Hvar was the first of the three islands
we were going to make a stop on our trip, and we were really excited to see
what it would have in store for us. Known as the upscale yacht haven, we had
high hopes for it, to say the least. We got our first glimpse of it as the
ferry approached the bay of Hvar Town :
beautiful white houses with terracotta roofs all across the hillside, kilometers
long beach
We weren’t only excited to be in Hvar, but we
were super thrilled to meet up with our travel buddies Rachael and Christian who
were going to join us for the rest of the trip. But before that, we had the first
day to spend by ourselves. We got to our little pension called Oaza- a two-storey building with an
inner courtyard patio and a location right off the harbour and around the
corner from the main town square Pjaca.
As hot as it was, we just wanted to get to the beach and cool off in that seducing clear water. We found a perfect little spot just for us and pretty much spent the afternoon chilling on the rocks, swimming and watching the yachts come and go. The great thing about these islands is that there are beaches absolutely everywhere, which means you can just pick your spot and be away from the crowds.
The night was calm as well and we got some Croatian delicacies from the supermarket (also very conveniently around the corner) and enjoyed the quiet night at the patio. Later we strolled along the harbour and the riva, and got drinks at one of the most famous lounges not only in Hvar but in the entire coast of
The next morning we were stoked. We knew we’d
have an amazing day ahead of us, and that our friends would arrive later in the
afternoon. We rented a boat (a small engine boat that didn’t go that fast but
it definitely served the purpose) to get to the other side of the bay to the Pakleni Otoci islands (or Hells’
islands) and to their hidden coves with blue lagoons. We had (or I had) plenty of fun as Denis tried
to navigate us out of the harbour avoiding to hit any of the fancier boats that
were lined up the docks. Let’s just say it can be very challenging if you never
piloted a boat before, but luckily it turned out to be quite simple after the
first few wrong turns ;).
We ended up finding the most picturesque spot
between the islands and throw the anchor in. We were surrounded by so much
natural beauty: pine forests, rugged limestone beaches, and all shades of blue
as the sun made the water sparkle.
After our little head start we crossed back to
Hvar town where we were going to pick our travel posse to join us to the boat- oh the joy of reunion. We just had to
bring them back to our spot and they totally loved it. Every jump into that water
and every sip of Karlovacko made us
fall more in love with Croatia
In the evening we decided to have a grand picnic on the rocks by the sea, instead of going to a restaurant. That turned out to be so much fun, as we chatted and laughed the night away with a good bottle(s) of local wine. Our hardcore travel companion was unfortunately still recovering from their previous party, so as they hit the sack, me and Denis headed to a once in a lifetime party, namely the Carpe Diem party island. We boarded on this shuttle boat from Hvar town harbour strip (in front of Carpe Diem bar) and crossed the pitch black night bay. It was really cool to see all the lights we left behind, and start to hear some beats from the island. As we got off the shuttle, we walked in to this all island outdoor nightclub. Dance floors everywhere, lights leading to the sea where people dipped in, pools, and anything you could imagine. It was definitely the coolest party setting we’ve ever seen or been to.
The next day was our last day on this island. We
wanted to walk around the little town (there’s nothing much to see in the town itself) and get up to the
castle, but instead we ended up just chilling on the beach and in the water. No
one was really motivated to walk around in that heat, much less to walk up a
huge hill to get to the fortress.
As we were waiting our ferry at the harbour
lounge, to our surprise, the big mother boat of Yachtweek* arrived just then (the same as we had seen back in
Trogir) with tons of crazy partiers on board. It was hilarious to watch them
party in the middle of the day, dancing all over the tables in their bikinis…
For our party
posse though, it was time to hop on board of the ferry that was going to take
us to our new destination- Korcula. Another
beautiful island and another adventure!
TIPS & LINKS
Accommodation
Pension Oaza:
General information
Hvar town & island:
Boat rentals:
There are plenty internet sites if you wish to
rent a bigger speed boat / yacht, but you
can go to the harbour and get a rental directly from one of the
companies offering it there (we did that). You can get a cheap deal for 40€/ day (no previous experience or
licence needed).
Hells’ islands:
*The Yachtweek:
http://www.theyachtweek.com/croatia/
Nightlife
Carpe Diem lounge & beach:
There are
also plenty of other night venues:
