It’s a mood captured by Cary Grant and Grace Kelly in To Catch A Thief, and Jean Seberg and David Niven in Bonjour Tristesse – along with Slim Aarons' famous 1969 photograph titled simply ‘Sunbathing’. Montenegro enjoyed a similar moment in the 1960s and 70s, when figures such as Orson Welles and Sophia Loren alighted on its meandering coast. Now this little Balkan nation, just an hour’s drive south from Dubrovnik, is resurgent again. There’s excitement in the air. Fresh names are landing. One&Only Resorts and Private Homes have a knack for being in the right place at the right time – one thinks of One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives in 2005, One&Only Desaru Coast in Malaysia and One&Only Mandarina in Mexico more recently. So the One&Only Portonovi, on the northern end of Montenegro’s coast, is set to be similarly era-defining, the crest of a new riviera wave for this Mediterranean starlet.
SPECTACULAR LOCATION
Little Montenegro may be small but it packs a lot into its borders, with a landscape that rolls from mountains and lakes to thick forests and, of course, that dazzling coastline. While many travellers have discovered Croatia over the past decade or so, neighbouring Montenegro is relatively unknown to many and has the glamorous allure of a destination that’s now enjoying its time in the sun. National highlights include the ramparts of Budva, the epic Tara River Canyon and the ghostly Byzantine city of Stari Bar. But it’s the fjord-like contours of the Bay of Kotor that those staying at One&Only Portonovi will appreciate the most – a natural amphitheatre with Greek and Turkish ruins amid the trees that has been awarded UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The resort connects with its surroundings at every level, with private jetties to cast off from at the signature villas, one of the few private sandy beaches in the country and ocean views from almost every angle. For those wondering what the Côte d’Azur felt like in the original Roaring Twenties, this is a captivating illustration.
SEABORNE ADVENTURE
This is a region whose maritime history swishes like a mermaid tail. Boats sailed in from Byzantium and Rome, trading vessels ventured east. Battles were fought; fortresses built with both eyes on the horizon. Now the sails belong to yachts and catamarans, scudding across the Bay of Kotor to find an empty islet to drop anchor at, a place to swim, snorkel and picnic. Casting off from One&Only Portonovi by land or sea can lead to several escapades, most being carefully curated by the resort team. An afternoon in an 18th-century palace by the sea, hosted by the aristocratic family who still live there, perhaps, or motoring along the coast, Sixties-style, in a Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, stopping above an empty beach to run into the waves. Guests can island hop on a private boat in pursuit of medieval legends, or embark on a Bond-style diving mission into Yugoslav-era submarine caves.
ONE OF EUROPE'S TOP WELLNESS DESTINATIONS
Take a deep breath and inhale that sea air. It has been scientifically proven that simply staying by the ocean has all sorts of wellness benefits – all those negative ions jostling about, serotonin levels steadying themselves like a ship on the waves. But One&Only Portonovi also has Chenot Espace, a world-renowned transformative wellness concept that will make this a health destination in its own right. Thanks to its late founder’s almost five decades of research into anti-ageing and science-based health expertise, Chenot has a devoted following, including such riviera-friendly names as Salma Hayek and Sophia Loren. Many make the pilgrimage to its flagship in the Italian Dolomites, but this Adriatic outpost brings Chenot’s 360-degree approach to wellbeing to this coastal region for the first time. Diagnostic tests lead to personalised programmes that combine exercise, diet, treatments and stress relief, drawing on both traditional Chinese methods and shiny scientific technology. Or you can simply have a facial or massage. With week-long retreats aimed at long-lasting change or one-off treatments available, and a sprawling complex featuring a hammam, sauna and all sorts of pools, this makes One&Only Portonovi a holistic heavy-hitter that’s without comparison in this part of Europe.
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MEDITERRANEAN MENUS
The French Riviera lifestyle delights in long lazy lunches and cocktail hours illuminated by the sunset glow, with rendezvous in the diary at classic beach clubs such as Le Plongeoir or Club 55. In Montenegro, One&Only Portonovi will create its own social scene with restaurants and bars that draw on local ingredients – ripe tomatoes, aubergines, mountain herbs, tinglingly fresh seafood – for refined farm-to-table menus. Sabia by Giorgio Locatelli is the Michelin-winning chef’s first restaurant in the region. The focaccia-juggling Locatelli came to the UK in the 1990s, determined to show the country how to appreciate Italian cuisine and winning a star for Locanda Locatelli every year since 2003. At Sabia his team will create the foodie hits of southern Italy, with a raw bar for small plates of organic crudo. For local flame-grilled recipes, there’s La Veranda, while Caminetti Bar serves caviar and Champagne with a view, and the head-turning Tapasake Club has a handsome pool, DJ soundtrack and Japanese-inspired bites of sushi, sashimi and ceviche for poolside lounging. As we’ve learnt during lockdown, a restaurant isn’t just about the food but the atmosphere and sheer theatre.
EXTRAORDINARY VILLAS
Montenegro is a mosaic of different architectural eras and styles – Roman villas, medieval monasteries, wide-angled modernism… But our favourite is the period of the Venetian Republic, with its dramatic stone arches and terracotta tiles that appear to swim across towns and villages like shoals of red snapper. One&Only Portonovi riffs on this lingering, romantic heritage, appearing in the landscape with a palatial elegance – a neoclassical escape of slender columns, marble walls, cool stone floors and gently sloping terracotta roofs. Pools of water and glass viewing windows reflect the clear sky overhead and the mountains. The resort’s rooms, suites and villas all have an inherent sense of space and privacy, connecting with the outdoors via foyers, balconies or terraces, while ground-floor rooms lead directly into the gardens. It's easy to imagine bringing family and friends here for a post-lockdown reunion. Two-bedroom suites are suited to multi-generational stays, while three- and four-bedroom villas form their own escapist worlds with a personal bar, wine cave, spa room and library to retreat to, and an enclosed flower-scented garden with its own swimming pool, as well as a hydrotherapy pool. But even regular rooms have window-side bathtubs for an immersive view of the bay. There’s a sense that all spaces here act as observation decks for guests to appreciate the beauty of the Bay of Kotor – the impressionist colours saturating water and sky would be enough to make those original riviera painters, Cézanne and Monet, stretch out a fresh canvas.
Resort now open. To book your Montenegro escape, visit oneandonlyresorts.com
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