Dubrovnik tourism has always been able to rest on its laurels. The sheer beauty of the city and its incredible landscape have both always been more than enough to draw tourists in in their droves. Then the coronavirus pandemic struck and the city that was once a victim of its own success was flipped upside down.

As Morski writes on the 26th of July, 2020, the mayor of Dubrovnik, Mato Frankovic, commented on the numbers being realised in Croatia's southernmost city during the tourist season at the end of July. Dubrovnik is one of the cities that have requested the division of the Republic of Croatia into four zones - the northern and southern coasts, and then central Croatia and the eastern part of the country to make it easier for tourists to follow which areas are ''coronavirus free''.

Frankovic says that they sent a request for such a division to the National Civil Protection Headquarters.

''It's very important that the statistical data, when sent to the European Centre for COVID Disease Control, is divided by region so that European countries and indeed other countries know exactly what is happening in Croatia,'' said the mayor of Dubrovnik. He believes that the Headquarters will accept this request.

Frankovic pointed out that Dubrovnik will report to the ambassadors of other countries on a weekly basis on the situation with the ongoing epidemic.

When asked when the strengthening of air traffic is expected, Frankovic said that by the middle of next week, Dubrovnik will be connected with 51 destinations, which will hopefully give Dubrovnik tourism a much needed boost.

''August will be much better, we have announcements for the whole of autumn. I believe we will manage to reach the target of traffic of 30 percent for the season,'' he says. He also explained why Dubrovnik is asking for state help.

''I wouldn't like it to turn out that Dubrovnik is a beggar city, but I'd like to mention that the records of Dubrovnik were the ones to have filled the state budget. Now Dubrovnik expects a small part  of that to keep us stable for the future,'' said Mato Frankovic, adding that the state is in some way indebted to Dubrovnik.

For more, follow our travel page.

July 26, 2020 - At a time when Zagreb is suffering from another catastrophe, the good in people prevails once more. Brave Mirna Mrčela saved a man in a sinking car.

Josip Šimić got stuck on Friday night at an underpass at Miramarska street. As a wild storm roamed and the flood was getting bigger, the water almost completely covered Josip's car. "I asked people whether or not they had called someone to help, and they said they had," said Mirna for Dnevnik Nove TV. "But I couldn't just stand there and watch. So I took my shoes and jacket off, tied up my dogs, and went for him," said Mirna, who knew that every second mattered.

Mirna swam to the sinking car, which locked down automatically, so Josip couldn't open the door. "I didn't notice her at first; she appeared out of nowhere," said Josip, who lost his leg prosthesis in this mess. "When she managed to open the door, I gave her my leg prosthesis and climbed onto the top of the car, which wasn't sinking anymore."

While he was waiting for the firefighters to come and pick him up, Mirna swam back with his prosthesis. "I thought I just needed to swim, but you don't feel comfortable when entering cold water," said Mirna.

For the ones who are wondering how Josip ended in this situation, he said the road line was no longer visible. "The wet road looks the same as the surface of the road; you do not know if a hole of 2 meters of water will open suddenly. I started braking right away," said Josip.

Both Mirna and Josip are fine now, grateful for how the situation unfolded. Josip had a chance to say "thank you" to Mirna on national television, and he took it.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of July, 2020, the highly popular Njuskalo platform is used as a significant source for accommodation capacities in their business by numerous private renters. Currently, almost 9,000 accommodation units are offered on this, otherwise the largest Croatian marketplace.

Given all the challenges of the current tourist season for renters, Njuskalo recently fully adapted its category for tourism, meaning that advertisers now have separate ads for each accommodation unit with larger photos and prominent facilities such as proximity to the beach, Wi-Fi and parking facilities, the ability to send direct inquiries for each individual apartment or room, an occupancy calendar that can be automatically synchronised with other rental platforms and many other benefits.

New circumstances highlight the need for even faster digital transformation in all economic activities, which this platform was among the first to recognise.

''This year, Croatian renters are focused on Croatian guests more than ever before. With its improved platform, Njuskalo is contributing to the preservation of the tourist season and is helping Croatian renters to fill their accommodation capacities. The tourism section on Njuskalo's website was visited by 204 thousand visitors in June alone, which showcases a large base of interested potential guests,'' said Goran Rubcic, CEO of Njuskalo and Deputy Head of Styria Digital Marketplace.

