Pine trees overlook the quiet cove at Jagodna on the Croatian island of Hvar
HVAR, CROATIA
The slender island of Hvar is blessed with more than 2,700 sunny hours each year. Hvar town is popular with wealthy yachties and young partygoers, but beyond here the island becomes a place of low-key beauty. You don’t need to have
Different views at Little Green Bay hotel on Hvar
BEST EXPERIENCE your own yacht to trace the beautiful contours of Hvar from the seaward side. Join a day tour to snorkel around the Pakleni Islands – a gorgeous chain of wooded isles just off Hvar’s western tip – aboard a skippered boat (£80pp; hvar-adventure.com).
FAVOURITE BEACH While Hvar has no sweeping sandy beaches, it’s dotted with coves. One of the loveliest (pictured on the previous pages) is at Jagodna, little more than a cluster of houses amid the pine trees off the south coast road. The turn-off is easy to miss: you’ll find it midway between Sveta Nedilja and Ivan Dolac.
MEMORABLE MEAL Find the Little Green Bay hotel on a secluded cove and enjoy Mediterranean cuisine in the bistro’s shaded terrace, surrounded by garden herbs (littlegreenbay.com).
SUNSET DRINK Walk almost to the end of the seaside promenade in Hvar town and you’ll reach Falko Bar, an adorable hideaway in a pine forest just above the beach. It’s a great unpretentious alternative to the flashier spots around, with a low-key beach-shack vibe and hammocks (Ul Vlade Avelinija).
PERFECT STAY Named after the terracotta statue of Apollo on the roof, the grand old Apolon on the waterfront in Stari Grad was built in 1887. It’s now an elegant boutique hotel, with antique furniture and a claw-foot bathtub in the spacious suite (from £80; apolon.hr).