Hotel Palazzo del Mare - Essenza in Ljuta

Excellent small hotel with stunning views across the Bay of Kotor.
We had a standard room which was tastefully furnished & which was kept immaculately clean.
The Beach bar served good snacks & the sun beds are free to anyone staying at the hotel.
All the staff we had interaction with were friendly & helpful.
The inclusive breakfast was pretty varied & quite extensive, I think that no matter how fussy a person was they would find something acceptable to their palet.

The negatives for this hotel are only minor & did not detract from our stay there in any meaningful way.
The negatives are;
The area where the breakfast is displayed is a small alcove which makes it difficult for more than 1 or 2 people to access at the same time. It was nearly always the case that much of what should have been hot food was either lukewarm or cold.
The wardrobe space in the room is poorly designed, my wife was not happy that she could not hang any of her long dresses in the wardrobe & had to resort to hanging them from a wall light fitting.
The shower enclosure is a generous size & yet there is no soap dish where you can place your soap or shampoo, we placed the hand held body washer on the floor and used the main shower head to wash, this freed up the body washer securing bracket
(2" x 3") on which we could balance the soap or shampoo.
The hotel provides a free room safe however it is not bolted in place & it would be easy for someone to just pick it up & walk off with it as it is fairly light.
As I stated earlier the negatives for this hotel are of no real consequence and I highly recommend this hotel to you as a place to stay.​

I might have given this a slightly higher rating if they hadn’t said they are 4-star.
The staff was helpful with requests.
The room was nice but a little small - not much room to walk around the bed. Our balcony view was sideways to the sea and overlooked a messy construction yard.
The room has electronic controls but they didn’t work well. Some switches caused the light to flicker. The electrons blinds didn’t work. The fan remote control didn’t work and I didn’t see another way to control it. The bathroom didn’t have Kleenex (minor) and there was no where in the shower to put your toiletries except the floor. The towels were small and abrasive.
The breakfast had plenty of options and the coffee machine was okay.

The beach area was lovely and the chairs were comfortable. The swimming was really nice. Though it was hard to find shade in the afternoon because their umbrellas were some kind of mesh netting that allowed the sun through.
The pool was nice and had a little more shade.
The pizza at the pool bar was good. Unfortunately they had a kitchen problem one day so there was no food available.

The spa/indoor pool has some lovely chairs for napping when the sun by the beach gets too hot.

Out of our 6-day trip to Montenegro, staying at Palazzo di Mare was by far the highlight of our vacation.

My daughter and I stayed for two nights in a sea-view room, and everything exceeded our expectations. The room was spacious, spotless, and incredibly comfortable, with one of the comfiest beds we’ve ever slept in. Waking up to the beautiful sea view each morning was unforgettable.

The staff were exceptionally friendly, welcoming, and always happy to help. The breakfast was outstanding, with a great selection and everything fresh and delicious.

What we loved most was the peaceful atmosphere. It was quiet, never crowded, and having direct access to the sea made it feel like a hidden gem. After visiting much busier places like Budva, Sveti Stefan, and Bar, we appreciated Palazzo di Mare even more. In hindsight, I wish we had spent our entire stay here instead of moving around.

If you’re looking for a relaxing, comfortable, and truly memorable place to stay in Montenegro, I can’t recommend Palazzo di Mare highly enough.

P.s. iron on request would be great!

Everything was really great. I want book already my next holidays. Location is perfect, in front of the rocky beach, 5 min drive from kotor old town and also Perast. Staff is for me the highlight with everyone being so nice and welcoming. Special thanks to Bojana and the hotel manager for giving their best to accommodate us in the best possible room. Also staff from the beach was really nice! Breakfast was also delicious, with fresh food. Well, we really loved it! It’s a paradise and we want to come back.

​Palazzo Del Mare - Essenza is the definition of a true vacation 😍
It’s got that high-end feel while staying very authentic and relaxed. Everything is incredibly clean and clearly new, from the beautiful rooms to the spa area.
​We loved the balance of having private access to the bay and a great beach club, but then being able to retreat to the heated pool and for a massage. The views of Kotor Bay are just unbeatable, especially from the Deluxe Queen room.
If you're here for a relaxing vacation - other than an actually heated pool and great cocktails with a view at the beach bar, the bed was super comfy, one of the best we've experienced in hotels - and Kotor old city is just a few minutes away by car. Very very convenient.
​What really makes the place, though, is the service. Gracija, the manager, is fantastic and goes out of his way to keep all guests truly happy.
​Only one warning about this hotel - you will not want to leave.. ☺️

My husband and I stayed here for 3 nights in September 2025 and loved our stay. The hotel is very well kept and very clean. The staff were absolutely amazing and so friendly and helpful. There was a great breakfast every morning. The views of kotor bay are unreal at this location. It is very walkable to many restaurants and there is a small market close by to get bottled water and other beverages & snacks. A long promenade to walk along the water gets you off the busy road on the other side and where you can get to the restaurants. We rented a car while here and driving around is easy and a great option. Lots of free parking at the hotel. There is a pool and a small beach club on kotor bay, this has a snack bar and drink service. The hotel provides you with beach towels. Overall great stay!

100% recommended! Just in front of the lake.... and the views are phenomenal! We're so glad we were just outside kotor as it was quieter. The beach bar across is cool and wasn't too crowded. Staff were all helpful and friendly. We arrived at 1am due to flight delays and there is a 24hrs receptionist that helped us promptly. Spacious rooms. Definitely need a car there as taxis are pretty dear. We were about 10-20 mins from Kotor depending on traffic. Loved it ... thank you!

The hotel is in a strikingly beautiful location in the Bay of Kotor and it's definitely worth going for a room with a sea view. The food at breakfast was very good and varied although the breakfast area itself is tiny for the amount of guests at the hotel. All the staff were exceptionally friendly. The beach bar opposite was lovely although hotel guests are not guaranteed a lounger. The hotel pool is tiny so as to be unusable. Bedrooms are lovely but need some tinkering to be perfect, such as positioning the bathroom mirror to a normal height and bolting the wardrobe safe to the wardrobe instead of it being free-standing and able to be carted off! There are no lounge areas for guests to relax inside. That would have been useful during the storm we had when there or when shade is needed. So that was disappointing given the price we paid. The hotel is expanding so perhaps that will be included in the new plans.