The new tourism category on Njuskalo enables even better search possibilities for foreign guests. It is shown in as many as eight world languages, and in June alone the platform recorded sixteen percent of visits from abroad, mostly from Germany, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Austria.

All renters can advertise their accommodation units completely free of charge and thus further promote their apartments, rooms or houses, and Njuskalo further emphasises their accommodation capacities on its Facebook page, which has almost half a million fans. Njuskalo's app has been downloaded half a million times so far.

For more, follow our lifestyle page.

One Zagreb company, InfoDom, contracted the provision of grants for the project entitled: The development of a new and innovative product DEP (Digital Enterprise Platform) for the digital transformation of enterprises, which is financed from the European Structural and Investment Funds in the financial period 2014-2020.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of July, 2020, the total value of the project stands at a huge 9,141,226.62 kuna, of which the grant is 5,466,840.40 kuna. The project started on September the 1st, 2017 and ends on August the 31st, 2020.

Due to the rapid progress of digital technologies and the technologies of the fourth industrial revolution, we're witnessing the general trend of the digital transformation of businesses. After the advent of mechanical machines, electricity and information technology, there is talk of a fourth industrial revolution that will result in the networking of digital devices. Among other things, the goal is to create smart factories through Industry 4.0 in which communication between people, machines, products and business systems will be established through digitalisation.

When it comes to Croatia, we can freely say that Croatian companies are largely lagging behind in terms of efficiency and effectiveness compared to companies operating on the global market, and this gap will soon increase if there is no investment in digitalisation. The consequence of the absence of further investments by Croatian companies would be drastic in terms of lagging behind, loss of market and company income, and consequently stagnation of the economy.

The DEP platform, built by the aforementioned Zagreb company, is primarily intended for businesses in the energy sector, which is traditionally lagging when it comes to digital transformation, and therefore the decision was made to develop a platform that will accelerate the transformation of business towards greater customer sensitivity, the better integration of business processes and achieving a more agile business model.

The solution consists of a system that will enable an interactive connection with end users and customers of energy services, through which they will have a constant flow of data on the habits and needs of their customers and will be able to incorporate them into their products and services through special modules. In this way, they will be able to adapt their services and offer them to target groups and thus achieve the best business results.

The Zagreb company's platform also includes an IMS (Innovation Management System) system that will enable businesses to quickly and continuously adapt their business model to market changes through integrated business process optimisation systems and a module for continuous innovation: products and services, business processes and entire business models.

At the heart of the platform lie modules to increase customer interaction, C2C and CESS, that provide support for managing the relationship with influencers, from identification; searching and finding influencers; establishing contact, and sending briefings and contracting relationships; through to collaboration through structured tasks related to creating, approving posts and following on social networks; all the way until the final sale.

The Zagreb company's CESS component, thanks to its advanced capabilities for monitoring the habits and needs of consumers, enables the use of such information to optimise energy consumption and the consequent reduction of CO2 emissions. On the other hand, CESS, in combination with advanced CRM components, enables end users to increase their quality of life ("Smart Living").

Digitisation in everyday life has changed not only human behaviour but also expectations. Instead of buying standardised products, customers want individual solutions to a specific problem. One of the most important goals of digital transformation is to improve the user experience, however, this isn't possible if customers can't perform their transactions in a way and at a time that suits them best. In addition to the change in the way of shopping, today's customers make significantly different decisions about buying and consuming services than they did before.

For more, follow our business page.

As Novac writes on the 24th of July, 2020, due to the coronavirus crisis and a significant reduction in tourist consumption, the Croatian fruit and vegetable market has undergone major changes that affected supply and demand, price fluctuations have become dependent on supply and demand on the global market, and the availability of domestically produced goods is an issue. It's time for a turnaround for the Croatian agriculture sector.

''Due to climatic conditions, it is already evident that here in Croatia, there will be a decline in production of most leading fruit species (apple, mandarin, plum), while the market prices are generally slightly higher than they were last year. There were no extreme disturbances in the production of most vegetables, so it can be estimated that the yield will be approximately at the same levels as last year, while the market saw a drop in prices between 12 to 20 percent due to market conditions,'' said the leader of Smarter, a consulting company specialising in the agriculture and food industries, and the President of the Management Board of ENNA Fruit, Denis Matijevic.

Croatian agriculture needs a strong turnaround...

