Hotels in Budva, from the old town to Petrovac

Choosing a hotel in Budva is, above all, choosing an area. The municipality has 67 hotels on its tourist board’s list, from one-star guesthouses to the islet of Sveti Stefan, spread along 38 km of coast. A good hotel in the wrong spot means getting in the car every day, and in August that wears thin.

The centre and Slovenska plaža

This is the area for doing everything on foot. You’ve got the old town, the bus station, the roundabout where the coast buses leave and the boats to Sveti Nikola island. Here you’ll find the Avala, next to the old town and 350 metres from Mogren, Hotel Budva, with 80 rooms according to the national tourist board, the Mogren, the Slovenska plaža complex and small three and four-star hotels. On Zavala headland, between town and Bečići, sits the Dukley complex, with the five-star Dukley Hotel & Resort and Infinity and the four-star Harmonia. The drawback is the summer noise. What to see in town is in my Budva guide.

Bečići and Rafailovići

My favourite for a first visit. Bečići beach is about 2,000 metres long, lined with big hotels such as the Splendid, five-star on the official list, the Iberostar Bellevue, the Mediteran and the Queen of Montenegro, which has 236 rooms according to the national tourist board. A seafront path takes you to the old town through the Zavala tunnel and, the other way, to Kamenovo. The details are in my guide to Bečići itself.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Budva on Expedia and filter by area before price.

Pržno, Miločer and Sveti Stefan

The expensive stretch. Half the five-star hotels on the list cluster here, the Maestral in Pržno, the small Miločer hotel by the park, the Aman on the islet, Villa Geba and, a little further south, Vivid Blue at Reževići. The beaches are the loveliest on the riviera and the nights are quiet. The bus to Budva runs every ten minutes, so you’re not cut off. The islet and its hotel have their own guide under Sveti Stefan.

Petrovac

Down south, Petrovac moves at a different pace. A village with a promenade, a 600-metre beach of reddish sand, the Kastio fort and hotels such as the Palas and Vile Oliva, with Lučice 500 metres away and Buljarica two kilometres on. I’d pick it for a beach week without the partying, with the town bus to Budva running almost every hour. I cover it in Petrovac.

If you are short on time, see the best tours in Budva and pick one that fits your day.

Worth knowing before you book

Tourist registration is compulsory within 24 hours, and hotels do it for you. Each municipality also charges its own nightly tourist tax, and the Budva tourist board has an online form for paying it, though it doesn’t publish the amount. For British travellers, remember that Montenegro isn’t in Schengen, so days here don’t count towards your 90 in the Schengen area. If you’re still weighing up Budva against the bay, compare the whole country in where to stay in Montenegro.

To sleep close to everything, search places to stay in Budva on Booking.com and filter by area before price.