Palmon Bay

We were a bit apprehensive regarding our holiday at the Palmon Bay hotel, after reading some very conflicting reviews on this site. We really needn’t have worried as we had an amazing time!!! We had a superior sea view room which was large, with a wonderful view and fully equipped with everything we could wish for. The grounds are beautiful and manicured to perfection so a big pat on the back to the gardeners. The pool area, on the seafront, just across the pedestrian walkway was again a wonderful area to spend the day in, helpful smiling pool staff, clean towels, plentiful sun beds and an inviting large pool. We visited, most evenings, the rooftop area for a pre meal drink and we would advise other guests to also check it out as the views alone are worth a visit. We found all the decor within the hotel to be well designed, modern and well maintained and a special mention to all the staff who were always smiling and helpful. The whole place was spotless. It wasn’t all quite sweetness and light however as, we went half board, and the dining experience could have been better. Like previous reviewers, the warmth of the food was a slight issue, in some cases just lukewarm. Having said that we didn’t have a bad meal, although we did eat out on three of our seven evenings. Breakfast was okay but sometimes with the warmth problem. May we suggest that the hotel look into over head lamps to keep the food hotter. We met some great people on our holiday and unfortunately due to an EU summit taking place near the airport, we had to unexpectedly early, so unfortunately didn’t get to say goodbye to any of our new found friends, so if Karl and Sarah from Shrewsbury , the lovely couple from Scarborough and the the friends on our boat trip read this we apologise for not saying goodbye. This hotel and Montenegro is well recommended by both of us.

Really enjoyed our stay at this hotel. The view around the bay is fabulous and not many hotels, no matter how many stars, could match this. Priceless. We stayed in standard double room with side view. Room was a little cosy but perfectly functional. There was plenty of storage space, bathroom and balcony decent size, but bedroom was a little snug. However it never bothers us as we don't come to these places to sit in bedroom all day. Yes there are some large old Soviet era flats, but as in previous review this is a sign of how resort is progressing. Pool and beach area was excellent, no matter what time we went plenty of sunbeds and parasol. Clean beach towels daily. Visited the spa on a few occasions, as previously commented a few teens using it as their hangout. This should be for over 16s only as they did get a bit lively. I had a therapeutic massage and it was the best I've had. Staff in and around hotel hard working and pleasant. Only one particular lady on reception a bit frosty. Others however very friendly. Lovely walks around bay with plenty restaurants to stop at and reasonably priced. Overall this is one of the few hotels and places we would visit again as we normally like to try other places. Well done Palmon Bay

After a tour of Slovenia and Croatia my wife and I and some friends wanted to spend a few days in the Bay of Kotor area in Montenegro which is just over the southern Croatian border. We engaged the services of a local tour company to prepare an itinerary and they chose Palmon Bay Resort for our four night stay. It was the perfect location for the following reasons. The Bay of Kotor is shaped like an octopus with many peninsulas sticking out from the central bay. There are at least a dozen villages located around the bay of which Kotor is the most famous. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site it attracts a horde of visitors most of whom arrive by cruise ship, completely overwhelming the narrow streets of the old town. There is almost no accommodation in Kotor that is not a guest house or a hostel. Igalo is the first major centre over the border from Croatia and this is where the Palmon Bay Resort is located. Driving around the bay to Kotor or Prevast would take hours, but from Igalo you can get to these places and others by speedboat much quicker. Bottom line is you stay in Igalo and go everywhere else by boat except Herceg Novi which you can walk to. The Palmon Bay is the only resort with direct water frontage in Igalo or Herceg Novi. It has beautiful grounds, a great small beach, large swimming pool and fantastic views of the Bay of Kotor from its oceanside rooms. Running directly between the hotel and the beach is the Pet Danica Promenade which is traffic free and runs for many kilometres along the seafront. There are dozens of restaurants, shops, gelato places and local tour operators along it. It is a joy to walk into the historic town of Herceg Novi and most of the people you'll meet along the way are locals. Completely the opposite of Kotor, Igalo and Herceg Novi are not overloaded with tourists as the cruise ships don't dock anywhere near here and the day trips they offer don't extend this far. Finally, the Palmon Bay has great staff, a good spa and the fifth floor Olive Terrace restaurant has great food and even better views. Almost right next door is the top-rated Trip Advisor Igalo restaurant, Jedrenjak. So those are all the reasons to stay here, but there are caveats. The standard rooms are minuscule and not all face the ocean. To get the best of this place book a superior room with an oceanside balcony or really splurge on a suite which is what we did after spending the first night in a standard room. The Bay of Kotor is justly famous and from Igalo you can enjoy the best of it without the hassle of driving.

Worst food ever eaten in hotel. Entertainment on roof terrace same every night, same tunes. Spa was nice when not used by kids in afternoon to get out of the mid day sun, should be adults only. View of what looked like an abandoned factory used by local seagull colony from our room was not attractive. Along with cigarettes smoke coming in from next door’s balcony. Nope not the best

I had so much wanted to give this hotel a 5 star rating but there are a few minor things that collectively held me back. This is a really nice hotel which is well maintained. The bedroom was quite well designed with ample cupboard space and a nice sized bathroom and a reasonable sized balcony. The owners invested a lot of money in reclaiming land in front of the hotel and built a great swimming pool which is easily accessed by walking across the pedestrian street outside the property. Unfortunately we didn't get to use it as were were out sight seeing every day and the pool is closed at 6pm. We spent 5 nights at the property and unfortunately there was no noticeable variation in the breakfast offering in that period. I appreciate that they cater to a large volume of guests and so they're probably trying to get as much food out as quickly and easily as possible, but it would be nice for longer staying guests to have a bit of variety. The coffee was absolutely appalling, so much so I went and bought a coffee at their coffee counter outside the breakfast room each morning, which was a bit galling when you consider how much we paid for our stay. One of my friends is a GM of a 5 star hotel in Asia and he makes his chefs eat their own food to make sure they know it's good enough for the guests. The GM here needs to try the coffee at breakfast! In the 5 days we stayed, the bedsheets weren't changed once. Not a big deal as far as I'm concerned but most hotels of this standard would have changed them once in that period. This was a surprise trip organised by my wife. What she hadn't factored in was how far the hotel is from the airport. It took us over an hour to get there and we had to negotiate a price with a private taxi tout at the airport. On the way back, we took a metered taxi and the total cost, including the return ferry fee for the driver, was €55 versus the €90 we were charged from the airport. So look for a proper taxi when you arrive. Better still, if you plan on traveling around to see the sights rather than sitting by the pool the whole time, hire a car at the airport. The hotel was very good and arranged for a local car hire company to bring a car to us at the hotel and at the end of the rental period, we simply gave the car key to the receptionist and the car was collected the next morning. Whilst the rate was good, for the 4 days we had the car, it would have been more cost effective to have hired the car at the airport. Don't be put off by the above as this is a really nice property and I'm glad we stayed here. With the right training and attitude of the staff, this property could easily rank as 5 star.