Heritage Grand Perast by Rixos

The Heritage Grand Perast describes itself as 5 star luxury and it couldn't be further from the truth. Warning - this is a very long review:- Our issues started in January when we received an email from the hotel stating that it had left the Accor x Rixos Group; they requested immediate payment in full. OK - we could afford to pay but many people would not have been able to come up with that sum of money had they been expecting to save and pay in June. The compensation offered was an 18 Euro boat trip to the Lady of the Rocks island. Ahead of our visit I requested a quote for a transfer from Dubrovnik; they quoted 495 EUR from the centre of Dubrovnik and 440 EUR back to the airport. They also stated that 2 different vehicles, one on each side of the border, would be required; we watched as another couple from the hotel used their service and struggled with their luggage as they walked through the border checkpoint. We booked through Connecto and were driven through the checkpoints, the same vehicle for both sides of the border; 141.99 EUR each way. That's 651 EUR cheaper than the hotel with nice sedans and excellent drivers. We had booked a Premium Sea View Suite; we were given a room the size of an average Hilton room. I was informed they were limited in what they could offer because the hotel is in a Unesco Heritage site! (No idea what that has to do with it). Normally, in a five star luxury hotel we would expect a welcome card/ fruit platter or similar on arrival; perhaps some info on the spa (even the location of it would have helped). No - nothing like that, not even a box of tissues. My dressing gown was ripped; reported but not replaced during our 8 night stay. They provide refillable toiletries in the basic (definitely not luxury) shower room. The shower gel was empty. A replacement was delivered and this sat on the floor of the shower for three days. Just as well that we take our own toiletries as we are aware of the potential hygiene concerns with refillable systems. The seal was hanging off the door frame and no effort was made to fix this. We had to request two light bulbs to be replaced. One of the wardrobe doors would not open fully - the hinge was broken. I complained to management about the poor standard of housekeeping taking down a pillow which had blood stain on it. The sheet had blood stains as well (my Husband had a dental problem). Housekeeping had simply turned the pillow over and covered the sheet. The stained pillow was never replaces. Basically, there is no daily linen change (as advertised on many package deal sites) and is set at every three days, regardless of the state of the bedding. Another guest told me that they had been there for 5 nights and had not had their linen changed. We complained that our room had not been serviced on 2 separate occasions; they came eventually at 4pm on the first occasion and at 6.25 pm after multiple calls on the second occasion (basically in place of the turndown service) In eight nights, the floor was not vacuumed, the surfaces in the room not wiped, dirty glasses were left to pile up on the side. Turndown service occurs at 6pm when most people are trying to get ready to go out for the evening. Weddings took over the public space in the hotel and we were required to access our room vis a narrow alley filled with overflowing refuse bins, furniture and an electric vehicle on charge. There was a small gate available but the wedding stewards would not open it. One wedding, with twelve guests broke all of the town's rules with regard to music and general noise late into the night. The Panoramic restaurant was not open for breakfast and only opened for limited fine dining tables from the 2nd of June. We booked this (twice) and had amazing dishes created by Chef Petar and his brigade. Initially, breakfast was okay but nothing was labeled. There were menus offering cooked to order dishes but these were, quite literally, kept away from the guests. As the days wore on, the breakfast options increased and labels started to appear. The sundeck is crammed with sunbeds but there are not enough; less than half had cushions. They repeatedly ran out of towels by 10am and the sunbed baggers were down there early to reserve the front row. According to the manager this was not allowed. I reported the fact that the steps into the sea were in a dangerous state but nothing was done to address the missing anti-slip treads and the green slime on the lower steps. We saw the sun deck manager once and the lifeguard was more intent on topping up his tan and rarely lifted his eyes from his mobile 'phone. The only good things about this hotel are the amazing views, the overworked staff (that does not mean all of them) and Chef Petar. Management need to get out of their offices and open their eyes to what is going on in their hotel.

Just spent 10 days here in Perast at the Grand Hotel, lovely hotel, great staff would thoroughly recommend the hotel.

