This website contains affiliate links. This means I may earn a small commission if you click on a link and make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. See my Privacy Policy for more information.
My Honest Take On Montenegro’s New Mediterranean
I need to be upfront with you before we go any further. Our stay at Dukley was comped as part of a PR collaboration. It cost us nothing. What follows, though, is exactly what I would tell a friend, good, great, not so good, average or otherwise. I travelled here with my husband, our baby and my mum, so this review comes from the perspective of three generations trying to relax in the same place, which is its own kind of test.
What Is Dukley Resort Budva
Dukley is a 5 star luxury resort that opened in 2016, built around the motto “Welcome to the new Mediterranean.” Instead of one big hotel block, the resort is spread across seaside luxury villas, a boutique hotel and residences, all folded into a hillside on a pine forest peninsula. There are 3 private beaches, 6 bars and restaurants, a spa and hammam, a gym and a beauty studio.
Because the whole resort climbs up the hill, you never really walk anywhere here. Buggy shuttles run constantly, you call reception or simply wave one down and within minutes you are being driven to the pool, the beach or your residence. It sounds like a small thing until you are the one holding a baby, a beach bag and a sun hat, and suddenly it is not a small thing at all. Dukley is built for privacy, whether you are a couple, a family or a group of friends who want a peaceful base rather than a party resort.
Location: Why Dukley’s Position Between Budva And Bečići Actually Matters
Dukley sits on a pine covered peninsula between Budva and Bečići, and most of the property looks straight out over Budva Old Town. From the rooftop infinity pool you also get a clear view across to Bečići beach, mountains rising behind the coastline on one side and the Adriatic on the other.
For anyone planning a Montenegro trip around this stay, here is what the location gets you:
- 8 minutes drive to Budva Old Town
- 40 minutes drive to Kotor
- 15 minutes drive to Sveti Stefan
The resort also runs a complimentary boat shuttle every hour from the hotel pier straight into Budva Old Town and back. This is a genuinely really useful, because parking in Budva in high season is a nightmare, and being able to skip it entirely changes how relaxed your day feels.
My first thought when I arrived was simply “who did this landscaping.” The whole resort has been built around the existing pine trees and coastline rather than over them, and even though Dukley is a large resort, it never once felt crowded or corporate.
Where To Stay At Dukley: Rooms, Residences And Prices
There are three types of accommodation at Dukley.
Boutique Hotel rooms, located in the same building as the rooftop infinity pool.
Family residences, ranging from one to four bedrooms, each with a private terrace.
Penthouses, from two to four bedrooms, spread over two floors with a private jacuzzi on the top level.
As of September pricing, you are looking at:
- From £450 per night for a hotel room
- From £880 per night for a seaview apartment in the residences
- From £1,810 per night for a penthouse
Prices climb the closer you get to peak summer, and drop again in the shoulder season either side of it.
We stayed in a two bedroom family residence with my husband, our baby and my mum, and it might be the most impressive accommodation I have stayed in, full stop. Open plan living, a fully equipped kitchen, and a level of detail that made it feel like one of those multimillion pound villas you see on Selling Sunset, except with a far better view over the Adriatic and Budva Old Town. The primary bedroom had a huge ensuite with both a bathtub and a walk in shower, and every evening we ended up on the terrace watching the sun go down over Budva.
These residences are genuinely built for families and groups, small or large, and every layout gives you real privacy from your neighbours.
One important note if you are travelling with anyone who has mobility issues: the penthouses and residences involve a fair number of steps to get in, so they are not suitable. The rooms in the Boutique Hotel are the better choice in that case.
You can see more details of each type of accommodation here.
Beach Life At Dukley: Dukley Beach vs Laguna Beach
Dukley Resort has three private beaches, though they open seasonally. We visited in June, when only two were open.
Dukley Beach is the largest, with a proper family feel and plenty of sunbeds.
Laguna Beach has much more of a beach club energy, boho chic decor, a DJ, and in the evening it transforms into a romantic restaurant with tables right by the water and live music.
Sumosan is the third beach, though it was not open during our stay in June.
Both open beaches are shallow at the water’s edge, which makes them easy for children and non swimmers. Watersports are available at both, though I found the pricing steep enough that we skipped them entirely.
Service At Dukley: What To Actually Expect
Every guest is assigned a personal concierge, who walks you through your accommodation, the facilities and everything on offer the moment you arrive. Across the board, the staff deliver the kind of hospitality that made me think of White Lotus, minus the chaos. Whatsapp or call reception and whatever you need shows up within minutes.
The only slightly imperfect part of our stay was the buggy service. A few times we called and had to call again before one arrived, likely because someone flagged it down on the way to us. Every time, the next one showed up within a few minutes, so it was never a real inconvenience, just worth knowing given how central the buggies are to getting around a resort built into a hillside.