Food, in addition to needing to meet the basic food requirements, should be available to everyone and at affordable prices, and in order to achieve this, local farms need significant government incentives and support to increase production and diversity.

The coronavirus crisis has made us become more than aware of the need to make a strong turnaround in the Croatian agriculture sector and move towards the better organisation of production, associations and connections of producers.

Only the stronger interconnection of producers and their better relations with production organisers, purchasers and the processing and food industry is a guarantee for increasing competitiveness and the level of self-sufficiency of agricultural production. This will also open the door for better market organisation that will enable the availability of domestic goods on store shelves.

An example from practice, which shows that through vertical integration we can better organise the market, is the leading company for the organisation of the production, purchase, distribution and processing of fruits and vegetables in Croatia and the region - ENNA Fruit, which, through subcontracting, buys all contracted production, and then places it on domestic and foreign markets. Since the beginning of the year, it has exported 640 trucks of goods (which is more than half of the total Croatian exports).

"The main markets of ENNA Fruit in that period were Slovenia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Italy. Exports are expected to increase at the end of the summer, so the first projections can tell us a lot about the additional growth of exports, especially when the mandarin season arrives, along with other items from Croatian agricultural production,'' said Denis Matijevic.

Expectations for Croatian agriculture in terms of fruit and vegetable production in 2020...

According to Smarter's first estimates, apple production is expected to fall to 55,000 tonnes this year due to frost. Insufficient precipitation and a lack of irrigation will cause lower mandarin production and a yield of about 30,000 tonnes is expected. Estimates for vegetables show the production of, for example, approximately 175,000 tons of potatoes, 33,000 tons of tomatoes, and about 25,000 tons of watermelon, which is at the level of last year.

"Croatian fruit and vegetable production has huge potential given the low level of self-sufficiency of production and the expected growth of consumption in the coming years, both through increased tourist consumption and through growth in per capita consumption. There is huge potential for exporting as well,'' said Smarter expert Zvjezdana Blazic.

In addition to large food companies, a large number of small processing companies present on the local market also participate in the purchase and processing of fruits and vegetables. The food industry in cooperation with production organisers can be a strong impetus for the development of fruit and vegetable production. Large systems such as Podravka, Enna Fruit, companies from the Fortenova Group (PIK Vinkovci, Belje, Vupik), in recent years have made enormous efforts to transfer their knowledge to small farmers, consolidate production, organise purchases, and develop new products.

It will be almost impossible for producers without an association in this sector to use the EU operational programmes necessary to improve production. Only through the joint work of all participants in the chain can we expect the strengthening of fruit and vegetable production to the level of other Mediterranean countries.

For more on the Croatian agriculture sector, follow our Made in Croatia section.

July 30, 2020 - A visit to Dubrvonik's answer to escaping the crowds - the idyllic and VERY clean island of Lokrum. 

Dubrovnik at the moment is perfect. The tourism slowdown due to coronavirus is certainly severely affecting the wallets of the hospitality industry, but the quality of life for locals and the tourism experience for visitors to the Pearl of the Adriatic has been severely enhanced.

 An early morning stroll into the old town last week - I almost had the place to myself. 

And a similar story on the most famous and exclusive street of them all - Stradun. 

My destination was just the other side of the famous UNESCO walls, to the old harbour, where a 50-year-old beautifully restored wooden boat was waiting with  Ivica Grilec, Director of the Lokrum Nature Reserve. 

Ivica had kindly agreed to show me around the island he clearly loved deeply - that much became obvious within a minute of meeting him. Croatian tourism is full of officials for whom it is just a job. From the moment Ivica started explaining about the work and concept of the beautiful wooden boats that serviced the 10-minute ride to Lokrum from the Old Town, I knew I was in for a special tour. And so it proved.  

How about this for a boat departure, as the old town disappeared slowly behind us, as Zrinka glided through the turquoise waters.  

Lokrum is a popular escape for the locals from the summer crowds in the city. Indeed, it is the third most popular attraction, after the city walls and the cable car to Mount Srdj.  

With plenty of Instagram moments on the way, if that is your thing.  

Away from the city, in a protected bay, we reached our destination, about as far from the bustle of Dubrovnik as one could imagine.  As I wrote recently after my stay on the island of Kolocep, there are a number of fabulous places just 30 minutes from Dubrovnik, but a world away. Lokrum is close to the top of that list. 

