voco Podgorica by IHG

Rooms and decor

Picture a sharp, modern hotel dropped into a brand-new complex on the Sitnica river, about 6 km out from central Podgorica — that's the appeal of voco Podgorica by IHG. Inside, the 110 rooms run warm earth tones: soft browns set against woodwork and geometric woven fabrics drawn from old Balkan jewellery. The design lands squarely between IHG's tiers — not as plush as an InterContinental, not as plain as a Holiday Inn. Rooms are a roomy 28-40 sqm with high ceilings and the soft signature voco king bed, dressed with four pillows and a double blanket; plenty of reviewers single out how well they slept. Premier grades and up face the river or Mount Lovćen, and suites add a balcony to step out for air. Bathrooms use a half-open glass partition with a rain shower and a long tub, stocked with Antipodes toiletries from New Zealand. The clever bit is the double soundproof glass: you're only a few hundred metres off the E65, so you can watch the traffic with the curtains open — but close them and you barely hear a thing.

Food and amenities

The reason people fly in from across Central Europe is the basement wellness floor. It starts with a 50-metre, 8-lane Olympic-size indoor pool — genuinely rare in a regional hotel — heated all year, with a high open ceiling and natural light pouring through skylights. It feels like a real competition pool, and swim early and you'll still get your own lane. Next door are three saunas: classic Finnish dry heat, a eucalyptus steam room, and a gentler infrared cabin, plus a cold foot bath, a relaxation zone with wooden loungers, and a water bar pouring herbal tea. Reviewers put the lot on par with a standalone day spa rather than a token hotel treatment. Beside it is the largest gym in Montenegro, over 1,000 sqm of Technogym across cardio, functional and free-weight zones — big enough that locals buy day passes to use it. The main restaurant lays on a 5-star IHG breakfast buffet: local Pljevlja yoghurt, Montenegrin cottage cheese, njeguški pršut ham from Mount Lovćen, eggs cooked to order, fresh pastries, fruit and juice pressed each morning. Come evening, the lobby bar pours local Vranac wine and cocktails, with a terrace that looks lovely over the river at sunset.

Location and getting there

The hotel sits in the Verde complex in Donja Gorica on the Sitnica river, 6 km out from central Podgorica — a different proposition from an in-town hotel. It isn't a walk-everywhere base; it's a genuine retreat. Step out of the lobby and you hit a running and cycling path along the river that runs toward Skadar Lake, ideal for a morning workout. A 10-15 minute drive or a €5-7 taxi gets you to Independence Square in the centre, where the Ottoman-era old town of Stara Varoš, the Sahat Kula clock tower, the Millennium Bridge and good Serbian and Montenegrin restaurants wait. From the hotel you can also drive out to Skadar Lake — the largest freshwater lake in the Balkans — in just 30 minutes, or reach Lovćen National Park in about an hour. Podgorica Airport (TGD) is an 18-20 minute drive, handy if you're passing through before a Kotor or Budva tour. Spring and autumn are when this spot looks its best, as Mount Lovćen and the riverbank start to turn; in summer, when Podgorica climbs to 35-40°C, having that Olympic pool under the building is what keeps the trip bearable.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the biggest thing to weigh is the location 6 km out from the centre. It's too far to walk, so you're booking a taxi or a Bolt/CarGo ride (the Balkan ride-hailing apps) every time you want dinner or a wander through the old town, roughly €5-7 a trip. Head out often and that quietly adds up; if you like opening the door and walking straight into the action, this isn't it. The Verde complex itself is still a developing zone, so restaurants and cafes outside the hotel are limited and the evenings get quiet, without the life of an in-town neighbourhood. There's also the lobby: because it's a new hotel in a large complex, events, weddings and conferences nearby can leave it busy, and a few reviewers mention check-in stretching to 15-20 minutes on weekend evenings. And since locals love the gym and pool, weekend mornings can bring families with kids into the water more than weekdays — if you want it to yourself, swim early.

Our take

After working through hundreds of real reviews, voco Podgorica by IHG is a hotel that delivers Central-European wellness at Balkan prices without apology. If the trip in your head is waking up to swim your own lane in a 50-metre pool, following it with a sauna circuit and a serious gym session, then retreating to a silent room over the river before calling a Bolt into town for dinner and a glass of Vranac, this is about as good as it gets — and starting around $109 a night, it's strong value for a 5-star IHG stay with breakfast. But if you're planning to walk the old town every day and would rather not keep hopping in taxis, sitting 6 km outside the centre will feel less convenient than a place in the middle of town. Overall we give it 9.0/10 — best for couples after a relaxed stay, families who want their kids in an Olympic pool, fitness travelers who want a real gym, and business guests who'd rather sleep somewhere quiet outside the centre — though maybe not for sightseers ticking off old-town landmarks every day.