One&Only Portonovi

Iva and Anja are amazing, they helped us so much at the hotel. Changing reservations, having recommendations etc. The property is amazing!

The One & Only Portonovi is an amazing hotel. The hotel is immaculate, but, more importantly, the staff are exceptional. We were treated as if we were the only guests in the hotel. The beach and pools are fantastic. The food (like most Montenegrin food) is wonderful. I can not recommend this property much higher.

The resort impresses with its sense of space and a remarkably considered aesthetic. Excellent ventilation, well-designed curtains and shutters against the sun, and at night a true blackout — something rare even in hotels of this level. The evening lighting stayed with me. Around 6pm, when the sun disappears behind the mountain, the whole resort comes alive with warm light and turns into something quite magical. The room lighting is soft, and the turndown service is faultless. Worth knowing: online I could only find villas at €11,000–14,000 a night. I wrote them a short email and soon received an offer — a corner room with a bay view for €1,000. No rooms were showing in the booking systems at all, so the less persistent may miss the chance to stay here. Earlier reviews said the food was overpriced. We agree it is expensive, but we disagree about the taste. At the Italian restaurant we had four courses — authentic Italian cooking built on French classical technique. An excellent wine list and exceptionally knowledgeable staff. At the Japanese restaurant, the gyoza with wafu, their signature cod and the cheesecake were standouts. The extra mile: a glass of champagne offered as a welcome. Everywhere, the team knows how to talk about what they pour. The gym has a panoramic sea view, and the spa is beautiful, with the Chenot method at its heart. Breakfast matches the standard, particularly à la carte: protein frittata, avocado toast, tofu scramble, and their traditional filo pastry with feta — our favourite. They genuinely love animals. Our little dog was given a bed, a toy and bowls, and the chef cooked him chicken breast. Everyone was warm and obliging. There is a lovely collection of Murano glass sculptures, many books, and so many separate places to sit that we barely saw another guest for the first few evenings. When it rained, we enjoyed the indoor pool, the saunas and the relaxation room overlooking the sea. A place for rest — and equally well suited to corporate events. Thank you for the chance to experience Montenegrin hospitality in this paradise of nature and design. Rasa

We do love the One and Only Hotels around the world. Each one is different to reflect the local culture and this one looks great, it’s clean and new looking (6years old), but it is in a clinically clean landscape of private rental apartments and the Marina shopping / restaurant area. It does have a nice manmade beach, which is safe to swim for all. They have 120 rooms and 450 odd staff at peak times. Service is good, but not great. Staff are often bunched and chatting between themselves rather than monitoring if customer's require attention Three staff in the Kayaking office seemed excessive, and no one had maintained the kayaks so the seats had no back support. We were told that’s just the way it is. There was a washed up beer can 2 meters from where they were all sitting chatting. Just saying . The rooms are beautifully appointed, from power blinds to automatic toilets, nice big bath and shower, really comfortable bed, great turndown and room clean service. The WhatsApp chat system works really well, but we felt the personal interaction has been lost between the staff and the guests. The staff are beautifully trained and courteous, but I feel they could in many instances been AI robots. ( it seems to be just a Job rather than a career). That said, we loved our time there ( 4 nights) and we would stay with our 4/5 which is pretty good.

One&Only Portonovi is a beautiful, high-end hotel in an amazing location. If you’re looking to relax and enjoy the spa, pool, beach, and beautiful surroundings, it’s a wonderful place to stay. One thing to keep in mind is that getting from the hotel to the beach isn’t especially convenient. You have to go through an outdoor passage, take an elevator, walk through the lobby, take another elevator, and then continue down toward the beach. It isn’t difficult, but it is quite a journey when you simply want to get from your room to the beach. The marina next to the hotel is a lovely place to walk around in the evening and has several restaurants—currently about four. Mado Café, which is coming soon, should be a great addition and, in my opinion, a highlight for the marina. I was also surprised by the room-service charge. At a hotel of this caliber, I wasn’t expecting an additional fee simply for ordering room service. It felt like an unnecessary extra cost, especially at a luxury resort. Another small disappointment was the Jacuzzi. Although the hotel has Jacuzzis, they weren’t actually hot; they were essentially the same temperature as the pool. I found myself wondering, “What’s the point of having a Jacuzzi if it isn’t warm?” 😄 The restaurants around the marina served pretty good food, although the service was noticeably slower than what I’m used to in the U.S. The pace here seems to be more relaxed, so it’s something to expect rather than necessarily view as a negative. Overall, One&Only Portonovi is a gorgeous resort and an excellent choice if you’re looking for peace, relaxation, beautiful scenery, a great spa, a pool, and a beach. There isn’t a huge amount to do immediately around the hotel, but if you’re looking to slow down and enjoy the resort, that can be part of its charm.