Hotel Aleksandar

This was not our first stay at Hotel Aleksandar, and overall we had another very enjoyable experience. The location is one of the hotel’s biggest advantages. Slovenska Beach is only about a 2-minute walk away. There are plenty of shops, cafés, bars and places to grab food nearby. The bus stop is also very close, which is convenient if you want to visit Sveti Stefan on your own. There is also a pier nearby where you can take a boat to Hawaii Beach on Sveti Nikola Island. The hotel grounds are beautiful and well maintained, with lots of greenery, flowers and plants. There are several swimming pools and a bar, and the whole complex has a very pleasant atmosphere. We stayed in one of the villas with a sea view, which was beautiful. The room was comfortable, cosy and nicely decorated, with almost everything we needed, including a refrigerator and hairdryer. Our room was cleaned every day and the towels were changed regularly. The food was varied, and we especially enjoyed the fish and desserts. There were a few things that could be improved. There was no drinking water provided in the room, and the water in the shower drained quite slowly. Our terrace was sometimes covered with leaves and small debris blown in by the wind, but unfortunately it was not cleaned as regularly as the room itself. The biggest downside for us was the noise at night. There are nightclubs very close to the hotel, and the music can be extremely loud until around 1 a.m. Our villa was located quite close to them, so it was difficult to fall asleep early. Rooms further away seemed to be much quieter. If you prefer going to bed early or are sensitive to noise, I would definitely recommend requesting a room further away from the seafront and the clubs. We visited in August, when the hotel was very busy, and early check-in was not available. We had to wait until 1 p.m. August is also extremely hot in Budva, and many restaurants have mostly outdoor seating, which can be uncomfortable during the hottest part of the day. On the positive side, there are plenty of places selling takeaway food such as pizza and gyros, which you can enjoy by the beach. Overall, we enjoyed our stay and would consider staying at Aleksandar again. Montenegro itself is a beautiful country with so much to see - beaches, mountains, historic towns, old fortresses, monasteries, scenic viewpoints and plenty of excursions. It is also possible to take reasonably priced trips to neighbouring countries such as Albania, Croatia and Serbia. We felt safe throughout our stay and had a wonderful holiday. Aleksandar is a very good choice in Budva if you value being close to the beach, beautiful green surroundings and a convenient location. Our main recommendation would simply be to request a quieter room away from the nightlife.

Our stay at Aleksandar Hotel Budva was a seriously mixed bag of positives and negatives. Before booking, I had read the reviews on TripAdvisor, and many of them mentioned poor customer service. I decided to take a chance and book anyway. Unfortunately, I have to say that the negative reviews were not wrong or exaggerated. The hotel really does need to improve its customer service. I appreciate that hotel staff, like all of us, may be working in jobs they don't necessarily enjoy. However, guests are also spending their hard-earned money to escape the daily rat race, relax and enjoy themselves. After counting down the weeks and days to a holiday, it is incredibly disappointing to arrive somewhere and be met with poor service. The problems started at reception. Check-in was extremely slow, with just one lady dealing with a long queue of tired and hungry guests. Surely, when there is a large arrival of guests, the hotel manager or another member of staff should be able to assist at reception so that people can be checked in more efficiently. There was also an issue with passports. When our passports were taken at reception, we were not clearly told that the tourism tax needed to be paid before the passports would be returned. Regardless of the policy, this should be communicated clearly to guests when their passports are taken. Finding out later that payment was required before getting them back was frustrating and completely avoidable. I also found the restaurant service particularly disappointing. Having previously worked in the restaurant industry across a range of establishments, from high-end restaurants to quick-service venues, I understand how important customer service and table management are. During our 10-day stay, our plates were repeatedly left on the table to pile up. It became so frustrating that our party eventually started moving to another table after eating simply because we didn't want to sit surrounded by dirty plates. What was particularly noticeable was that some tables were cleared very quickly, while ours seemed to be consistently overlooked. I did try to raise the issue with the manager, but eventually became so frustrated that I gave up complaining and simply accepted that we would have to move tables when necessary. I really don't understand why the waiting staff aren't encouraged to regularly check tables and clear plates. Housekeeping was another disappointment. We specifically asked for our room to be cleaned, yet the cups and glasses were left dirty. Imagine coming back to your room after a day out, expecting everything to be refreshed, only to find dirty cups still sitting there. Shower gel also wasn't replenished unless we specifically requested it. That said, I absolutely want to recognise the lovely members of staff who made our stay much more enjoyable. A huge shout-out to the two Lukas and Vladimir at the all-inclusive bar, Milena, Shah (Shane, the Indian gentleman), Kristina, Aleksandar and Sara in the restaurant, Pavle, Andela and Alge — the animation girls by the pool — and Shandi from housekeeping. These individuals were fantastic and genuinely made the experience much more bearable. If everyone working at the hotel provided the same level of service as these wonderful people, I honestly believe the hotel would be an amazing place that I would happily recommend and return to time and time again. Montenegro itself is beautiful, and there are definitely things about the hotel that I really like. It has its quirks and a lot of potential. Unfortunately, the food was another area where improvements are needed. The taste of the food was actually very good, and I believe there is a great team in the kitchen producing it. However, far too often the food was cold. We don't enjoy cold food, and something as simple as heat lamps or another way of keeping the buffet food warm would make a huge difference. Overall, I would strongly recommend reading the reviews carefully before booking this hotel and considering whether the issues mentioned by previous guests are things you would be willing to tolerate. If your priority is a relaxing holiday with consistently good customer service, I would probably look elsewhere. If, however, you can overlook the service issues, there are some genuinely lovely staff members, good food in terms of taste, a beautiful country to explore and plenty of potential here. For me, the hotel has some great qualities, but the customer service needs a serious overhaul

Hotel good location but not 4 star

The hotel is locally rated as 4 stars but UK travel companies rate it as 3 star which is in my opinion correct. The rooms were ‘surface’ clean ( but areas could do with a deep clean) and in our weeks stay the rooms were cleaned very day, bar one. Towels are changed every day ( unnecessary) and we asked for shower gel at reception ( ours were empty after one day ) and it was delivered within 15 minutes. The staff were mostly pleasant and a special shout out to Lucas who was always friendly in the AI bar and dining room. The pool areas are lovely, were clean and there was always plenty of sun beds and umbrellas. There are no pool towels available. What let this hotel down was the AI. Whilst there was plenty of choice, it was very repetitive, generally warm and overcooked. The desserts were the same cakes and fresh fruit every lunch and dinner. In the week they served ice cream only twice at lunchtime ( never at dinner) and it was served by someone in very small portions. The drinks are only available in one bar so you have to ask for plastic glasses if you want a drink in your room or by the pool. The wine ( not chilled) and lager are draft along with the ready mixed cocktails. There’s a fridge with local spirits in where you help yourself and add your mixers. If you don’t smoke you will struggle to find anywhere to sit where you aren’t surrounded by smokers.

Lovely hotel, clean and comfy room. Overall we enjoyed our stay very much!