The first impression, apart from the nature and tranquillity was one of order and cleanliness. In 18 years of living in this beautiful country, this was the first island I had visited which had absolutely no trash whatsoever. None. Ivica told me that they had invested heavily in the clean-up. The results are spectacular. 

 The main building on Lokrum is the Benedictine Monastery, which dates back to the 11th century. The Benedictines engaged in agriculture and farmed the fertile Lokrum land, producing wine, olives and olive oil, fruit, vegetables and ornamental plants.

 Much of the monastery remains today, despite the passage of time and the extensive damage down in the major 1667 earthquake. This includes the 12/13th century Romanesque-Gothic basilica, as well as the 'new' Gothic-Renaissance monastery on the south side in the 15/16th century. 

And all around amazing greenery. The botanical gardens have been fighting a losing battle with the numerous rabbits which roam freely on Lokrum. That situation has been brought under control in the last two years, and the botanical gardens are now starting to flourish. 

But the monastery has some rather unexpected secrets inside...  

The Iron Throne! Lokrum was an important Game of Thrones filming location, and the island welcomes many tourists each year who want to see the location and the throne.  

And in the basement, something even more unusual - an exhibition dedicated to King Richard the Lionheart, who was allegedly shipwrecked here in 1192 on his way home from The Crusades. He vowed to build two churches of thanks if he survived, one in England and one on Lokrum. This church was eventually built in Dubrovnik after an official request.  

And a modern-day interpretation of the Curse of Lokrum. In 1798, after the island was sold, the Benedictines were forced out. As they left, they held torches and put a curse on the island, a curse that will only be lifted when that candle wax is collected and made into candles once more.  

The rabbits may be famous on Lokrum, but this is also an island of elegant peacocks.  

Ivica Grelic, a man with Lokrum in his heart.  

It was time for Phase 2 of the tour, and my first ride in an official Croatian firefighter vehicle. And they don't come much cooler than this! 

A short video clip of part of our tour to give you an idea of just how ordered everything is on this, an island with no cars.  

I was impressed at how well sign-posted everything was for hikers, of which there were several. Our heroic firefighting chauffeur navigated the narrow roads perfectly until we reached the top of the island and the forbidding fortress at the top.  

The Lokrum fire fighters do an awesome job. Apart from providing outstanding views like the one above, standing on top of their huge water tank close to the top of the island, water hydrants are everywhere. There are five firemen by day, with two sleeping overnight. Their organisation is typical of what I found on Lokrum - a fantastic island of natural beauty shaped by a little human order and planning.  

The view down to the monastery from the fortress at the top. It was hot for hiking, but I can imagine this to be a very rewarding hike in cooler temperatures. 

A water tank with a view.  

The tour continued with a firefighter buggy transfer to the Lokrum Lazerat, the original quarantine place on the island. Look how straight they built the stone walls in the 16th century. 

Dubrovnik became the first state in the world to officially sanction quarantine facilities in 1377 after the first case of the Black Plague arrived on the island of Sipan. The first facilities were set up in Cavtat, followed soon by two islands not far from Lokrum. As with tourism in the current pandemic, Dubrovnik wanted to continue to trade while minimising risk. 

My new guide Marija explained that the Dubrovnik Senate made the decision to extend the quarantine facilities to Lokrum in 1534, after which a vast complex went under construction, a square fortress 4 metres high with walls 100 metres long. 

There were 150 rooms built into the walls, and you can see (from right to left) the fireplace, the air ventilation, and the toilet for one particular room. And somewhat ironically, a warning to keep your social distance in 2020 in case you might catch something.  

The complex was never finished after they realised that it could prove to be a launching pad on Dubrovnik if Lokrum ever got into enemy hands. Some of the stone was removed and used in the famous city walls. The most enchanting thing that remains of the Lokrum Lazerat is the 400-year-old olive grove which was started by the Beneditines.  

The first two quarantine islands after Cavtat in 1377.  

A truly delightful spot, and one of the nice things I learned is that Dubrovnik schoolchildren visit often to learn more about the history, flora and fauna, but also to conduct occasional classes in this natural paradise.  

Just 10 minutes by boat from Dubrovnik Old Town.  

We finished the tour with a drink by the Dead Sea - not perhaps as famous as its Middle Eastern counterpart, but a cool place to swim and actually part of the Adriatic and once a cave. An ideal spot if you want to have a drink and relax while the kids splash around.  

