Sleeping and Dining in Hvar, Croatia

Villa Nora

A splurge option in the old town, we were upgraded to a large room with balconies facing the front overlooking the restaurant. This arrangement might be noisy on some evenings or if you go to bed early but we ate late and it was quiet when we went to bed around 11 p.m. or so.

The room is decorated in sleek cherry furniture, wood floors and white linens. Amenities include a good Wifi connection, water boiler (but no coffee or tea in the room) and a bigger bathroom than we have had other places. There is no safe in the room but the area seems quite safe.

Breakfast

Breakfast is your own personal buffet with one of the widest selections of breakfast items brought to your table that I have ever seen anywhere. Plate after plate, mostly cold trays such as cheese and cold cuts, yogurt and muesli, homemade jams and bread, special pastry items and baked goods, nice fresh fruit and good coffee. No eggs or vegetables.

Service is super friendly. Natalija pays attention to guests’ needs with offers of advice and help getting to the port, etc., much more than anywhere else we have stayed in Croatia, The place costs double what we are spending elsewhere in Croatia, however.

Dinner at Lucullus, in the pretty courtyard of Villa Nora

After reading Rick Steves’s account of Hvar dining I was surprised at the excellent quality of our hotel restaurant. We had arrived late, after 8PM, coming in from the ferry from Dubrovnik, and wanted something easy. The hotel clerk said the restaurant was good and we asked him to make a reservation for us. At 9PM the restaurant was fairly busy including a large group of young sailors (young men and women all dressed in white). We though they would be loud and slow down service but everything was just fine.

Started with the arugula and Parmesan salad and the grilled mackerel. The salad was as plain as the name but just what I wanted. Don’s mackerel was cooked to order and luscious. For mains we tried the prosciutto wrapped monk fish and the sea bass fillet. Both were dishes beautifully done and well presented.

We also enjoyed a local wine. All the Croatian wines we have tried have been very good, but this one was one of my favorites, a Plavac Mali from Tomic.

Desert, strawberries and panna cotta, was fresh, yummy and on the house.

Dinner at Gariful

This upscale fish eatery at the end of the harbor is worth it for those who like good fish. It’s more expensive than other restaurants in town but comparing the quality to what you would get in the US, it’s a good value.

We started with grilled vegetables, a light small dish of nicely grilled summer vegies. For mains Don picked out a dorade that was then beautifully grilled – moist, not over cooked and super fresh.

I unfortunately took this terrible picture that does not do the fish justice. To accompany the fish we ordered the black risotto – super inky dish with tender morsels of squid. One of my favs this version did not disappoint.

Service is formal and friendly with a stunning setting right on the water. Reserve early for the best terrace seats. We did not order desert but were brought a small platter of fruit, a coconut treat and two generous pours of grappa with the check.

Ferry from Hvar to Split

An easy hour plus ride, the Jadrolinija ferry leaves from the harbor just in front of the old town. Both ferries to and from Hvar Town left on time but arrived 20-45 minutes late. Boats are enclosed with dirty windows and without any real view opportunities.