Informal luxury
LOCATION
Located in the bay of Trašte, the brand-new coastal town Luštica Bay is part of an ambitious project by the Swiss-Egyptian consortium Orasacom Development Holding. Last year, a deserted stretch of the coast became home to a new marina, as well as the first restaurants and shops, but the crucial portion of the first phase of the project was the opening of the Chedi luxury hotel on 17 August 2018. It is the hotel, operated by the company GHM, that is the main impetus for the tourism boom in the town, indicating the future direction of the resort. This will continue to develop, eventually expanding to the new town of Centrale. Seven new hotels of different types are planned. An especially important part will be the 18-hole golf course, which will be among the best in the Adriatic.
ACCESSIBILITY
Montenegro is distinctly oriented towards air travel and the connections are improving year after year. You can reach the hotel via three airports: Tivat, which is the nearest, Dubrovnik and Podgorica. Tivat is less than 20 kilometres from Luštica. The road is not in the best condition and it helps a lot to not be too nervous. The resort is under construction; trucks and traffic jams are commonplace. It is the obscure routes that lead to the prettiest of places.
COLD APPETIZER - Architecture and Aesthetics
The architecture is clean and refined, allowing tiny details to stand out. The egg-shaped rocking chairs in the lobby, for instance, or the sexy couches inviting you to kick back and enjoy. The lighting, which is a highly problematic aspect in many of the hotels in the Adriatic, is superb here. There are many selfie spots. There is an impressive art gallery in the lobby. The tourist complex is not yet complete in the urbanistic sense, but even now, it feels truly fresh. The interior designer Gauthier Guillaume has managed to create a relaxing zen oasis, where natural materials predominate.
WARM APPETIZER - Staff and catering
The casual uniforms of the waiting staff are an important part of the experience, making them seem more relaxed and cooler. This is especially true for the restaurant The Spot, where the top-notch staff handle their jobs perfectly. Then there is the rocket chef Steven Grande, an executive chef who has used the less is more principle to come up with a seasonal menu worthy of the gods themselves. His interpretation of traditional hotel dishes and the national staple, the Shopska salad, was positively sublime.
Special thanks are also due to the reception staff, who really know how to make a good first impression and are capable of solving minor issues elegantly.
MAIN DISH - Conference hotel service
Hotel rooms
The Grand Deluxe Room that we tried measures a luxurious 47 m2. It includes a well-equipped kitchenette. The spacious, panoramic bathroom with a bathtub is eye-catching. An interesting touch—the bright walls with a special finish that nicely complement the minimalist furniture in a light-coloured brushed oak and the floor that resembles terrazzo panels. The high-tech lighting is exceptional, while the bed and the bedding are in line with the expectations for this hotel chain. The hotel room features sophisticated technology and is full of little surprises like Bose speakers, an Illy coffee maker and a wide range of premium wines for very reasonable prices.
Meetings centre
The central ballroom has a capacity of 168 guests (96 in a banquet seating arrangement) and there is a smaller boardroom available. The generously sized lobby is another thing that adds value. We also see a lot of potential in certain outdoor locations, but these are not part of the offer yet; they would be ideal for car premieres.
DESSERT – The extras
A spa with two saunas and an Infinity pool is a harmoniously designed oasis that offers a retreat from the more crowded outdoor pool. We recommend Chedi treatments by professional Thai masseuses.
FLOP – NEGATIVE SURPRISES
The town is under construction and will continue to be so for a while, during which time it will be impossible to avoid construction sites. Luštica Bay is a work in progress, and you will need to take that into account.
TOP – POSITIVE SURPRISES
The high-end cuisine by chef Steven Grande, who was born in the USA and has sharpened his skills—and knives—in some of the most prestigious Asian resorts. He has included a number of local dishes in the Chedi hotel menu, but he also delights by using fresh local ingredients of superb quality.
OVERALL IMPRESSION AND CREDIBILITY
Chedi offers a different kind of luxury, one that is less formal and better suited to the younger urban population. At the same time, the varied range of services makes it ideal for incentive groups of any size. These customers already love Montenegro, but they now have yet another reason for that.
Chedi is also the new gem of Montenegrin hotel options. The foremost characteristic of the new hotel is its luxury of space. Even the smallest room measures 45 m2, which is standard-setting. When the tourist complex is fully completed, the golf course will definitely become one of the hottest incentive spots in the Adriatic.
FINAL GRADE: 4.85 GOLD RESORT MEETING HOTEL
GOLD final score from 4.81 to 5.00
SILVER final score from 4.61 to 4.80
BRONZE final score from 4.41 to 4.60