And, right on cue, the majestic Zrinski appeared to take us back to the real world. Lokrum, a magical place devoid of trash. 

To learn more of the Lokrum Nature Reserve, visit the official website. 

July 26, 2020 - How to combine easy access to the historic old town of Dubrovnik with the timeless beauty and the relaxed nature of the true Dalmatian lifestyle? An enchanting visit to the island of Kolocep, courtesy of the hospitality of TUI BLUE Kalamota Island Resort. 

There are many perceptions about Dubrovnik, also known as the Pearl of the Adriatic by some, more recently as Kings Landing by others. It is undoubtedly beautiful, a fiercely independent historic stone walled UNESCO World Heritage Site jutting out into the Adriatic. A city which has more personality, culture and history than entire countries. 

But a city which these days is perceived as too crowded in summer, expensive, and one where there is not that much to do once the main sites have been visited. A 2-3 day destination.

I decided to visit Dubrovnik this week to see for myself how this majestic destination is coping in the corona era, and to see what kind of destination it is in this most unusual tourism season. After yesterday's look at the luxury option of Rixos Premium Dubrovnik, time for a complete change of gear, as the transfer team from TUI BLUE Kalamota Island Resort arrived at the hotel reception to take me to their hotel on the island of Kolocep. Along with Lopud and Sipan, Kolocep is the closest of the three Elafiti islands which lie just a short ferry ride from the historic city. 

As an adopted island boy after 13 years on Hvar, I find that every Croatian island I visit has a unique feel to it, and I was looking forward to discovering what Kolocep had to offer on this, my first visit to Elafiti. 

I knew little about the island and deliberately did not research it before arriving, as I wanted to discover it properly. I knew only that there were no cars on the island and it was the last inhabited island in Croatia to the south. And as soon as I mentioned I was going there in Dubrovnik, I realised I was not even sure I was calling it by the right name. 

"Ah, Kalamota is really beautiful and relaxng. You will have an excellent time."

Kalamota? Kalamota, I quickly learned, is the local name for the island, whose origin is in the island's fishing tradition. And it is much more common to hear it called Kalamota than Kolocep (pronounced 'Kolochep'). But locals refer to both. 

It mattered not - look at those enticing waters as we approached. This was going to be quite a stay.  

Although there are no cars on Kalamota, there are roads - narrow ones - and golf carts. The welcoming committee was awaiting my arrival, and we were soon on our way. 

"We have to go very slowly here," explained General Manager Ivo, "for there are six little kids playing." 

And so there were. 

I liked that. This was a community island, where everyone was looking out for the other. 

And just 30 minutes by regular ferry - four times a day in season - from the port of Dubrovnik in Gruz.  

 There were some rarities - a sandy beach in front of the hotel, a reasonably rare sight in Croatia. 

And something even rarer in the hotel grounds - a cat hotel, put together by the hotel to keep the cats away from the hotel, as well as a place that guests could come to feed them. 

A nice touch, and nice touches were everywhere on Kalamota. I was already in zen mode and I had only been here 10 minutes.  

And so the sun set on another perfect day in Dalmatia. Only this time, I had a view like this, a view I posted on Facebook with the words - If you don't hear from me for 3 months, I will be here.

And a slight moment of panic set in. How would I possibly be able to tear myself away from this idyll for a long drive back to Varazdin in two days?

But that was a concern for later, for it was time to enjoy the present and the truly fabulous views, comprehensive buffet and barbecue, with some relaxing live music provided by the hotel. 

I was amazed that it was 40% full in these challenging times, with Dubrovnik essentially a flights only destination. Even more so when I learned that its almost exclusive client is part-owner TUI UK. TUI UK is not sending anyone to Croatia this summer, so full credit to the Kalamota team to be able to reorientate and get any guests at all. Even more so when I learned that the average stay in the hotel so far is an astonishing 8.5 days. But then, how could you possibly think of leaving this paradise once you enter? And several guests had already prolonged their stay. 

One nice touch at the end of dinner is that the (very talented) singers go from table to table, serenading each guest with a song from their own country. 

A lovely start to island life, and I went to bed in good cheer, to the soothing tunes of the abundant cicadas.  

The breakfast view. Nothing more to add.  

GM Ivo, a man with over 30 years experience in tourism in Dubrovnik, was fast developing into my favourite new best friend, and he suggested an island tour. An island tour on an island with no cars - this should be interesting. 

