New developments like the gleaming Porto Montenegro and Aman’s to-die-for Sveti Stefan resort have put the destination on the luxury travel map for the first time, and the launch of Luštica Bay in July will add yet another gem to the tiny country’s heavily-laden crown.
The new development, which will ultimately feature seven hotels, an 18-hole Gary Player championship golf course with associated golf vilas, a 176-berth marina and more than 1,500 apartments, villas and townhouses, is taking shape on a peninsula jutting out into the Bay of Kotor; a 690-hectare plot of land commanding jaw-dropping views over the mesmerizing waters of the Adriatic.
Only 10 per cent of that space will be developed, leaving the rest in pristine condition so visitors and residents can pursue healthy and active lifestyles via hiking, biking and nature trails, a four kilometre seafront promenade and a wealth of sea-based activities such as sailing and kayaking.
“What we offer is peace, quiet and nature,” says Nevine Coutry, managing director of Vcom Marketing. “A lot of our homeowners are coming to us because they want to get away from it all and you can find that peace here, with just the sound of the birds and the waves. That’s new luxury. It’s a place you can be at peace and not be switched on.”
This summer will see the first guests check into The Chedi Luštica Bay, the Asian hotel brand’s second resort in Europe after it’s debut property in Andermatt, Switzerland, which was also created in partnership with the project’s master developer, Orascom. Designed by architect Aaron Gentry, The Chedi will feature 110 rooms (60 of which will be The Chedi Residences) two restaurants, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a first class spa.
The hotel will be the star of Marina Village, which forms an integrated community of residential neighbourhoods, shops, bars and restaurants around the marina promenade and the hillsides behind, with buildings designed to blend in with the traditional architecture of the existing village.