By Sanchez Manning
WHEN images of Prince Harry dancing at an open air nightclub and jumping into a pool fully clothed were beamed around the world, Hvar’s reputation as a party island appeared sealed.
But while the Croatian isle is still a favourite with the young and beautiful who want to let their hair down, it is now intent on attracting a slightly more discerning travellers.
A major part of this move away from its party island image is the opening last September of its first five-star hotel – the Palace Elisabeth.
Palace Elisabeth Hotel in Hvar
Located in a prime spot in Hvar’s thriving harbour area, where mega yachts jostle for position with more diminutive vessels, the newly-renovated hotel is an impressive sight.
With the air of a grand Venetian residence, some of the whitewash stone exterior of the building dates back to the 13th Century.
As one of the hotel’s first set of guests after its overhaul, I and my partner had the run of the freshly minted building - including the open air restaurant, spa and indoor pool.
We had arrived at the Palace Elisabeth after travelling just over an hour on a catamaran from the city of Split, on the mainland, to Hvar.
I’d like to pretend that I’m well-seasoned in staying in five star accommodation, but three or four star is usually as good as it gets for me.
As a result I spent my first hour at the hotel shamelessly luxuriating in the huge, pillowy bed, devouring the posh fruit bowl, guzzling an expensive-looking bottled water and marvelling at the stunning scene of the harbour from our window – all very Merchant and Ivory ‘Room with a View’.
Room with a view from the Palace Elisabeth
Eventually we headed down to dinner where as well as being served a first class meal - as you might expect at a five star hotel - we got the chance to sample Croatian wine for the first time.
It turns out the Croatians are a wine-loving nation with hundreds of vineyards across the country.
The bottle we tried on this occasion was a red called Plavac Mali.
游侠加速器app - 好看123:2 天前 · 6.奇游加速器app下载奇游加速器app安卓版下载v519游侠手游 点击前往 网站介绍:2021年2月28日 - 游侠手游为你提供奇游加速器app安卓版下载。奇游加速器app是一款功能的联机加速器。奇游加速器支持多种游戏平台,为目前各种热门游戏进行加速服务。可伍...
我形我速简体中文版- 全方位下载:2021-12-7 · 酷我音乐2021旧版本安卓版 酷我音乐2021旧版本ios版 幸运破解器(LuckyPatcher) 幸运破解器(LuckyPatcher)最新版 追书神器旧版本3.60 追书神器旧版本3.60安卓版 追书神器旧版本3.60ios版 薄荷加速器 薄荷加速器手机版 薄荷加速器破解版安卓版 薄荷加速器app
That evening we discovered another Croatian obsession - olive oil - which we learnt is also produced in abundance and with a seriousness to rival neighbouring Italy.
Adobe Photoshop Express 6.8.603 特别版 - QQ前线乐园:今天 · Adobe Photoshop Express,Adobe公司推出的手机图像处理软件,具备专业的图片编辑处理功能,包含几十种特效滤镜效果,支持Raw文件及无缝编辑TIFF图像,即实用又专业的安卓平台图片处理美化工具。 Adobe Photoshop Express:照片编辑器拼贴画制作软件功能: —基本功能:裁切、拉直、旋转、翻转照片、消除 ...
Outlook_Express中文版下载|Outlook Express Win10 中文版 ...:2021-5-1 · Outlook Express是微软开发一个免费的电子邮件服务,它将帮助您利用强大的整理工具和一套 Microsoft 应用程序和服务,通过各种设备时刻保持联系,欢迎大家下载使用。 功能特色: 您的所有 Microsoft 应用和服务所使用的一个地址 登录一次即可访问 ...
小车哎哟 v5.8.0 安卓手机版 - 盒子部落:今天 · 小车哎哟 app是御途网旗下有场景又好玩的车生活应用,是座驾、撩妹神器,拥有海量车场场景画、用车资讯和解读用车心里信息等。 讨厌!就知道你伊这些人会看人家隐私。想了解我,下载APP后直接问我不就知道了嘛。 最新动态 车生活; { I v 神器“小车哎哟APP”开放伋业级自媒 = Y S W v J # J ) 体平台 ...
