The Guardian: Hvar’s got news for you
Category Press
In July 2007, in The Guardian was an article “Hvar’s got news for you”.
“The Croatian resort has been compared to a pre-Bardot St Tropez. Now it is undergoing a glamorous makeover, but there are still bargains to be found..”
It’s an odd sight. Here on the jetty at Hula-Hula bar near Hvar, beside the clear pale blue sea beneath the sweltering midday Adriatic sun, and dressed in combat shorts and vest, stands a man honing his snowboarding skills.
Wolf, Hula-Hula’s owner, is making a good fist of balancing on a plank and a log. It’s a shame to interrupt him, but now that we’ve found this hidden gem of a hangout, soaking up the sun, reclining on sunloungers, we’re ready for a drink.
Champagne cocktails? “We only have a sparkling Austrian,” says Wolf (I’m unclear if he means himself or the bottle). “The good stuff comes soon. Have it for €8.”
Wolf will need the new stock. Hvar Town is Croatia’s party place, just an hour by hydrofoil from its second city, Split, and increasingly attracting affluent island-hoppers who arrive on the floating gin palaces moored off the palm-dotted, bar-lined quayside in the picturesque Venetian port. He’ll need all his local Karlovacko beer, too – the town is a prime stop on the backpacking trail. It’s also popular with families who come by plane and ferry for the cheap accommodation, innumerable coves and small pebble and shale beaches lapped by calm waters.
The locals are laid back, seemingly unspoiled by tourism. One landlady asked us to pay for our one night stop in the old town when we left the next day: “Just put the cash in my letterbox.” She didn’t say which one.
But such attitudes can’t last. The town is buzzing most nights from May to September (especially in August, when the Italians arrive). Bars and restaurants line the large Venetian piazza and continue down the quay to the Carpe Diem club, Croatia’s not so hidden gem, probably its most famous club (and very possibly its most expensive, full of windburnt yachties and sunburnt backpackers, funnelling imported beer and £5 cocktails, dancing to Eurotrash anthems or lounging on Moroccan cushions in the alcoves).
The vibe is reminiscent of a pre-superclub Ibiza Town, albeit smaller, more picturesque and more friendly. Or possibly a pre-Bardot St Tropez. Not surprisingly, the island’s dominant hotel chain, Suncanihvar (Suncanihvarhotels.com), has already cottoned on to the possibilities, planning Conran-esque makeovers to attract more high-spenders.
Our first beer is in the Riva (aka the Hvar yacht harbour hotel), Suncanihvar’s first makeover, a trendy four-star venture, its sofas set under cream canopies dominating the quayside. Rooms start at £100 a night, but for £2.50 (expensive for Hvar Town) you can while away the hours, perfecting the 100-yard stare across the seductive harbour of bobbing yachts, fishing boats and gin palaces. Don’t forget your George Michael Raybans and a white jumper over the shoulders.
More info: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/jul/07/saturday.croatia
