Hotel Forza Mare

Rooms

Having just 10 rooms and suites has allowed plenty of space for individual, creative design. Each room’s aesthetic is based on a different geographic location: from Buddhist murals and paisley fabrics in the India Executive Room, to carved masks and natural wood in the Africa Standard Room.

We felt the Executive Rooms were the real show-stoppers. They’re extra spacious inside, but their real strength lies beyond the sliding glass doors where sheltered balconies look across the water to the rocky peaks beyond. In summer, you’ll gaze out to glass-perfect mountain reflections; as the seasons shift you might be lucky enough to watch a storm tumble over the hills and race across the bay - autumn storms are quite a treat here.

If your budget is limited, you might be tempted by a Standard Room, but we'd encourage you to upgrade to a Deluxe, as these have more space and privacy. Ours, a Montenegro-themed Deluxe Room, was on the first-floor with a partial sea view, but most look out to the simple garden, and possibly the hills beyond. Though all have glass doors for balcony access, the balconies themselves are either too narrow to sit out, or are shared with a neighbouring room.

Ensuite bathrooms have stylish mosaic tiling, enormous rain showers, sumptuous Prija products and piles of fluffy white towels to match the crisp white sheets on your kingsize bed. Note there are no twin rooms.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Hairdryer
• Minibar
• Safe box
• WiFi

Eating

Dinner was the highlight of our stay: the dining terrace is fabulous at any time of day, but especially at night, when gauzy linens are pulled around the pergola, creating a magical backdrop for the candlelit tables and moonlit bay. Service is impeccable - our waiter George was knowledgeable but discreet, allowing us to soak up the beautiful setting.

So to the food. We each enjoyed a different 5-course spectacular, with dishes including smoked doroda, fresh fish carpaccio, beef carpaccio, goats’ cheese with vegetables, steak, and a salt-baked sea bass fillet (all excellent). For pudding we shared a delicious fruit, cream and pastry concoction, though we were sorely tempted by the hotel's ice cream parlour.

Breakfast is a continental buffet, including hams, cheeses, cereal, fresh fruit and yoghurts, plus fresh fruit juice and the option of a cooked dish. If the weather turns, there’s an elegant indoor dining space with open views of the bay, as well as a cute 50s-style bar for afternoon drinks and informal lunches.

Dobrota has a couple of other restaurants, but if you feel like dining out you’re likely to end up in Kotor Old Town (a 5-minute drive). Staff can make recommendations and bookings and order taxis. The hotel also has a partnership with the exclusive Sveti Stefan resort, which allows Forza Mare guests to visit the island restaurant for dinner (enquire for details, request in advance).

Features include:

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Restaurants nearby
• Room service
• Vegetarian options

Activities

• Head to the walled Old Town of Kotor (4km), where there are myriad churches and museums for daytime culture-vultures, as well as buzzy open-air cafes, bars and restaurants
  
• The hotel can arrange private boat tours of the bay, including visits to Our Lady of the Rocks, a man-made islet holding a tiny 17th-century church. You’ll also sail past its neighbour Ostrvo Sveti Dorde, a beautiful island monastery off limits to the general public
  
• Spend a day relaxing in nearby Perast: lounge on the small beach or jetties, swim in the Adriatic sea, and tour the handful of museums and churches that chronicle the village's rich history
  
• Kotor Bay is so sheltered, it's the perfect place to try sea-kayaking - we saw plenty of groups paddling along the coast. Alternatively, go diving; there are stunning caves and shipwrecks to be explored
  
• Drive south of Budva to the famous Sveti Stefan island (1 hour), an ancient fishing village turned 21st-century luxury resort. The island itself is closed to the public, but it’s a stunning site to behold from the surrounding beaches (use of which is expensive) and woodland. Nearby beaches in Budva and on the Lustica peninsula can be used free of charge
  
• Explore beyond the coast; Lake Skadar, the largest freshwater lake in the Balkans, is an unmissable natural wonder where lily-pad-covered waters carve through the mountains. Visitor can take boat trips, windsurf (in certain areas), or hike the surrounding national park (1.5 hours' drive)
  
• Back at Forza Mare, relax on the hotel’s private beach, swim in the sea, unwind in the spa or book a massage

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Boat trips
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Kayaking
• Mountain biking
• Museums / galleries
• Nightlife
• Private guided tours
• Sailing
• Scuba diving
• Shopping / markets
• Snorkelling
• Swimming
• Windsurfing

Kids

Hotel Forza Mare welcomes all ages, but it's a stylised setting and popular with couples, so it's probably best suited to well-behaved children.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

The Deluxe and Executive Rooms each have space for a rollaway bed or baby cot.

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 11km (Tivat)
• Shop: 0.4km
• Hospital: 2km

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Hotel Forza Mare is in the small town of Dobrota, which merges with Kotor. It sits on the coastline of Kotor Bay, in southwest Montenegro.

By Air
Tivat (11km) is the closest airport, but many people fly into Dubrovnik (66km) before self-driving along the coast to Montenegro (an hour and 30 minute journey). It is also possible to fly into Podgorica (90km), the Montenegrin capital city.

From the Airport
You can hire a car (see our rental recommendations) - there's free off-road parking at the hotel. Alternatively book a luxury transfer through the hotel, or take a taxi.

Detailed directions will be sent when you book through i-escape.