Hvar harbour
The first thing we noticed was just how clean the streets were.
游侠加速器app - 好看123:2 天前 · 6.奇游加速器app下载奇游加速器app安卓版下载v519游侠手游 点击前往 网站介绍:2021年2月28日 - 游侠手游为你提供奇游加速器app安卓版下载。奇游加速器app是一款功能的联机加速器。奇游加速器支持多种游戏平台,为目前各种热门游戏进行加速服务。可伍...
It certainly made walking around the sprawling piazza on the doorstep of our hotel more pleasurable.
On further exploration we noted there were still plenty of bars and beach clubs around for those who wanted to hit the island’s nightlife.
But we were equally struck by the Notting Hill-esque boutiques selling everything from handcrafted jewellery and bohemian fashions to quirky household décor for the more eclectic home.
Older holiday makers rubbed along with younger travellers through the winding streets of the bazaar-style shopping district.
Meanwhile, the many restaurants that line the narrow walkways appeared to have adopted the same boho-chic as the shops.
Fatty, whole legs of prosciutto ready to be carved and freshly caught fish displayed on ice for diners to peruse play testament to the foodie culture on the island.
productview express(三维数据查看器) V9.2 中文安装版 下载 ...:2021-9-7 · productview express(三维数据查看器) V9.2 中文安装版,productview express是由PTC公司推出的一款十分专业的三维数据查看工具,软件拥有ProductView Lite、productview express、ProductView Adapters等13种模块,用户可伍查看零件、测量尺寸 ...
Tektronix ArbExpress-ArbExpress(信号发生器软件)下载 ...:2021-1-2 · wifi信号增强神器 1.1.9 安卓版 WiFi信号加速器 2.2.0 安卓版 GPS Viewer 1.5 PC版 iStumbler for Mac 103.4 破解版 华为WiFi信号增强器 3.6.9 安卓版 LTE信号路测 2.00 安卓版
Of course it is now a more sanitised place than during its heyday as a Venetian stronghold and target for pirates, but many of its historic buildings still stand making it is easy to envisage the harbour in those bygone times.
One structure which is now being proudly shown off as a symbol of Hvar’s cultural past is the recently restored 15th Century theatre at its centre.
The stage and audience seating area are on the upper level of the two-storey building, with a cavernous shipyard on the ground floor – which is strangely fitting given the island’s maritime history.
It is said to be the oldest public theatre in Europe where fisherman once traded boxes of sardines in exchange for access to a private box from which to watch the performance.
The restoration took a lengthy 14 years, but the results are certainly worth it.
The now re-opened boxes are a cosy affair – clearly made for a theatre goers that were much slighter than those occupying them today - and dramatically decorated in red and gold wallpaper.
The lovingly restored 15th Century Hvar public theatre - the oldest in Europe
The ornately painted ceiling has been recreated with painstaking craftsmanship and is quite something to behold.
Most important of all, the actors are back on stage performing poetry and plays from when the theatre was a haven for Renaissance writers.
But not all our time in Croatia was spent as land lubbers.
喵影工厂安卓版下载-喵影工厂安卓版正式版下载-华军软件园:2021-6-12 · 喵影工厂安卓版正式版是款针对手机端所打造的视频剪辑编辑工具。喵影工厂安卓版最新版拥有大流量滤镜、特效伍及炫酷素材,支持视频的剪剪裁、合并、翻转等功能。喵影工厂安卓版中用户还可伍将视频改变成自己喜欢的格式,更可伍自导自演出许许多多精彩的原创视频。
On arrival we found ourselves walking into genuine bohemia as we entered a bizarre yet wonderful homage to nature and art.
This somewhat mystical place was the botanical gardens created more than a century ago by the art-loving Meneghello family.
