Heritage Boutique Hotel Palazzo Radomiri

The palazzo

The Radomiri family were shipowners and captains in the Bay of Kotor during the Venetian Republic. Over two centuries the family produced 110 captains and owned 44 sailing ships. Their residential complex on the Dobrota waterfront was built in the late 17th century, when Dobrota was the wealthiest stretch of coast in the bay. In 1688, the cartographer Coronelli Vincenzo Maria published a detailed map of Boka Bay and marked the location by family name: "Radomiri." The original map is held in Kotor's Maritime Museum. The hotel keeps a copy on display. The family's chapel, dedicated to Saint Michael, was built alongside the palazzo; all Radomiri family members are buried there, and the chapel remains in clan ownership.

The 1979 earthquake left the walls standing and little else. The restoration that followed, begun in 2005 by architect Urošević Gavrilo and his daughter Anna Urošević, rebuilt the interior within the surviving stone shell. Stone walls, vaulted ceilings and period architectural detail were retained throughout. Plumbing, electrical and modern systems were installed without altering what can be seen. Montenegro's first heritage boutique hotel designation followed in 2007, requiring the facade, stonework and vaulted ceilings to be maintained to preservation standards. The property received the BIG SEE Tourism Design Award 2018 in the category of creative story and identity as experience.

The Radomiri family spent two centuries looking at these mountains from this shore. The view has not changed.

Dobrota

Dobrota is the village immediately north of Kotor along the inner bay. The name translates as "kindness." It is a compact settlement: a two-kilometre stone promenade running along the bay, lined with the palazzo facades, chapel walls and private jetties left by the seafaring families who built here. The main road from Kotor towards Perast runs inland behind the promenade; the waterfront itself is pedestrian. Restaurants and a few cafes face the bay. In season, water taxis stop here on the route between Kotor and Perast.

The promenade runs directly above the water, wide enough for an unhurried walk. Stone churches punctuate the facades at intervals along the waterfront, each with a small walled courtyard. The view across the bay to the mountains on the opposite shore is unobstructed for the full two kilometres. On a weekday morning the number of people here is a fraction of what you would find in the Old Town streets. The road between Kotor and Perast passes behind the buildings; nothing motorised uses the promenade itself. Looking south along the water, Kotor's ramparts are visible above the rooftops. Looking north, the bay opens toward Perast and the two islands that sit in the middle of it.

The distance between Dobrota and the Old Town is three kilometres. The difference in pace is considerably greater than that.

Kotor Old Town is three kilometres south. By car or taxi it takes around ten minutes. On foot along the promenade it is forty minutes, if the afternoon allows for it. The distance is enough to step outside the concentration of Old Town tourism without being cut off from it. Kotor's restaurants, walls and main sights are easily reached from Dobrota, and returning along the waterfront at the end of the evening is a different experience from navigating the town gates at peak hours.

The property

The stay

The palazzo has ten rooms, each named after a boat and furnished individually with antique pieces in the local Boka style: carved woodwork, regional textiles, period fixtures. No two rooms share the same layout or configuration. Some suites include sitting rooms and bay-facing balconies; bay-facing rooms have water views from the window.

The private stone jetty extends from the property directly into the bay. Guests arriving by private boat can moor here; the jetty also receives guests arriving by water for dinner at the restaurant. It serves as outdoor seating above the water, facing the full width of the bay and the mountains on the opposite shore. An outdoor pool sits in the sheltered courtyard. Sauna, bicycles, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards are available on the property. Parking is available for those arriving by car.

The restaurant sources ingredients locally and regionally, including vegetables from the property's own garden and Njegušti prosciutto from the mountains. The menu builds on the traditional Montenegrin base of bay fish, lamb and seasonal produce from the interior, combined with contemporary technique. Terrace seating faces the water. Four breakfast menus are offered: continental, English, Montenegrin and healthy.

Morning yoga classes run several times a week through Senso di Cattaro, the property's wellness operation, led by Anna Urošević who holds an RYT-500 Yoga Alliance certification. Private sessions are bookable and the palazzo accommodates small group retreats. A private speedboat is available for bay tours. The property is pet-friendly. Airport transfers to Tivat are arranged through the front desk, along with restaurant reservations elsewhere in the bay. The hotel is open from April through early October.