Iberostar Herceg Novi

Hotel is super clean and modern but retains character. Literally had the run of the pool sunbeds and the pick of any restaurant tables. Weather was mixed 1 rain 2 cloudy and 4 sunny about 22 degrees. The restaurant food was plentiful and fresh with keen staff. Ana the housemaid was really good and the animation staff Nicalas and Lido were smiley and fun.However the only drawback was the steps likely 100 if I walked out the restaurant to get to my block. Did two trips one to Bosnia trejbinja and the other to Croatia Dubrovnik. Trejbinja there is literally nothing there and you will have a long day if you go. Dubrovnik was entertaining and compact to see everything. Beware though everyone wants your money. Cable car was good 27E each with a cafe at the top and panoramic views. To walk the walls was 40E each and every museum was about 20E each. Regular lunch butties were 20E each.Take a book or your tablet for journey back we got held at border for an hour but in high season can be 3 hours because you going through 2 border controls. Tivat airport easy entering but leaving chaos. When you enter the departure lounge you will instantly come up against a wall of people. This is the security line. You need to fight through and book at the airline desk and then join the security line. Had a couple of massages at the hotel which were enjoyable Altogether was a great holiday.

The view from our room was beautiful but this, along with the clean room and a commitment from the hotel to be eco friendly is where the positives end (from a 4 star perspective). The service, food and drinks were a disappointment with bells on. Upon our arrival, we were told that there was only one room for 2 people booked on their system. We had booked two identical rooms for 4 people. After showing proof of our booking (through BA) we had to wait for staff to find a suitable 2nd room. The Hotel was apparently fully booked but eventually a room was found. We were informed that we had been ‘upgraded’ as a result of the inconvenience. This was not true, as we ended up with the room type that we booked and paid for. Whether it was the fault of BA or the hotel is irrelevant, lying upon our arrival was not a good start. Perhaps I have been spoilt with 5 star hotels but my expectations of this 4 star hotel were higher than our experience. Firstly, we were surprised that there was a charge to use the safe in the room and secondly we were disappointed that there were no tea or coffee making facilities in the room. We requested a Kettle which arrived quickly and thankfully we bought our own tea bags and travel mug. Whilst there are water stations in the corridor that provide both hot and cold water, it is not convenient or customer friendly to collect hot water and take it to the room every time you want a cup of tea. Furthermore it is not convenient or practical to have to walk down steep steps to the bar to get coffee or teabags. All amenities in the room are minimum. There is nothing else provided other than towels, shower gel, soap and lotion. If you want pool towels, you have to pay 20 euros up front in cash per towel, which you will get back at the end of your stay. Quite why a towel card cannot suffice is beyond me and inconvenient for guests. When we went to collect towels, we did not have cash on us and ended up paying 5 Euros to withdraw cash from the machine in reception. The food was practically the same everyday. No obvious theme nights (as expected). The hotels idea of a Mexican theme was offering tequila upon arrival and having a platter of loaded nacho's near the entrance (that we missed as it was not obvious). That was it. Everything else was the same as every other night. Customer Service is non- existent other than plates being cleared. I think this is largely due to everything being self service (including alcohol). I was surprised to see wine and beer on a self serve tap in the restaurant. I couldn’t help but wonder how this was monitored if teenagers or younger kids tried their luck. On the mornings we went for breakfast after 9 am, there was often very little choice left. I could never find any butter and the young lady at the egg station was unfriendly (miserable) no service with a smile here. Whilst on holiday, I love nothing more than relaxing with a cocktail at the end of the day. This was such a let down. All the cocktails appeared to be pre mixed from a tap or bottle and tasted nothing like what I am used to. There was not a cocktail shaker or cocktail glass in sight. We gave up and stuck with gin and tonics or ordered vodka and added juice from self serve pumps. The lack of effort with making drinks made the service appear non existent. We tried the pool bar (that had a better atmosphere) but was cold at night as we visited late April/ early May. The bar below the main restaurant was poorly lit and lacked atmosphere. There was only one member of staff working on her own and there was no service with a smile. The lack of drink making and unfriendly staff is something I have never encountered whilst on holiday before. The atmosphere felt very impersonal. The only member of staff to make an effort to be friendly was a lovely young man called Ogi at the entrance to the restaurant. As mentioned in previous reviews there are a lot of steps to walk up and down. So leave the heels at home. I would only recommend this hotel for a short stay. There is not much to do or visit around the hotel , so you will need to book taxis , hire a car or get the boat. I truly do not understand the positive reviews. This hotel is not 4 star. Yes it has 4 star views but everything else is 3 stars (if that). Staff are rude. I asked a young barman about a singer who was performing at the evening pool bar (he had an amazing voice) and his reply shocked me. He said that he thought the singer was a joke and could not sing. I thought this was unprofessional and extremely unkind. It was also untrue as the singer that evening was brilliant. Certain staff need to learn some manners and have customer some service training. The staff who walk around the pool encouraging guests to play games are more friendly but not good at recognising when guests just want to be left alone. We were pestered 3 times in one hour. These staff would be better put to use offering a service like bringing guests drinks or clearing tables. Overall , we still had a nice time and if the hotel was advertised as a 3 star, there would be nothing to complain about.

Sea view upgrade/Luna block definitely worth the price. We found the beach area better than the pool to lie at - pool area quite crowded and sunbeds close together. The beach area also has a buffet for lunch and snacks which is super handy. Nice evening entertainment - favourite was the symphony orchestra. The staff were the stand out of the holiday - all very attentive and friendly. Bogdan in particular was extremely helpful and gave us a tour of the different room types. BUT the let down of the holiday was the food. Quite repetitive every day, not always the most flavoursome. Have had better at other all inclusives.