Bucket list hotel: Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay Montenegro

Ever since the Hyatt Regency Kotor Bay opened its doors in 2020, it has been on my bucket list thanks to its stunning surroundings and tranquility of the location. I finally made it this year on a dual trip to Dubrovnik and was not disappointed with the hotel or Montenegro. If you are reading this thinking it will be very expensive, it was very reasonably priced for peak season, especially compared to Dubrovnik.

Hyatt provided us with three nights’ accommodation, some meals, and a spa treatment. TLFL paid for the pool entry room.

Location, getting there and getting around

The hotel is located 15-20 minutes by car from Kotor and 90 minutes to 2 hours from Dubrovnik. The delay is due to crossing the border, which can be variable. You can also fly into Tivat with Easyjet and Jet2, which is around 35 minutes by car from the hotel. 

If you don’t need to fly BA and don’t plan to visit Dubrovnik, I’d recommend flying into Tivat.

The drive from Dubrovnik was very straightforward until the last 10 minutes, when the roads were narrow. We had to wait around 30 minutes for the border crossing, but it was straightforward. First, you go through the exit for the EU, and then you enter Montenegro after driving through “no-man’s land.” You then take a short 15-minute ferry to close to the hotel, which costs €5 and runs pretty much continuously.

You will need to let your car hire company know and possibly pay an extra fee. It was around £60 with Avis to take the car into Montenegro.

The hotel is well situated for public transport with a bus that takes you into Kotor for €1.50 every hour. Taxis are also available for around €12 or €20 to the cable car. The hotel taxis are ok, but elsewhere, most of the ones on the street will rip you off, so I’d recommend reading this and using their recommended companies only. 

The other thing I liked about the hotel is that there are a few things that are walkable. There is a small supermarket and a kiosk right next door for drinks and snacks. There is also a restaurant less than 5 minutes’ walk away called Konoba Marius, which we really enjoyed for its fresh fish and shellfish. It has a beautiful location right on the lake. There is also a snack bar and a beach club near the hotel, too. 

You can also travel by speedboat. We did this to go to dinner in Kotor one night, and it cost €70, which was a lot, but it was a lovely start to the evening, speeding along the lake and enjoying the views. The boats will pick you up straight from the hotel’s own dock.

Check-in

We arrived by car and were greeted immediately by the door team who took our bags and offered to park our car in the hotel carpark which is free.

Once in reception, we were offered a welcome drink of juice or champagne and invited to sit down on a sofa while they organized everything. This felt like a very civilized start to our stay! Once we had our keys the staff were keen to escort us to our room with our luggage as well. We said no as we were in a hurry, but we probably should have taken the offer as the resort is quite big and it was a bit of a trek to the room.

They also explained the hotel’s layout, which is spread across both sides. You can either just cross the road, as it is very quiet, or use the fancy underground pass, which is on level -1 of the hotel and gives step-free access.

The room

The first room type we had was the Pool View King Deluxe on the top floor of the building. My only complaint about the room was the hotel’s layout, which meant it was quite a long walk to get to the other side of the hotel due to where the lifts are located. Other than that, I was very pleased with the room, which felt light and airy with a touch of luxury. It also felt a very generous size, especially with the balcony.

As you would expect, there was a Nespresso machine (but no milk), a kettle, and two large glass bottles of still water that were replenished daily. We requested milk, and it was brought to us fairly swiftly free of charge. Underneath was an empty fridge which was useful. 

Next to each side of the bed were USB points and a socket as well as plenty of other sockets dotted around the room.

The wardrobe was slightly unusual in that most of it was open but there were also drawers and shelves as well as a safe. If you were unlucky enough to have to work in such a beautiful location there is a large table with a chair with a socket right by it which sufficed. 

The balcony was well equipped with a comfy chair and sofa and had great views of the water and mountains. 

Being near the end of the corridor we did not hear virtually anything from other rooms and the bed was enormous with good quality linens.

Bathroom

The bathroom felt luxurious with its white marble walls and floor. I loved the huge well-lit mirror, and it also had a dismissing function, which was very handy. There was a magnifying mirror too.

The toiletries were the standard Hyatt Pharmacopia argan oil based ones, which I enjoyed. They feel good quality and have a natural, fresh, spa-like fragrance. They were in large bottles attached to the wall, along with the standard amenities in the shower and body lotion by the sink. There was plenty of room around the sink for your toiletries, and there was a shelf underneath for more. Bathrobes and slippers were available in the room. 

King Bed Sea View With Pool Premium room

When I saw this room type I knew we needed to try it for our last night. There is a row of pool rooms that are right by the water and feature steps from your terrace into a long shared pool. It was worth the extra money for the view alone plus it was very convenient for everything. They also have some hot tub rooms which also have access to the pool, and I would certainly be tempted by one of these in the future.

The room decor was very similar to the other room’s, but the layout was different. It had a sofa, but instead of a table, it had a desk.

Obviously, the terrace and pool were the highlight, with two loungers, a table, and chairs. Just beyond the terrace were your own steps leading into the water. The pool was less warm than the main one but not too cold to use. We had just had a lot of rain which may have been the reason. I liked that there was a bench by the steps, which was ideal to lounge or read on the very hot days. 

