After three days here I felt like an Olympic athlete: the Montenegro hotel designed for fitness and wellbeing

"I was lying on a bed with no trousers on. A young man helped me into some crotch-high boots and zipped them up. He turned the lights down low, put on some music, pressed a button and left the room. Argh! The boots started to slowly inflate from the toes up, like a giant blood-pressure cuff. As they clenched around my upper thighs, I started to panic. What if they just got tighter and tighter until my legs exploded? As I was about to shout for help, the pressure suddenly released, leaving my legs feeling deliciously light."

"I took a deep breath and submitted to another 19 minutes of this sweet torture. I was at Siro Boka Place in Montenegro, having compression boot therapy, which is supposed to boost circulation and reduce swelling. It's especially effective on women over 35, my youthful assistant had told me, helpfully. The hotel, which opened last year, is proud of its state-of-the-art wellness facilities. In most hotels that means a poky gym. At Siro the facilities are so good the Montenegrin Olympic team is training here ahead of Los Angeles 2028."

"First I was keen to get outside and explore. Siro is in Porto Montenegro, a swanky development on the edge of Tivat in the beautiful Bay of Kotor. My companions and I escaped the bling on a morning ebike tour around the bay, taking us from designer shops and luxury restaurants to charming old fishing villages. We cycled to the tip of the promontory to peer at the islet Our Lady of the Rocks, then biked right round the other side until we were facing Kotor's triangular, red-roofed old town across the water."

"We cut inland to complete the loop via a switchback mountain road, where I was grateful for the electric assistance. The town of Tivat in the beautiful Bay of Kotor. Photograph: Getty Images The next day we hit the Vrmac mountain trails on foot, hiking to Gornja Lastva, a half-abandoned village high above Tivat, and then on to tiny St Vid church, which stands alone on the peak. The panor"

A person receives crotch-high compression boot therapy while lying on a bed without trousers. A young assistant helps put on the boots, zips them, lowers the lights, plays music, and leaves the room. The boots slowly inflate from the toes upward, tightening around the upper thighs and triggering fear of excessive pressure. The pressure then releases suddenly, leaving the legs feeling light. The session continues for another 19 minutes. The setting is Siro Boka Place in Montenegro, located in Porto Montenegro on the Bay of Kotor. The hotel offers wellness facilities and hosts the Montenegrin Olympic team. After therapy, the person explores the area by ebike around the bay and hikes Vrmac trails to viewpoints and a small church.

Read at www.theguardian.com