Palmon Bay Hotel & Spa, Igalo's mineral-water spa

The Palmon Bay is one of the big hotels on Igalo’s seafront, and what sets it apart isn’t its size but its water. According to its own website, the pool in its spa uses natural mineral water, which fits neatly with Igalo’s health tradition of mud baths and the Institute. It’s a four-star facing the entrance to the Bay of Kotor, a longish stroll from Herceg Novi’s old town.

Rooms with the bay in front

There are 204 rooms and suites. The Herceg Novi tourist board says they all have air conditioning and a furnished balcony looking out to the entrance of the Bay of Kotor, plus a flat-screen TV, a safe, a minibar and a shower room. I’d ask for a high floor, because the whole point is stepping onto the balcony and seeing the mouth of the bay.

The spa and the beach

The spa covers 500 m² and, besides the mineral-water pool, has Finnish and infrared saunas, a hot tub, a hammam and a gym, with massages on offer. A few steps from the building is the hotel beach, with a big pool right by the sea, a bar, sunbeds, parasols and a small fountain, and next to it a private stretch of beach. Guests can also hop on «Palmon’s Boat» to another beach in the bay. If you fancy a change, Herceg Novi beaches covers the rest, starting with the mud beach in Igalo itself.

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

Eating and meeting

At the very top is the Olive Terrace, the à la carte rooftop restaurant, and downstairs there’s the lobby bar and the pool bar. The hotel does a lot of events, with two conference rooms, a meeting room and the Marea hall beside the pools, so on some dates you may share it with groups.

Igalo on the doorstep

The location’s real plus is what’s within a few steps. Villa Galeb, the residence built for Tito in 1976, is at number 5 on the same street and opens for evening tours three days a week, for €3. Close by are the Igalo Institute, with its mud treatments, and Blatna beach, where you can use that same mud for free. And if you want the old town, the seafront promenade takes you on foot all the way to Herceg Novi.

If you would rather have a local show you round, book a guided tour in Palmon Bay Hotel & Spa and choose by the reviews.

Practicalities

The address is Sava Ilića 7, Igalo. It’s 25 km from Tivat airport and 30 km from Dubrovnik airport, according to the tourist board, and the hotel arranges transfers if you ask in advance, at extra cost; parking is free. I don’t quote nightly rates. Herceg Novi’s tourist tax, €1 per adult per night, is paid separately. To compare with other hotels in the area, see hotels in Herceg Novi; if you’re travelling with young children, the Iberostar Waves Herceg Novi at Njivice is more geared to them.

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