Hotels in Perast, waking up to the islands

A night in Perast is a night on a film set. It’s a village of 240 people strung out along the water, with baroque palaces, a 55 m bell tower and two islands just offshore. Once the excursion boats have gone, the place changes completely, and you only see that if you stay. Here are the hotels I know through their own websites and the official listings, and how I’d choose between them.

The splurge, in Smekja Palace

Heritage Grand Perast occupies Smekja Palace, built in 1764 for a dynasty of sea captains and admirals, right by the little harbour. Rooms run from 25 to 48 m², some with a sea view, and there’s the Cataleya spa with a hammam, saunas and an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, a beach club and three restaurants. Riva, by the water, and Piazza, on the square, also welcome people who aren’t staying. Rates aren’t published, but on everything it offers, this is the village’s luxury option.

The family-run one, in restored houses

The Conte is a different proposition. According to its website, the Kasalica family restored the old palaces and stone houses they owned in the village and turned them into a hotel and restaurant, updating the interiors without losing the character or the architecture of the bay. It sits on the same waterfront, and its restaurant by the water is one of the most searched-for in Perast.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Perast before prices climb.

Other places in the village

The National Tourism Organisation lists Villa Perast, part of the 7Hills group, in the heart of the village and 12 km from Kotor. Beyond that there are private apartments and holiday houses, which I don’t review because I have no official source on them. Bear in mind that in private accommodation not run as a hotel, registering with the authorities within 24 hours is up to you, as the Foreign Office advice for Montenegro explains.

What you pay on top

Perast is part of Kotor municipality, so the same tourist tax applies. Adults pay €1 a night, teenagers from 12 to 18 pay half that, and younger children go free. Your accommodation collects it with the bill.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Perast and choose by the reviews.

Kotor or Perast?

On this one I’m quite clear. Perast is for one or two quiet nights. The day boats arrive mid-morning and leave in the afternoon, and after that the village is back to its 240 residents. You get the islands at sunrise, the chance to take the first boat to Our Lady of the Rocks before anyone else, and dinner on the waterfront without queues. What you don’t get is a town’s choice, so a car makes getting round the bay much easier.

Kotor has the old town, the port, more services and far more rooms, though in summer far more people too. Perast has very few beds for the demand, and in high season you feel it. If you can’t find a room, Kotor is only 12 km off, a quarter of an hour by car, and I compare its options under hotels in Kotor. My ideal is one night in Perast and the rest of the trip in Kotor or Dobrota.

Once your dates are set, check which hotels are still free in Perast before prices climb.