A Quaint Hotel next to a Franciscan Church (Hotel Marija (Kotor, Montenegro))

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Hotel Marija (Kotor, Montenegro)
Date:	26/06/09 (83 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good location, very pretty, friendly staff

Disadvantages: A little noisy with being in the centre of the old town

After spending a couple of hours or more in Kotor trying to find private rooms which turned out to be an unsatisfactory experience we visited the kind lady in the travel agents in the old town who pointed us in the direction of the Hotel Marija.

The Hotel Marija is a small hotel situated in the old town of Kotor. The beautiful stone building which was once a private mansion where the Emperor Franz Joseph resided shares the space in the cobbled square with an ornate Franciscan church and its melodic if somewhat deafening bells.

As we entered the lobby of the hotel I was quite impressed with the immediate cosiness of the building. Inside the lobby is a reception desk where you sign in for the night. The reception staff are friendly and speak some English and overall I found them very helpful.

There are many leaflets here to help you prepare your sightseeing trips the next day which is very useful if you know nothing about the area.

Having trundled around the old town looking for accommodation I couldn't wait to get into our room, throw my rucksack down and take off my shoes and have a lie down on the bed as I had the most awful headache. I don't generally suffer from headaches at all but about 3 times a year I suffer from really bad migraines and this day in Kotor was the first that year. I blamed it on the humidity or as we say in Poland - the low air pressure.

To reach our room we had to climb a very narrow staircase to the second floor which was carpeted and panelled. In fact there was a lot of wood panelling all over the hotel which gave the building a warm cosey, traditional feel if a little old-fashioned.

Our room which was one of 17, was painted in a pale blue - a cross between a cornflower blue and wedgewood blue. Very pretty. There were two single beds which had warm, fluffy, white duvets. I was pleased about this because my experience of bedding in the Balkans had been a strange one. In Starigrad in Croatia we had no bedding on the beds at all - not even a sheet. On a chair next to the bed was one sheet and a pillow. No blankets. Admittedly it was extremely humid in Starigrad but I still thought it was a funny carry on. So the feathery duvets were a welcome sight indeed.

The room itself wasn't very large but there was enough room to move around in. The windows were very sweet - mini French windows which opened out on to the street and were decorated with lace curtains. In front of the windows was a small table with a Bible and a vase of flowers and tucked away in the corner was a lovely comfy old armchair. A radio and telephone was in the room also.

The bathroom was one of the smallest I have encountered and a bt of a Mickey Mouse affair. A very small white washbasin was available which was situated next to the loo and there was a shower but with no curtain just a shower tray. Not exactly the height of luxury but it was clean and okay and that was enough for us. Towels were a bit ropey - washed out pink colour and grated your face as you wiped yourself.

On the way up to our room which was on the second floor I did have a peek into some of the other rooms as the doors were open. Colour schemes were all different. I noticed lime greens and oranges and some rooms which were in different positions would have views of the hillside behind the square and some would be able to see into the top of the adjoining church and not only see the giant bell but probably be deafened by the sound as well.

After a short rest we decided to have a drink in the bar before walking around the town to look for a pizzeria or restaurant to have something to eat. The bar is run by the reception staff who liked to have a cigarette but had to go outside the building for a smoke. Beer was the same price as in Croatia and the wine which you could have by the glass was a reasonable price - about 3 euros a glass. You can order light snacks at the bar and evening meals are served in the restaurant but this night we decided to eat out.

Having had an enjoyable meal at one of the pizzerias' we walked around the town and about 10.30 pm went back to the hotel. Having closed the curtains and switched on the reading lamp the room was very cosy indeed and I soon fell asleep but alas was woken by the sounds of the night and people vacating bars and cafes. Also, I could hear a conversation that was coming from the next room. I was so tired that it didn't bother me and I soon fell asleep.

The next morning, we were woken quite early by the noise of bin wagons and people going about their everyday work life, setting up their stalls and opening shops. Within half an hour from being awake the people next door started talking quite loudly and I think I learnt from the converstaion between our walls, where they were going and how much money they needed to take with them. It didn't bother me too much because I like to listen in on conversations but this banter may disturb some people so thought I would mention it.

As breakfast was included with the meal we decided to take advantage of it and go down to the breakfast/dining room. One other person was sitting in the room - a weary businessman dressed in a suit with his mobile dangling from his left ear. The room was very large with huge French windows that opened out into the square. As it was still a bit wet we decided to stay inside for our meal.

Breakfasts can be a bit hit and miss in the Balkans also and in this case it was a miss. On offer were eggs, cooked in various ways and bread and jam, followed by coffee. We chose to have an omelette which was tasty enough but not outstanding and the bread and jam wasn't scintillating but adequate. The home brewed coffee was delicious and I had several cups.

After breakfast we went back up to the room and packed our rucksacks. As we had until lunchtime to walk around before going back to the bus station to catch the bus back to Dubrovnik in time for the 3pm bus to Orebic, we asked the reception staff if we could leave our bags in the lobby after paying the bill. They said it was okay to do that so we did and went walkabout for a few hours.

The price of the room with breakfast was 60 euros. Quite expensive, possibly but then Kotor is a bit of a tourist trap and some prices are high.

I liked the Hotel Marija as I loved the pink marble cobbled streets and the off white stone work of the building. The staff were friendly enough and helpful. The rooms were noisy but then any room in the centre of an old town would be the same. A bit of soundproofing might come in handy to keep the noise of the neighbours out, I think. Breakfast could have been a bit more adventurous but was adequate for our needs. Overall, not a bad little hotel and one I would probably stay in again..

Summary: A small, pretty hotel in the heart of Kotor