Hvar Island, Croatia

Hvar is a beautiful harbor city on the Island of Hvar. There are small shops, souvenir carts, nice restaurants and coffee bars everywhere. Like the rest of Croatia, it's hard to stop taking pictures because everywhere you look there are ancient stone buildings and churches against the backdrop of the blue sea. If you stay near the harbor, you will awake each morning to the sound of sea gulls and lapping ocean waves, which we found very pleasant.

Lodging

When you come into the parking lot area of the old city, you will be greeted by a dozen people advertising their apartments or rooms. Some hold up signs and others simply approach you and ask if you are looking for a place to stay. Don't be afraid to find a room this way because it's totally legitimate and you can even bargain a bit for the price during the off season.

We wanted something close to the old city because I was recovering from a broken ankle so we went with one of the ladies in the parking lot to a studio apartment within the city walls. It was modern and convenient, located on one of the picturesque narrow cobblestone streets that terrace down into the heart of the city. We paid approximately $50 a night, but this was early June and prices can go up 25-50% or more in the high season months of July and August. Later we found out that the apartment we rented was recommended in Rick Steve's book on Croatia. Our host and hostess were especially helpful and they spoke English. Their email is ivanaukic@net.hr and they had two studios apartments and a one-bedroom apartment in their building. The one bedroom apartment had the nicest view of the terra cota roof tops in the old city and was only slightly more expensive than the studio, but it required another flight of stairs, so we opted for the studio.

The Palace Hotel
This hotel had such a beautiful look in the ads that we decided to look at a room while we were in Hvar. It's location is ideal, right in the heart of the harbor, and it was refurbished in 2008. The junior suite we saw was clean and large, but the decor was so plain that it was hard to tell it had been updated at all. The hotel felt old and definitely not luxurious--more like a budget hotel. In addition, it is not air conditioned which could present real problems during the hotter months. in our opinion, the Palace is overpriced unless location is your only criteria. Of course, we didn't actually stay in the hotel so the service might be excellent.

Hvar Restaurants

Momma Leona Pizza

Momma Leona's Pizza is a small establishment on the left side of the harbor (when facing the sea) with indoor and covered outdoor tables. The friendly wait staff serve pizzas and pastas for approximately $10-15 each. Since it was raining, we sat inside where the decor is plain but the seating is comfortable. My husband ordered a calzone which was big enough to feed two (in fact we came back a few days later and split one for lunch), and they allowed him to make substitutions on the calzone contents. When you order a pasta sauce at Momma's, you can choose the type of pasta you want with it. I decided on Carbonara sauce with gnocchi. Some of the ham in my sauce was a bit tough, but the sauce itself was creamy and flavorful. Drinks (like most everywhere in Europe) are overpriced: a .25 liter coke cost almost $3.50. With tip we paid approximately $30 for this meal (two entrees, two beverages) and we were satisfied enough to go back one more time during our three day stay on the island.

View from the Veneranda Restaurant

Veneranda Restaurant in Hotel Delfin

Located on the right side of the harbor, this restaurant terrace may have one of the best views in town. Both the hotel and the restaurant are plain to the point of drab, but the prices are reasonable, the servers try hard to please and the entrees include sides at no extra cost. Though the food we tried was plain, they had a daily special for about $8 which included meat, a side and bread—quite a bargain for Hvar. Since we were in Hvar in early June when the tourist season hadn’t really started, we went to this restaurant again and just had coffee with our view.

Bistro Marinero ***

The sign for this restaurant in on the harbor walk, but the restaurant is located up one of the steep side streets. It offers an outdoor patio and indoor seating in a room with stone walls, wood beams and water color fish paintings hanging from large rectangles of glass. The menu features only sea food—no chicken, beef or pizzas.

This was my favorite meal. I ordered fried shrimp which were fried unpeeled in oil and salt (no breading). The serving was generous—probably about 30-35 large shrimp—and the waiter showed me how to pull off the heads and remove the peel. The shrimp cost about $9 and I added french fries for $4.

My husband got a large tuna steak and a vinegar based potato salad for $12, and even though he isn’t fond of sea food, he said it was good and finished it off. The waiter was helpful and friendly and unlike most European waiters, he checked several times to make sure we were OK.

Hvar Shopping

Aqua Maritime

This is a cute shop with lots of blue and white maritime items—dishware, towels, beach bags, beach towels and clothing items. Prices are low to moderate and things are not necessarily made in Croatia, but it’s a fun shop. There is one located on the harbor and at least one more up one of the winding alley-like streets in town. I discovered this shop was a chain after seeing 5-6 of them in Dubrovnik!

Jewelry

Jewelry must be the best selling item in Hvar considering the many shops and outdoor vendors that sell it. Red coral from the area is most abundant, but there is also nice turquoise and other semi-precious stones. Some items are handmade and of high quality, but check out the clasps and wires because even in the nice shops they may have poor quality findings. Jewelry prices in Hvar are less expensive than in Dubrovnik and the Dubrovnik Riviera, so make your jewelry purchases in Hvar.

Pekos Gallery Shop

This shop didn’t really have a sign except for a small scrap of paper in the window bearing the above name. It is located next to a magazine shop and the Caffe Bar Sidro on the harbor. It's a small store with a variety of tie dyed sarongs and Indian clothing as well as locally made items. The owner and his wife make some of the jewelry and it is unique yet reasonable. They also sell tiny clay replicas of traditional Croatian houses and churches. These are locally made and you can buy one or several to form a tiny village. They vary in size and price from 1 ½ inch for 20 kuna each ($4) to 4 inches for 50 kuna each. Several of the buildings are actual houses found in Hvar. Later in our trip, I found similar house replicas made of resin, not nearly as nice as these clay ones.

Lavender Products

Lavender grows profusely on the island of Hvar and lavender products are available everywhere--in the shops or in the little carts at the harbor front. I bought some tiny bottles of lavender oil for approximately $2 and you can also buy little net bags full of the fragrant flowers. Lavender oil (diluted with water and rubbed on the skin) is supposed to help cure acne and skin rashes. Some people mix the oil with water and spray a mist on bedding to give it a fresh smell. When I asked the lavendar vendor in Hvar what lavender was good for, she said "everything!"

Internet Access in Hvar
Several of the hotels have wireless internet in their rooms and lobbies and there is an internet cafe next to the Grand Palace that charges about $6 an hour. The library also has two computers for internet use and charges $4 an hour. The library is located on one of the narrow terraces near the city center/harbor area. Ask one of the natives how to get there.