Holiday Home on Hvar: Lavender Island, Hidden Coves and Quiet Villages

Hvar is considered Croatia's sunniest island, and its reputation precedes it: marina, celebrity flair, long nights. What often gets overlooked: away from the town harbour of Hvar Town, the island is remarkably quiet. Lavender fields and old stone villages in the hinterland, crystal-clear coves in the south, sleepy harbour towns in the north. This is precisely the island that is yours when you explore it from your own holiday home on Hvar instead of from an overbooked hotel on the waterfront promenade.

Why Hvar, why now?

With over 2,700 hours of sunshine a year, it is still summer on Hvar when it has long since begun to fade elsewhere. In August, the island shows its most intense side: warm sea, long evenings, busy harbours. And in September, perhaps its most beautiful time begins, with water temperatures of 24 degrees, the start of the grape harvest, and noticeably more peace and quiet. Those who book now get both: high summer, if there is still availability, or the golden shoulder weeks that follow.

Getting there is easier than many think: the catamaran takes you from Split to Hvar Town in about an hour, while the car ferry runs from Split to Stari Grad. If you are crossing with a car in August, reserve the ferry early or take a morning departure.

Swimming Coves and the Pakleni Islands

The coast around Hvar Town and the south of the island is a chain of pebble coves with turquoise-blue water. Our favourites: Dubovica with its old stone house right on the beach, the rock-framed double bay of Zaraće, and the fishing village of Milna, which remains relaxed even at lunchtime. Right by Hvar Town is Pokonji Dol, while near Jelsa, the shallow waters of Grebišće are a hit with families with small children. In peak summer, the rule from our heat guide applies: go early or only from late afternoon onwards, and you will have the coves almost to yourself.

The real highlight lies directly opposite Hvar Town: the Pakleni Islands, an archipelago of wooded islets with picture-perfect swimming coves, above all Vinogradišće on Palmižana. Water taxis shuttle across from the harbour all day, or you can charter a boat with a skipper for the day. If you have a boating licence, rent your own small motorboat and choose your own cove. The best time: early in the morning, before the excursion boats arrive.

Visit Hvar Town, stay in Stari Grad or Jelsa

Hvar Town is worth it, no question: the fortress above the town, the large Renaissance square, the view across the harbour at sunset. But you do not need to stay there in August. Visit the town in the morning or for dinner, then retreat to where the island is quiet:

• Stari Grad, one of the oldest towns in Europe, founded by the Greeks in 384 BC. The old-town lanes around the Tvrdalj, the fortified summer residence of the poet Petar Hektorović, remain pleasantly relaxed even at the height of summer. The Stari Grad Plain, with its ancient field walls, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Jelsa, a small harbour town with a shady square, good ice cream parlours and wineries within walking distance.
• Vrboska, the smallest of the three, with canals, stone bridges and a church that looks like a fortress. It is called Little Venice for good reason.

Lavender and the Quiet Hinterland

Hvar is known as the Lavender Island, and in June and early July the slopes around Velo Grablje and Brusje really do turn purple. By August, the flowering is over, but lavender remains omnipresent: as oil and honey at the stalls, as a fragrance in the lanes of the mountain villages. The old serpentine road from Hvar Town via Velo Grablje to Brusje is one of the island's most beautiful routes, best experienced early in the morning or during the golden hour.

Further out lies Humac, an abandoned shepherds' village of grey stone high above the coast. No electricity grid, no souvenir shops, but one of the island's best-known konobas, where food is cooked over an open fire. The walking trail to the Grapčeva špilja stalactite cave also starts here.

Evenings at the Konoba

You will find Hvar’s best cuisine not on the waterfront promenade, but in the konobas along village roads and country lanes. Order what the island itself produces: Gregada, the traditional fish stew with potatoes and white wine, accompanied by a glass of Bogdanuša, the white grape variety found only on Hvar. One of Croatia’s finest Plavac Mali wines also grows on the steep southern slopes around Sveta Nedjelja and Ivan Dolac. As everywhere else, for peka, call a few hours ahead and place your order in advance.

Why a Holiday Home with a Pool Saves August on Hvar

Now for the key point. Hvar in high summer is wonderful, but crowded: The hotels along the promenade are fully booked and noisy, and the sun loungers are occupied twice over. A holiday home with a pool changes the game. You stay above a quiet bay or among the vineyards, swim in the morning before the excursion boats arrive, and spend the hot midday hours by your own pool instead of in the crowds. In the evening, you barbecue on the terrace with sea view, and the night stays as quiet or as long as you want.

Then there is its location in southern Dalmatia: From your holiday home on Hvar, you can quickly reach Split by catamaran, the Pakleni Islands by boat, and the neighbouring islands by ferry. Find more inspiration for the region at holiday home with pool in Dalmatia.