The area
The hotel is the star attraction in the Portonovi development, which also houses second-home villas and apartments, yacht-friendly dining (caviar and Champagne, cognac and cigars), an art gallery and fashion boutiques, alongside its 238 berth marina, which takes boats up to 120 metres. Jump in one of the hotel’s own glossy Nesey launches to explore UNESCO World Heritage Site Boka Bay, stopping off at the perfectly-preserved honey-stoned towns of Presat and Kotor. There’s also vineyards, National Parks and even Marshal Tito’s villa all within a short jaunt’s distance.
The service
Unfailingly helpful – from the concierge dolling out forgotten iPhone chargers to breakfast servers remembering your favourite pistachio smoothie bowl. It’s slick, but not waiting-on-your-every-move intrusive. And if you are an oligarch who wants another plate of Locatelli’s divine truffle pasta whipped up at 10.30pm in your villa, well, that’s possible too.
For families
One&Only’s kids’ clubs are as well-thought-out and spoiling as its hotels, and – bonus – free to all little guests. Here is no different with dedicated areas for 4–11-year-olds (KidsOnly – inspired by Jules Verne’s ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, a picture of a giant Kraken above the tiny toilet) and teens (One Tribe – with table football, pool table and games consoles). The inspired timetable ranges from slime time to movie nights, photo scavenger hunts to fort building, recycled fashion shows to playing Boka Bay detectives.
At breakfast, children make a beeline for the doughnut of the day on the buffet at La Veranda, a treat that jostles for plate-space with pretty pink-striped strawberry croissants, freshly-made crêpes and oodles of fruit. At lunch and dinner there’s also a dedicated kids’ menu at Sabia (spaghetti al pomodoro and gnocchi al ragù di manzo are sure-fire hits), and if you are lucky pizza making in the kitchen, and little ones are plenty welcome at Tapasake Club too (nothing-too-much-trouble staff whipping out wooden high chairs and chic pastel kids’ plates), where our five-year-old assistant reviewer tucked into grilled salmon with rice.
