Montenegrin marina development wins Best in Europe award

With marinas increasingly becoming ’destinations’ rather than just places to moor a yacht, added-value facilities are playing an increasingly important role. Three Eastern Mediterranean marinas – two in Montenegro and one in Northern Cyprus – support this trend, winning awards for their high-quality development.

The Lustica Bay project in Montenegro is a high-quality community development centred around two marinas. The first of the two marinas, a 176-berth facility able to accommodate yachts up to 35m (115ft), opened last year, but development of the full Lustica project will continue for a few more years before completion.

In the meantime, Lustica Bay was recently named ‘Best European Property Development’ in the Luxury Network International awards presented in Dubai. The project was commended for the quality of its design, layout and facilities to date. 

Lustica’s marketing manager, Slavica Millic, commented: “This award is extremely important for the whole Lustica development team, as it honours the company as one of the most respected businesses worldwide.”

The award was made in advance of the Dubai International Boat Show, at which Lustica Bay exhibited to promote the development and its future expansion. That expansion will include a second smaller marina which will be part of a specific luxury part of the overall project and offer greater privacy than the marina already opened.

Lustica Bay is a development of the Swiss-listed Orascom Group, which operates marinas in Egypt and Jordan.

A second Montenegrin marina, Porto Montenegro, has also announced that it is expanding its already substantial upland developments. The latest development is the Elena residences, which will offer 50 luxury freehold residences by summer 2019. These new residences are inspired by the Italian Riviera and will provide waterfront living with bespoke furnishing options.

The Elena residences are centrally located within the Porto Montenegro village so that residents can share in all the other leisure and retail facilities available. These include onsite dining and shopping amenities.

In another development, the award-winning Karpaz Gate marina in North Cyprus has started a new development to expand its already diverse upland facilities with a seafront luxury boutique hotel and spa which is due to be completed in 2020. The new hotel will overlook the full-service marina which offers 300 berths up to 60m(197ft).

Construction of the yacht-themed 52-room hotel will be carried out by Korman Construction Ltd, starting in February 2019 with a completion date anticipated by spring 2020. The facility will provide marina clients, local residents and international visitors with spa amenities, including a Turkish Hamam, treatment rooms and saunas, and a variety of accommodation options such as suites and family rooms, all featuring balconies with a view to the beautiful surroundings.

Liza Singer, Karpaz Gate Marina’s managing director, said: “The ground-breaking project to develop Karpaz Gate Marina, the first modern yacht marina in North Cyprus, has been an incredibly rewarding challenge which first began in 2005. Since the opening in 2011, our priority has been to offer premium berthing, leisure and technical facilities, maintaining the highest standards to ensure we exceed the expectations of all our clients and guests.

“In seven years, we have succeeded in attracting yachts to an unknown, unrecognised, internationally embargoed country, and to a remote area like Karpaz,” she adds. “Now the time is right for us to take the next step. The opening of the Karpaz Gate Marina Hotel in 2020 is a significant landmark moment in the realisation of the huge potential of the Karpaz region as a destination for yachts and other tourists.”

Karpaz Gate Marina opened in 2011 and achieved 5 Gold Anchor status in 2013, TYHA International Marina of the Year in 2017, and TYHA International Marina of the Year Runner-Up in 2018/19.