Hotel Forza Lux is a small, new, boutique style hotel inside the walls of the ancient city of Kotor. The owners have tastefully remodeled an old stone building at the back of the old city and created a high-end hotel with only five rooms and one apartment. At this small size there is no full time on-site staff, but someone is available to help you find the hotel (no small task!) and help with luggage on the 200-300 meter walk through small streets, cobblestones and a few flights of stairs. Since the Forza Lux is inside the city walls you cannot drive to the hotel. The closest parking is across the street outside the city gate and is priced by the hour with no maximum. At a Euro per hour, this can add significantly to your cost, so after checking in you may wish to search for cheaper parking.

I picked the Forza because it was getting late and an agent just inside the city gate said it was the best place inside the walls. I’m sure it was also the most expensive. Overall, we were satisfied with our stay, but thought it was fully priced. An attractive breakfast was prepared at a time we chose. Our room was quite well remodeled while keeping the charm of a very old stone building underneath. The bathroom included a high-tech shower with full surround spray heads. Soaps, shampoos and other extras were all premium. While the room had air conditioning, it hadn’t been turned on in mid-May, and we needed the window open at night. The active bar/restaurant below our window made the night long. We would stay at the Forza again, but I would look at the other hotels in the old city before doing so.

The city of Kotor deserves as extra note. If you haven’t stayed there, you should go out of your way to try it. It is snug between the bay waterfront and a steep mountain complete with castle walls that climb dramatically from the city. Lots of restaurants, shops, churches and bars fill the old city and make it truly inviting. Don’t forget to climb at least part of the walls above the city for great views.