There exists a particular segment of luxury hotel properties that have been designed to reveal themselves slowly to their guests: One & Only Portonovi belongs firmly in that category. Set at the entrance of Boka Bay, where the Dinaric Alps descend so dramatically toward the water that the landscape feels almost theatrical in its beauty, this is a resort that discloses its true character not upon arrival, but gradually, across long lunches, golden evenings and the kind of unhurried moments that stay with you long after the bags are unpacked back home.
Montenegro remains one of Europe’s more quietly compelling destinations — still possessing a certain undiscovered quality that its more trafficked Adriatic neighbours surrendered long ago. Mornings spent swimming in crystalline water give way to afternoons wandering the battlements of medieval towns, and evenings arrive with exceptional seafood against a mountain backdrop that holds its own against the Amalfi Coast, the Scottish Highlands or the Swiss Alps. The country is, in short, a destination of considerable substance — and One & Only Portonovi is a property equal to it.
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I travelled with my family on this trip, which is always the true test of any luxury hotel. It’s very easy to create somewhere beautiful for adults. It’s much harder to build a destination that works equally well for children without compromising the atmosphere for everyone else. This hotel managed both effortlessly.
It carries all of One & Only’s signature architectural confidence —palm-lined walkways, immaculate gardens, buildings of real presence, without tipping into ostentation. Luxurious, certainly, but worn with ease rather than effort. The grounds sprawl in the most considered way: pools tucked between gardens, suites and courtyards, each one offering a sense of private discovery rather than crowded resort life. The main pool is genuinely spectacular, stretching out toward the bay, but be ready to embrace the chill if you are coming for a world of heated pools, as the hotel’s outdoor piscines are designed to let Mother Nature do all the warming, which in the early season means they are often admired rather than occupied. The resort’s answer to this fact is a vast heated indoor pool within the Chenot Espace, which proves more than adequate compensation.
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Pool service, it should be noted, operates at precisely the level luxury promises but does not always keep: warm, present and entirely unobtrusive. The private sandy beach (no small thing in a country where pebbles and stones dominate the coastline) is swimmable and meticulously maintained, with views that stretch uninterrupted across the bay.
The hotel accommodation are excellent by any measure. Spacious and elegant with a design that strikes that difficult balance between luxury and comfort. The bathrooms deserve particular praise. Vast marble spaces with freestanding tubs, oversized vanities and, somewhat unexpectedly, one of my personal favourite hotel details in recent memory: a chaise longuebuilt into the bathroom. It felt wonderfully indulgent and slightly unnecessary in the best possible way. The bathtubs themselves were sensational too, although I will admit it took me a deeply embarrassing amount of time to figure out how the bath plug worked. Luxury travel humbles us all eventually.
Accommodation ranges from guest rooms and suites overlooking the marina, mountains or bay, through to enormous private villas and homes for guests wanting a more residential experience. The villas are spectacular —private gardens, pools, hydrotherapy areas and dedicated butler service —but even the entry-level rooms feel generous and thoughtfully designed. There are also nine private homes within the resort, each with their own beach access and Venetian-style courtyards, which very quickly make you start questioning your entire life plan.
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Food is often where family resorts become compromised. One & Only Portonovi absolutely does not. Every restaurant felt polished and genuinely destination-worthy rather than simply convenient. Tapasake became our obsession. Contemporary Japanese food served beside the pool with DJs building the atmosphere as the day rolls on into evening. The beef tartare on crispy rice was one of the best things I ate during the trip — so good I ordered it twice in one meal, which I stand by entirely. Sabia, meanwhile, completely stole my heart for the atmosphere. The setting at sunset is extraordinary, overlooking the beach as the light turns gold across the bay. The menu offered something for both adults and kids with pizza next to tartare, delicious pasta dishes.
And then there’s the spa.
The Chenot Espace is not simply a spa in the traditional luxury-hotel sense. It’s a full medical wellness destination —one of the major reasons many guests visit the resort. Based on the famous Chenot Method, the approach combines advanced diagnostics, medical consultations, detoxification programmes, nutrition and deeply therapeutic treatments designed around longevity and wellbeing.
There are doctors, specialists, tailored wellness programmes, hydrotherapy circuits, cryotherapy facilities, saunas, steam rooms and treatment spaces that feel closer to a private members’ wellness club than a hotel spa. But what impressed me most was that it never felt clinical or intimidating. You can commit fully to a structured wellness programme, or simply dip in for exceptional treatments and use of the facilities.
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The children’s offering deserves enormous praise too. I have honestly never experienced a kids’ club team so attentive, warm and genuinely engaged with children. The staff knew the children by name almost instantly, remembered their interests and somehow maintained endless enthusiasm for arts, crafts and activities. Our children asked to go constantly, which is probably the strongest review possible from a child.
One of the highlights of the trip was the Little Explorers experience we took part in —a brilliantly curated family excursion introducing children to Montenegro beyond the resort. Beginning with horse riding near Žvinje village ranch, followed by traditional local food tasting and a guided walk through Herceg Novi’s Old Town, it felt immersive without becoming exhausting for younger children. Even the adults came away feeling like we’d seen a more authentic side of Montenegro beyond the polished marina front. And speaking of Portonovi itself —this is another huge advantage of staying here. The hotel sits within the wider marina development, which means you’re only a five-minute stroll from lovely restaurants, cafés, boutiques and the waterfront promenade.
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Accessibility is another reason Montenegro works so well for families. You can fly into either Tivat or Dubrovnik airport. For Dubrovnik, it’s important to leave plenty of time for the border crossing into Montenegro —in peak periods it can take up to two hours, and it is absolutely not a journey you want to underestimate with tired children. Flydubai offers direct flights from the end of May through to September, giving you the opportunity to see Montenegro at its very best.
What One&Only Portonovi does particularly well is create a version of luxury that feels genuinely liveable. It’s polished, yes. Beautiful, unquestionably. But it also feels warm, relaxed and deeply easy to settle into. You can have world-class wellness treatments in the morning, spend the afternoon at the beach with children covered in sand, then dress up for sunset cocktails overlooking the Adriatic.
And somehow, none of it feels forced. That, in the end, is the hardest kind of luxury to create — and the only one that truly endures.
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Images: Supplied & Feature Image: Supplied
