Montenegro’s Mamula Island is now operating as Mamula Island by Banyan Tree.

Originally a 19th Century fortress, the hotel will remain open for the rest of the year, ahead of being brought into alignment with the Banyan Tree brand in 2026.

A spokesperson for Banyan Group told Spa Business that while core operations will remain unchanged this year, guests will see refinements as Banyan Tree's signature service rituals are integrated during the transitional year. These changes will apply to the property's spa and wellbeing programming, refreshed food and beverage offerings and some design elements.

The fortress was originally built in the 1850s by General Lazar Mamula as part of a network of Austro-Hungarian fortifications to guard the entrance of the Bay of Kotor from the Adriatic.

It became an Italian prison camp during WWII before falling derelict in the 1970s.

Egyptian billionaire owner Samih Sawiris (the name behind luxury hotel brand The Chedi) signed a lease for the island in 2016 in his capacity as chair of the Orascom Development Holding company.

He restored the fortress and turned it into a hotel over seven years with heritage building specialists MCM Lisbon – before it launched in 2023.

Piotr Wisniewski of Berlin’s WeStudio worked on the interior design.

The 32-key island hotel lies off the coast, near the town of Herceg Novi, at the entrance of Montenegro’s Bay of Kotor – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The property has a 748sq m spa, a private beach, three pools, a fitness centre, three restaurants and four bars.

The spa has Finnish and aromatherapy saunas, a steamroom, a halotherapy room, a flotation chamber, an experience shower and three treatment rooms (two single and one couples’ room).