Bathroom

The bathroom here felt larger and had double sinks and a mirror that was lit the same way. There was a huge walk-in shower with a rainfall showerhead. I liked that there was a free-standing magnifying mirror in case you wanted to do your hair or makeup in the bedroom light.

Food and drink

The hotel has several restaurants, so you don’t have to venture out if you don’t want to.

Blue restaurant

This restaurant serves breakfast and dinner. It has a themed buffet three nights a week.

Breakfast

When we were there, the hotel was full, but they had two breakfast rooms open, so it never felt busy, and we never had to queue, even though we went at peak times. Breakfast was also available until 11.30, which I loved. It is great to start your day in a relaxed way with a coffee on your balcony and not have to rush to breakfast.

You seat yourself and also get tea and coffee from a machine. I thought the selection was very good with the items changing day to day so you didn’t get bored. I was not expecting to get an Asian selection, but there were a couple of dishes a day, such as noodles or fried rice. In addition, they had a range of Lebanese-type dips some days, such as hummus and baba ganoush. They also had local Montenegrean options, gluten-free options, and plenty of high-end items like smoked salmon and cured meats. I found the bread particularly delish and there was a good range that you could cut yourself. The fruit was also excellent, in so many places it is hard and sour but the fruit here was perfectly ripe and juicy.

There is also an egg station that will do omelettes, various types of eggs, eggs benedict and also has a daily special. You fill in a form and they deliver it to your table. 

The Lighthouse restaurant

This is the more formal of the restaurants and is definitely worth visiting if only for its dramatic setting right on the water. It was very romantic, with fairy lights in the trees and a saxophonist playing one night.

The food is typical Mediterrean and has a range of light options as well as more filling dishes such as pasta and risotto.

We tried the beef rolls and the tuna tartare starters. The tuna was very fresh, and it felt like a generous portion. I loved the sauce and sesame seeds on the beef. Everything was beautifully presented too.

On another occasion I tried the cucumber soup which was delicious and refreshing in the 35c weather. It was made with kefir, so pretty healthy too!

For main courses I had a seafood pasta which was very tasty and felt authentic. I also tried the veal with lemon sauce which was absolutely delicious. My partner had the steak which was cooked perfectly.

Olé Beach and bar

We ate lunch here and also had some drinks. It was much more casual than the Lighthouse, with a good choice of snacky items such as nachos or tacos and enough for a full meal such as pizza or tempura prawn and chips. The food was very tasty and it was a great spot to enjoy the views. In the evening they had a DJ one night but it was more chillout rather than a disco!

There is also a lobby bar which is very small but has a reasonable size outdoor terrace. Their new restaurant and bar, Hedonist is due to open this year and will serve modern Balkan cuisine in  a tasting menu format.

Spa and Medical Centre

We had an excellent couples massage in their special couples’ room. My partner fell asleep several times so it was certainly relaxing (perhaps not listening to his snoring though!) The spa itself has a large relaxation area, an indoor pool, sauna which looks out to the water, steam room  There is an extensive range of wellness and beauty treatments, including Thai massage, hot stone massage, and hammam rituals. After your treatment, you can choose from a range of herbal teas. 

There is also a wellness centre and packages are offered for a variety of wellness options such as weight loss, immune therapy, stress relief or recovery. The air in this region is said to be particularly beneficial for those with respiratory conditions. They also offer a range of “tweakments” such as Botox and fillers. 

Pool and beach

The hotel has towel cards, which, as regular readers know, is one of my pet hates. If you forget them, it is a long slog back to the room. However, the pools were beautiful, and having the stunning backdrop was fantastic.

There are two pools, the upper infinity pool and a smaller one with a swim up bar. We only went into the upper one, and despite having had some thunderous downpours, it was still a decent temperature. The water was deep enough for swimming and there were great views of the mountains from the edge. You could order food and drink to your lounger plus there was a bar/cafe area by the pool if you wanted to get lunch sitting at a table.

The beach is relatively narrow but has stunning views and crystal clear water which was not cold. In both the pool and beach areas you could always get a lounger despite it being high season and fully booked, so full marks for that. I would recommend water shoes if you want to go in as the beach is fine shingle. You could also get food and drink service on the beach.

Other facilities

There is a small gym with enough equipment for most people which is open 24/7.

Booking and prices

You can get extra perks if you book for two nights or more through our Hyatt Prive partners GTC here. This gets you

• Complimentary Breakfast
• USD100 Hotel credit
• Room upgrade subject to availability at check-in

If you want to use points, prices start at 12,000 points per night, with high season next year being 15,000 points per night. For cash, prices for the basic King room start from £306 in the high season and reduce to a very reasonable £114 in winter. 

You can get more information and check prices on the hotel website here.

Conclusion

I fell in love with Montenegro and loved the hotel too. The scenery surrounding the hotel is some of the most stunning that I have seen, and I love that the hotel is modern and luxurious. I particularly liked the pool entry room, more for its location than the pool itself but I would 

I would definitely go back, maybe even for a short break, but next time, I would fly direct to Tivat now that we have done Dubrovnik.