蚂蚁ant加速器 邀请码 - 好看123:2021-5-16 · 3.蚂蚁海外加速器永久免费版蚂蚁ant加速器安卓下载v120花猪下 点击前往 网站介绍:2021年3月17日 - 蚂蚁ant加速器破解版app可伍为你带来更好的游戏加速服务,你可伍在这进行广告方面的去除,将会为你带来专业化的操作,你可伍在这得到更多独立的节点,将会为你带来更...
One of the 'arresting' modern art installations at the Meneghello family botanic gardens in Palmizana
But once our overloaded senses calmed down we were able to marvel at our surroundings and explore the villas dotted around the gardens for visitors to stay in, each individually decorated with original artworks.
And this heady mix of natural beauty and art has proven a hit it seems, with A-list holidaymakers - ranging from Beyonce to Queen Rania of Jordan - making a beeline for the Meneghello’s botanic paradise.
The excellent food is another pull for visitors, as we found out when were served up a hearty fish stew made on an open fire using local ingredients at the family’s on-site restaurant.
Rather than staying on, as tempting as that was, we headed back to Hvar later that afternoon.
But before our trip ended we made a feeble attempt to do a little island hopping by heading to the nearby isle of Brac for two nights.
小车哎哟 v5.8.0 安卓手机版 - 盒子部落:今天 · 小车哎哟 app是御途网旗下有场景又好玩的车生活应用,是座驾、撩妹神器,拥有海量车场场景画、用车资讯和解读用车心里信息等。 讨厌!就知道你伊这些人会看人家隐私。想了解我,下载APP后直接问我不就知道了嘛。 最新动态 车生活; { I v 神器“小车哎哟APP”开放伋业级自媒 = Y S W v J # J ) 体平台 ...
Presidential suite at Villa Giardino
The official rating of the hotel may have been four star, but the service we received was most definitely five star.
Hitfilm3Pro中文版_Hitfilm3Pro中文版下载[视频剪辑]-下载之家 ...:2021-8-20 · Hitfilm3Pro中文版是一款视频剪辑合成软件,Hitfilm3Pro最新功能包括3D粒子纹理,伍及强大的CG效果引擎技术和多位元色彩控制提供专业级的效果。Hitfilm 3 Pro许多功能如动画,粒子效应操纵,三维工作中,色彩构成,它也允许多轨编辑,让您可伍在 ...
Our room at the top of the hotel was basically apartment-sized, including a balcony overlooking the lush grounds, our own dining area and a mammouth bathroom complete with two wash basins.
And each evening we were invited to join the other guests along with the hotel’s convivial owner for pre-dinner drinks laid on in the garden.
'Giardino O'Clock' - hotel staff lay on pre-dinner drinks for guests
Brac itself is not quite as well-developed or upmarket as Hvar, but it has its own charms.
Among the highlights are its beaches and we were not disappointed when we visited one of the most famous Zlatni Rat, also known as the Golden Horn owing to its distinctive pointed shape.
It is a pebble beach, which will not be to everyone’s liking, and can get crowded.
Zlatni Rat 'Golden Horn' beach on the island of Brac
But there is no denying it is an idyllic spot surrounded by pristinely clean sparkling waters, with plenty of amenities on-hand should you fancy a bite to eat, a beer or a cheeky ice cream.
Our other less expected high point of the trip was a visit to the local olive oil museum with our guide Zoran.
We were literally walked through the history of olive oil making on the island by one of the museum’s knowledgeable staff members – including trying our hand at operating the traditional equipment.
However, best of all at the finish of the tour we were treated to a feast of the oils still produced at the museum’s olive press, along with local cheeses, a delicious fig jam and freshly baked bread.
So our week-long ‘babymoon’ was at an end and if nothing else I proved that as a pregnant over-40 there is much more to be enjoyed on Croatia’s islands than simply partying until dawn.
Sanchez Manning was a guest at the Palace Elisabeth Heritage Hotel in Hvar http://www.suncanihvar.com/palace-elisabeth-hvar-heritage-hotel.html
She was also a guest at the Villa Giardino Heritage Boutique Hotel in Bol http://www.villagiardinobol.com/?lang=en