Facilities: The Rooftop Infinity Pool, Spa And More
My favourite part of the entire resort was the heated rooftop infinity pool, with the best view in the whole property, mountains behind the coastline, Bečići beach on one side and Budva on the other. It is open to everyone staying at the resort and sits next to a small Italian restaurant serving genuinely good pizza, in the same building as reception and the Boutique Hotel.
There is also Harmonia Spa, with complimentary access for guests to the gym, sauna, steam room and an oversized bubble bath. We did not get round to using it this time, we were too busy getting a tan on the beach, but it is there if a slower kind of day is more your pace.
Dukley Resort For Families: The Kids Club
There is a genuinely lovely kids club with both indoor and outdoor space, including a splash club. Hotel guests get 3 hours free of charge every day, with activities like kids fitness, creative workshops and a mini disco included. After that, it is €15 per additional hour.
The kids club is for children aged 4 to 12, so with our baby only a few months old we did not use it this time. What we did get was a cot ready and waiting in the room on arrival, along with a small goody bag with a toy for the baby, a nice touch that made travelling with an infant feel genuinely considered rather than an afterthought.
Food And Drink At Dukley
Breakfast was included in our stay, and both the food and drinks were consistently excellent. You can go a la carte, buffet, or mix both, and the buffet covers everything you could want and then some. The cold cuts and local prosciutto bar was a particular highlight for me. Everything tasted properly fresh, the kind of breakfast you could eat every single day of a trip and never get bored of.
The restaurant sits above Dukley Beach with sea views the whole way through. My first impression was that it looked small for such a large resort, but it never once felt crowded, and the food, drinks and service never dipped, no matter how full it got.
Beyond breakfast, we had a handful of drinks down on the beach, which were reasonably average for what I would call an unreasonable price.
Sustainability At Dukley
Dukley positions itself as an eco-conscious resort, and walking around, it is genuinely visible. The landscape preservation is obvious everywhere you look. The resort uses eco-conscious, non-toxic, low-emission materials, refillable organic bathroom cosmetics, and runs a fleet of electric cars around the clock. There is also an organic garden supplying produce for the kitchens, and every member of staff we spoke to was local to Montenegro.
Nice Extra Touches
Pets stay for free at Dukley, and that complimentary boat shuttle into Budva Old Town is honestly one of the best perks of the whole stay.
What I Would Change
If I am being fully honest, the one thing that did not sit right with me was paying for parking and valet, at €20 per day. The service itself worked flawlessly, but for a resort at this price point, and in a country where you genuinely need a car to get around, I think it should be included rather than added on.
Is Dukley Resort Budva Worth It
This is one of those stays that is worth splashing out on. I would come back to Dukley with either my family or a group of friends without hesitation, and I can easily picture it as the setting for a birthday, a wedding, a honeymoon or an engagement. This is the best level of hospitality I have experienced anywhere in continental Europe, and you feel looked after in every single moment of the stay.
Their slogan, “Welcome to the new Mediterranean,” makes complete sense once you are there. It does not feel like the Mediterranean you already know, it feels like its own version of it, with 5 star service and surroundings to match. It is one of those rare places where I genuinely thought, if I were the type of person who could live in a hotel, this would be the one.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dukley Resort Budva
Is Dukley Resort Budva good for families? Yes. The family residences are spacious, private and fully equipped, there is a kids club for children aged 4 to 12 with free daily hours, and both open private beaches have shallow water that is easy for young children and non swimmers.
How much does Dukley Resort Budva cost per night? As of September pricing, hotel rooms start from £450 per night, seaview apartments in the residences start from £880 per night, and penthouses start from £1,810 per night. Prices rise closer to peak summer and drop in the shoulder season.
How far is Dukley Resort from Budva Old Town? It is around 8 minutes by car, or you can take the resort’s complimentary hourly boat shuttle straight from the hotel pier into Budva Old Town, which avoids the notoriously difficult parking in town.
Does Dukley Resort have a private beach? Yes, Dukley has three private beaches: Dukley Beach, Laguna Beach and Sumosan. They open seasonally, and only Dukley Beach and Laguna Beach were open during our June stay.
Is Dukley Resort accessible for guests with mobility issues? The residences and penthouses involve a number of steps to access, so they are not suitable for guests with mobility issues. Rooms in the Boutique Hotel are a better fit in that case.
Is parking included at Dukley Resort? No, parking and valet are charged separately at €20 per day, which was the one part of the stay I felt should really be included at this price point.
Are pets allowed at Dukley Resort? Yes, pets are welcome and stay free of charge.
How do you get around Dukley Resort? The resort is built into a hillside, so guests get around via buggy shuttles, which you call for through reception or simply flag down as they pass.
Plan Your Trip To Montenegro:
Have you stayed at Dukley, or are you thinking about it? Let me know in the comments, I read every single one.
