Many of our clients know exactly where they want to go, but they just don’t have the time to research accommodation options.
When we were approached by a client to book a very last minute summer holiday for him and his girlfriend to Croatia, the brief was specific in that they wanted to spend half their time in Dubrovnik and half their time on one of the islands.
Whilst they wanted to visit Dubrovnik, they still wanted to be somewhere relaxing, where they could have a beach style holiday during the day, and explore the old town in the evenings. For their island stay, they wanted a boutique hotel somewhere peaceful, beautiful and with great food.
Location
Our client had originally mentioned Hvaar, which though beautiful, has a limited hotel options and even less availability in August. After lots of research, our client settled on Brac, which has a number of boutique hotel options and is the closest island to Split, making for an easy transfer at the end of the trip.
Travel
With a multi-centre holiday it is often easier to fly in and out of different airports. We booked flights into Dubrovnik and out of Split, which was closer to Brac.
Travelling between islands from Dubrovnik is really easy. There are a number of different ferries (both passenger and car). From Dubrovnik we booked our client a ferry to Brac, which calls at a number of other islands in between, before landing in Bol, and from there we arranged taxi transfers to the hotel.
Brac is then an hour boat ride from Split’s port, and about half an hour taxi ride from the airport.
Accommodation
The Royal Blue hotel in Dubrovnik ticked all the boxes for our client. Boasting an adult-only rooftop pool and a bar with panoramic views of the Lapad Bay, the Royal Blue Hotel enjoys a peaceful beach-front location in Babin Kuk, just ten minutes taxi from Dubrovnik’s old town.
On Brac we found the Puteus Palace hotel which is a renovated palace from 1467. With 500 years of history it is the oldest palace on the Adriatic coast, now transformed into a luxury hotel. It also has an exceptional restaurant, and is set in the beautiful town of Pucisca, which is often listed as one of the prettiest villages in Europe.
Restaurants
During peak season it is advisable to book restaurants in Dubrovnik. We researched the best options for our client, and booked a number of places including:
Above 5: a charming restaurant situated on the only rooftop terrace in the heart of the city, surrounded by ancient city walls.
Bowa: nestled into a small, secluded cove on Sipan Island, roughly an hour’s journey by boat from Dubrovnik, Bowa is a hidden slice of paradise, accessible only by boat and serving the freshest seafood around.
Levanat: Located a short walk from the Royal Blue hotel, Levanat has beautiful sea views, and is perfect for a long lazy lunch with a delicious bottle of local wine.