The most beautiful hotel in the most stunning resort! The building its self is absolutely beautiful, our room was upgraded on arrival to a stunning suite with a sea view on the second floor with a lovely balcony overlooking the stunning bay of Kotor, room was spacious, with a fridge, iron and the cosmetics in the bathroom, Bvlgari, made it that little bit more special. Cleaned daily and no issues with towels, water replenished too. Considering we were on the "main road" (only locals are allowed to dive their cars through Perast) it was always quiet until, obviously the day started to get going around 9 am we noticed more people out and about but it was never an issue. When you get dropped off at the start of Perast theres a hotel golf buggy waiting to take you to the hotel and are available whenever you need a lift to the end, just ask reception! The staff were amazing from the start, always happy and there to help, with a special shout out to Agustin by the pool, he always took time to talk to us, show us round and answer any questions we had, he was lovely and made our stay! The pool area was a fantastic addition as I am aware no other hotels in Perast (all 1km of it) offer this right on the front into the sea, what an amazing setting! With waiter service right to your sun lounger. Breakfast was ok, adequate, not an amazing selection on the hot buffet but lots of charcuterie style things, pastries, fruits and cereals and there was also an egg menu for you to order from for table service which was all presented beautifully. If I had any negatives to say they would be extremely minor, the price, was a little extravagant BUT it is a stunning hotel in a stunning location with beautifully spacious rooms... and the other would be to have a system to check that the people using the pool deck are actually hotel guests as we had a few people there that were suspected not to be, resulting in actual hotel guests not being able to get a sun lounger. All in all a beautiful stay for my belated birthday celebrations and I would return with no hesitation on my next visit to Montenegro. MUST DO'S... Lovćec mountain, the alpine coaster and Monte 1350 bar, stunning for sunset!! Also Kotor old town, beautiful and get a water taxi to Verige 65, facing the hotel, the most wonderful oysters!!

Firstly the good, from the out side. Beautiful building, in a beautiful bay, outstanding area. I emailed in advance with my arrival time, checking was 3 pm , room wasn’t ready until 4:30 pm no big deal, not much of an apology. Room wasn’t ready until clean. Fridge had been removed, not good, I needed it for my medication and was told I couldn’t have one. Buttons missing from the furniture. Breakfast, was poor. Once items were gone from buffet, it took forever to be replaced and there was a very poor selection to start with. Heard many guests moaning. The evening bar seating outside was taken up on nights by events so we had to go out instead. Everyday there was weddings so we couldn’t use the patio. Loud music coming from the next hotels wedding competing with our wedding or event that night was awful. Service is poor. Trying to catch the attention of the staff is difficult. I’ve stayed in 5* hotels world wide and this hotel offers no services of a 5* hotel. It wasn’t just me who said this. I overheard many people saying the same. It’s a shame as it could be amazing with some love.

We stayed at the Heritage Grand Perast from 10th - 17th May for a week’s holiday and had an excellent time. The hotel is magnificent and well deserving of its five star rating. It is positioned in the centre of Perast and several restaurants are within walking distance (we would recommended Armonia which we visited several nights during our stay). The real special quality about the hotel is the staff: From Iljia who collected us at the pick up point then Ksenija who gave us an early check and an unexpected upgrade , we were made to feel very welcome throughout our stay. Little touches like the breakfast time being brought forward by 30 minutes on our last day so we could get something to eat before our pick-up just symbolise how good the customer service was. Our upgraded room was huge with a small garden terrace to sit out on, quality toiletries and a comfortable bed. The cleanliness of the room was top quality and the staff who serviced the room did a great job. We heard very little noise from adjoining rooms either. Special mention to Dragan and his restaurant team who ran the breakfast service each morning . They were so friendly and helpful and he is such a character. We won’t forget him! The indoor pool and sauna/steam room facilities were top quality too and there is a small gym which we made use of during our stay. Overall, we had an excellent time at the Heritage Grand Perast. It’s an amazing hotel with excellent service and fantastic views. With Kotor being a 30 minute bus ride away, it’s an excellent location for sightseeing and also if you want to have a relaxing break. Kvarla (thank you) to all the team. Terry V