. I can recommend the White Love and Vegan Cake:

and

Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Resort breakfast

Breakfast is served at the Blue Restaurant, adjacent to the lobby. This is the buffet restaurant with a large dining room as well as a covered terrace-style room with sliding doors that are presumably opened in the summer.

The breakfast is served as a buffet, with an eggs station where you can fill out a ticket with your choice of eggs, waffles or pancakes that they’ll deliver to your table.

The omelette I had on the first day was very good, but the eggs benedict less so – someone missed the memo on eggs benedict requiring bacon or ham! I’m not sure it was hollandaise, either ….

The rest of the buffet is well stocked, including with some local specialities – they have their own version of baked beans:

There’s your usual selection of breads and pastries:

Cold cuts, including smoked salmon, as well as a variety of fruit, salads, oats and chia pudding:

The hot section features grilled vegetables, fried rice, boiled eggs, potatoes and other vegetables. This was half of it:

What to do in Montenegro

If you are wondering what there is to do in Montenegro (and more specifically Kotor Bay), let me tell you.

For a start, the area is stunningly beautiful and a UNESCO World Heritage site. In addition to the natural beauty of the mountains which rise right up out of the water you also have historic towns and villages, including Perast and Kotor with its Old Town, all of which are worth a visit.

There are also several beautiful hikes in the area, mostly up the mountains, or you can take the cable car from Kotor which is open during the summer season.

The best way to get around is by boat, which also allows you to see the Yugoslav-era submarine tunnels and the various islands, most of which feature historic churches.

To see the super-wealthy, head to Tivat’s Porto Montenegro, a beautiful modern marina development with luxury shopping and hundreds of luxury yachts. There’s also a submarine museum here.

Conclusion

The Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay is a lovely hotel in one of the most stunning locations in the world. Purely based on views, it trumps the Regent hotel in Tivat and the One&Only Portonovi, and is better located as well.

I was impressed by the food offering, which bar a few dishes exceeded my expectations. When all the restaurants are open in summer there will be even more choice. Ole, the latin restaurant, sounds particularly appealing and is not a cuisine I imagine you can find much of in the area.

Staff and service throughout was excellent, particularly from the waitstaff at Lighthouse. Throughout the hotel, everyone was professional and friendly with familiar faces popping up most days / nights.

Rates at the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay start at £150 for a standard room or £300 for the beach-front villas. Alternatively, you can book a redemption from 18,000 World of Hyatt points per night.

You can find out more, and book, on the hotel website here.

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