Carine Kumbor Superior (ex. Iberostar Selection Kumbor)

English translation: The food is varied, well-prepared, and always served warm. Nothing was ever raw or undercooked. Dinner changes almost every day. It’s a pity there are no themed fish nights or Italian nights (as is common in Turkey and Egypt), which would be a huge bonus. The food is tasty, with a Mediterranean style. Meal times are strictly enforced: lunch is from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM. If you arrive at 2:30 PM, you are no longer allowed to take additional food, drinks, or extra portions because barriers are put up. You may finish whatever is already on your plate in the dining hall, but if you miss the meal period, you won’t get any additional food. Every evening during dinner and until 10:00 PM, ice cream cones are served. You can choose how many scoops you want and from four different flavors. This is a very nice touch. The Wi-Fi is very good in the rooms and on the terrace. By the pool and on the beach, however, the Wi-Fi is very weak and practically nonexistent. The room is spacious, with good air conditioning, modern furniture, a modern bathroom/shower, and a large mirror (which many women will appreciate). However, there is no iron, no bathrobes, no slippers, no toiletries, and no complimentary water. There is no minibar at all, only a small empty refrigerator. Towels are not changed every day. Housekeeping is done daily, but the bed linens are not always changed—sometimes they simply make the bed. There are two mugs in the room, each supplied with a 3-in-1 coffee sachet, and there is a kettle. The beach umbrellas are poor quality and shed plastic debris onto the beach. They are also fixed in place, so throughout the day you have to move your sunbed around them to stay in the shade. The beach does not have sand but rather an industrial construction-rubble base made of stones, which is uncomfortable. Children cannot dig holes, build sandcastles, or do similar activities. Several children arrived with buckets and shovels but never used them. Walking barefoot on the beach is unpleasant. The entry into the sea is very rocky and hurts your feet. Fish in the water periodically nibble at people’s legs, and there are no warnings about this. If you stand still, they bite. Many guests were unhappy about it. You constantly have to keep moving or swim; standing still is not comfortable. Interestingly, if you walk about 200 meters from the hotel, there are three beaches with pebbles and sandy seabeds that are much more comfortable. There is no clearly visible lifeguard station or lifeguard flag on the beach. There is only a small piece of fabric that is not displayed every day, and when it is displayed, it is only about 1.5 meters high, making it difficult to see. The lifeguard is rarely visible and often walks around elsewhere. For such a large beach, there should be two lifeguards stationed on-site. There is no beach bar, so every drink requires a walk back to the hotel. The pool bar and snack area operate from 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM. One positive aspect is that the lifeguard appears very quickly when there are strong winds and instructs everyone to close their umbrellas. However, swimming restrictions are not enforced, nor are warning flags changed to indicate water safety conditions. In the evenings, the beach offers a beautiful view. Ships and yachts pass by, there are mountains in the background, stunning sunsets, and an island across the water dotted with many small lights. Next to the pool bar, there is a pleasant shaded area with around 10–15 tables. It is enclosed and provides a nice place to sit, enjoy drinks, and have snacks. Fresh pizzas, sandwiches, and hot dogs are served daily nearby. I wouldn’t call them restaurant quality, but they are exactly what you want with a cold beer on a hot summer day. Guests often play board games there, and we used the area regularly for that purpose. For the entire beach, the shaded seating area near the bar, and the pool area, there is only one staff member collecting glasses. As a result, empty glasses eventually accumulate everywhere. He only removes glasses and does not clean the tables, so throughout the day the tables become dirty and ashtrays fill up. Free alcoholic drinks are available only during meal times and at the pool bar while it is open. Guests can choose from three types of beer, three types of wine (red, white, and rosé), all served from self-service dispensers, as well as six types of cocktails. The cocktails are dispensed automatically by a machine rather than prepared by a bartender, so they taste somewhat artificial. Guests cannot serve themselves cocktails; they must order them, and the bartender presses the button. The lobby bar is entirely paid, both for alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. The cocktails there (eight varieties) cost €10 each, but they are beautifully presented, delicious, and excellent in quality. To obtain a beach towel, you must pay a €20 deposit per towel. If you want to exchange it for a clean one, you must pay €2 each time. If you return the towel undamaged, you get your €20 deposit back. If someone steals your towel on the beach or you lose it, you lose the deposit. One of my towels was stolen, but after actively arguing my case and convincing the staff that the hotel would not actually lose a towel, they forgave the situation and issued a replacement. The animation team exists mostly on paper and is primarily aimed at French-speaking guests. Information about activities is lacking. The schedule posted on the wall is in French, and the schedule at reception often does not match reality. Most activities are conducted in French, and some animators do not speak English or Russian. Not once did any animator greet us, invite us to activities, or approach us. However, the evening children’s activities were genuinely well-organized and of good quality. Renting a car was very easy. The vehicle was delivered directly to the hotel and could be returned there as well. Prices were affordable (€50–60 per day/24 hours), and the cars were modern and equipped with air conditioning. Upon arrival, you generally will not receive your room before 3:00 PM because the rooms are not yet ready, even though check-out is by 10:00 AM. We were lucky and received our room at 2:30 PM. At the same time, a large group of approximately 20 people arrived by bus at 1:00 PM, and some of them were still waiting for their rooms after 4:00 PM. While waiting for your room, there is no luggage storage facility. Suitcases are simply left in the lobby, with no supervision or tracking. You are given a wristband and can use the hotel’s facilities, but the changing area provided is not a spa facility with lockers, showers, and proper changing rooms. Instead, it is just a room with a curtain where nothing can be locked, the door cannot be properly closed, and anyone can walk in and look. Overall, the hotel is nice. It would be a good destination for older guests staying for 3–4 days, but not ideal for young people or for a full week-long vacation. The atmosphere is pleasant (although music is played only near the bar and not throughout the day), and the staff in the bar, dining area, and reception are very polite. There were two evenings with live music, and those were the best nights—great international songs and lots of group singing. On other evenings, when activities such as bingo were held, it was difficult to understand anything because everything was conducted in French. The hotel is clean, tidy, modern, and gives a fresh impression. The grounds are well maintained. Occasionally, it is unpleasant that cats roam freely around the property. At one point, a cat caught a bird in the middle of the beach and ate it there while tourists watched in shock, and staff walked past without reacting.

We had a wonderful stay at Carine Hotel Kumbor. The location is beautiful, right on the Bay of Kotor, with stunning views from the room. The hotel was very clean, the staff was friendly and professional, and the food offered a great variety every day. We especially enjoyed the private beach and the peaceful atmosphere. We would definitely come back again.