Montenegro Beach Resort

First time in years that we have booked a full board holiday. I was worried about how the hotel would be but should not have as we had a great stay from start to finish. Great check-in with upgrade to a room in the newer block. Beautifully furnished, plenty big enough for our stay. Towels were changed every day and the room was always clean. The hotel beach was nice to swim at, we also used Kamenova Beach which was abt 1/2 hour walk along the beach front and was really unspoiled. Staff were friendly, entertainment in the evening was good and we met some lovely people staying there. The food was mixed and varied, sometimes a little colder than it should be perhaps...... Great salad bar and cheese board and the best pizza ever! Overall we had a great time.

We booked this believing it to be 4* It’s not! Please don’t misunderstand me the staff at reception can’t do enough and the rooms are clean and tidy well appointed in terms of furniture and bathroom. However whilst they give you a coffee machine for espresso coffee this is charged at €1.70 perk up if you want something else such as a simple coffee or tea there is Kettle to facilitate this. As I said the staff at reception were brilliant when we arrived they had not given us a twin room and as if they were hosting a conference there are no twin rooms left but they very quickly and swiftly gave us what they called a small sweet fundamentally a bedroom with a facility to create a sofa bed in the living area. Can’t fault them. However where they are lacking is 1 inside pool area, There are a number of lounges but these do not adjust so you have to eat a lie down or sit to the side. The Sun is good but the steam room simply got hotter and hotter to the point where it simply wasn’t usable by the end of the week. The lifeguard isn’t watching he seems basically to be a towel attendant. 2 lounge area and bar I accept whilst we were there there was a conference and so the area was very busy but this meant there was nowhere to sit after you’ve had your meal or before you went in the seats that were provided were rather uncomfortable and the area extremely noisy this included downstairs around reception where there was little to no comfortable space to relax over a coffee 3 The dining room I cannot fault the quality of the bread know the quality and amount of fruit that was offered but what we did find was the meals are repetitive and if you have a special diet i.e. vegan or vegetarian you will struggle added to which everything was called that was meant to be hot.Again I accept had it been The height of summer there may have been some local bars we could’ve attended but as we had paid for half-board it would have seem churlish not to use the facilities. At breakfast there is an egg station but the chef has made all the eggs up and they are sat there cold and an appetising. We didn’t have lunch but we did have dinner and again I’m sorry to say everything on the hot side was cold and again extremely repetitive. We never found the spa it seems to just be a beauty salon The little coffee shop outside is very nice and the staff fairly attentive but if you don’t get your order in quick I’m afraid they will quickly and swiftly move on to somebody else leaving you to contemplate whether you wish to stop or not Would I stop here again only if they do something with regards to the lounge and dining area that said we spoke the other guests who said gusto was very good that’s the outside bar.

Montenegro: Beautiful, but my ears are filing a formal complaint Stayed at this hotel — clean, tidy, friendly staff. Room was great, we also got a free upgrade to a superior side sea view room which was lovely. Huge comfy bed, stunning bathroom, plug sockets everywhere (probably more than in the UK Parliament). Daily maid service, though not enough coat hangers — the norm. Mini-bar surveillance: somehow they knew we had a Fanta, even though no one checked. Either psychic maids or secret agents — very James Bond, very unsettling. Coffee machine costs extra, dressing gowns are size “medium pretending to be large,” and you can’t bring your own snacks. Apparently, the hotel wants your soul… I mean, your money. Food: classic all-inclusive monotony — goulash, meat in yellow sauce, pizza, spaghetti bolognese, and cakes that taste exactly the same. Breakfast was fine, but after day two I had dreams of scrambled eggs screaming “eat me again!” All luke warm too. No decaff coffee. Luckily I'd taken my own and used their hot milk so that was lush. Beach & pool: imagine trying to relax in a market where everyone has been handed a megaphone. Hundreds of loud, rude guests turned a serene shoreline into a screaming contest. (Thankfully they left after 3 days but its a different way of living out there, loud, rude and dont stop talking, i dont think they even breathed whilst talking?) No peace whatsoever. By the pool, you get free flies and complimentary weed aromatherapy. The wellness centre was the only place of sanity — warm pool, sauna, ice pool — basically a tiny oasis in the noise apocalypse. Bar staff were… well-intentioned. Ordered Malibu and pineapple, got vodka and orange. Perfectly acceptable life swap. Bonus points: staff brought a birthday cake for my partner — sweet gesture amid the chaos. Take a walk through the tunnel which is a 5 minute walk from the hotel in to Budva, such a pretty old town. In short: lovely room, clean hotel, decent staff — if you’re after peace, quiet, and dignity, look elsewhere. Montenegro is stunning (although still being built so lots of rubble, unfinished buildings, graffiti)… just maybe don’t bring your ears and your oap bus pass.

The indoor pool was a real treat — peaceful and never crowded, especially appreciated given the unfortunate weather (which, of course, is beyond anyone’s control). • El Gusto bar was a standout. The food and service were excellent, and the pizzas were lovely • The beach was well-maintained with plenty of sunbeds available. Towel service was efficient and hassle-free. • The housekeeping team deserves special mention - always cheerful and welcoming. Their smiles made a real difference. Areas for Improvement: • The buffet food was consistently lukewarm, and the overall selection felt limited. The orange squash was unpleasant, and it was disappointing not to have any fresh juice options. • While one young staff member stood out for his friendliness and guest engagement (wish l’d caught his name - he deserves recognition) He was in the restaurant/dining area. Others particularly in the bar and restaurant, lacked basic customer service skills. • One bar staff member was notably unfriendly, and the warm beer didn’t help. After one visit, I didn’t feel inclined to return. It’s a shame because the hotel has a great location and some lovely features. Also begrudged having to pay for a coffee pod in the room 1.70 euro these are usually complimentary, and no tea bags or kettle. Which is very unusual for a 4 star hotel.

I don’t very often give negative reviews but there is room for improvement at this hotel. We chose the fully inclusive option and I can’t say we were impressed. The fully inclusive option did not include the pool bar or the bar on the beach. There was only one place that you could use this option and it was unappealing. The drinks were limited and apart from the beer were a low quality. There was no option for any diet drinks (useful for people that are diabetic). There was no lemonade available. Often there was only one staff member who was also responsible for collecting glasses so left the bar with no staff for significant periods on time. The food is the resultant was very much the same most days and much of it was only just warm. The pizzas were good though and there was a good range for breakfast. The service in the restaurant was good especially a nice young waiter from Serbia. Some staff were rather surly especially in the all inclusive bar. The rooms were nice and kept very clean, the bathroom was small but had a good shower. The drinks we paid for were fine, although one night we did have very weak Aperol Spritz as they had run out of Aperol in the bar. They did eventually correct this but it took persistence. The pool was cold but there were plenty of sun beds available and very little of reserving the sun beds at 0700😀. The beach was lovely but lots of beds crammed together. The scenery and views from the hotel were lovely and about a 20 minute walks in to the nearest town where there were an abundance of good restaurants, bars and shops.