I had no idea just how interesting it was going to be, as my golf cart and chauffeur awaited. 

A carefree start to the day, the wind in my hair (if I had any hair) and we were off, passing the sandy beach initially, and greeting the friendly locals as we passed.  

The level of maintenance for an island with no cars is INCREDIBLE - the stone walls which lined most of the route were painstakingly and very professionally erected. It was so neat and tidy, like nothing I had experienced on other islands. I was hooked - what a way to travel.  

And then the surprises started.  We stopped at a church. There are 15 on Kalamota, one for every 8 inhabitants these days. 

"Let me show you inside the parish museum," said my excellent guide. I wasn't expecting much, but then THIS, above. 

The churches on Kolocep are sensational. What was that Bible quote - it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than enter the Kingdom of Heaven? 

I have never seen a church door that narrow. Thankfully, we didn't have the key, or we may have had a fat, pink blogger calling the emergency services to be set free .They must have drunk less beer in the 10th century.  

The Church of St Nikola was my favourite without a doubt, with a very impressive graveyard, whose permanent inhabitants had lived there for centuries.  

Not all churches were in such a good state of repair, but there were others which also dated back 1000 years.  

And they were all beautiful in their own way, including this one on the descent to Donje Celo, the second of two settlements on the island. 

The Church of St. Antun, which is still used every Sunday.   

Tourism of course is about the local experience, meeting local people, learning their ways and trying their cuisine. I will write a lot more about these two fabulous ladies in due course, as their tireless work to grow and produce local products - and they have a VERY impressive range - was one of the most enjoyable parts of the tour. A full article on the fabulous OPG Matijevic coming shortly. 

Including an extensive tour of their fields, which I can imagine is a fascinating part of the tour for those of us who come from cultures where food grows in supermarkets.  

Kalamota is a great hiking destination, and the hiking trails are well marked-out. The resident fire brigade keeps paths clear, and the island is very, very tidy and well looked after. And you need to catch your breath, check out a view like this one. They are everywhere.  

Another village, another sandy bay for swimming. Idyllic for young families.  

Just 30 minutes from Dubrovnik by ferry. Enjoy the big city perhaps twice a week, then chill. The perfect combination. Many locals do the same.  

There may be no cars, but that doesn't mean there are no traffic jams. Rush hour on Kalamota.  

And the car park at Donje Celo was almost full as we arrived.  

All good things come to an end, and I invite you to join me on the last minutes of the tour, as we descend back to Gornje Celo and the hotel, whence we had come. Absolutely delightful.  

More characters. Despite being a community of just 120 people, Kalamota has a school with just two pupils, a resident doctor with surgery, and a fire station. 

I REALLY wanted to meet the teacher, and she kindly agreed to come to our next destination, Villa Rose.  

What a setting to interview the teacher (which will also be a separate article in the coming days). 

While researching for this article, I came across a very rare TCN article indeed - in fact I think it might be unique. TCN's editor Lauren is an amazing human, 20 times more capable than I, but one thing I have never see her do is write about a restaurant or food. It is just not her thing. 

But Kalamota is a special place which makes people do things they might otherwise not - here is Lauren on Villa Rose (Villa Ruza) was back in 2016 when she was a Dubrovnik resident - Villa Ruza, Kolocep's Quiet Escape.

There were 57 foreign weddings here last year alone - I wonder why.  

Just 30 minutes from Dubrovnik's port by ferry.  

And yet a world away.  

One of my favourite moments of this wonderful stay, was new BFF Ivo expressive his love for the Jadrolinija ferry, which is more than 50 years old. As precise as a Swiss watch and Japanese train, this ferry is the lifeline for the island. It plies its trade four times a day from Dubrovnik to the three Elafiti islands, and it is never late.  

Locals know exactly what time is it when they look up and see the ferry arriving and departing. 

Perhaps this is why guest are staying longer here - for Kalamota is timeless, and it is easy to get lost in the laganini lifestyle.   

"Why do we need music?" asked Ivo. "We have our music from the sea and the trees."

There was time for a leisurely siesta before dinner at Villa Ruza, and a chance to capture the waves hitting the sandy beach in front of the hotel as we wandered over for dinner.

In time to watch the sunset.  

So we did.

For quite some time. 

And we didn't get bored. 

Did I mention this is just 30 minutes from the port of Dubrovnik, but a world away? 

"We decided to order dinner for you," announced Ivo. After some delicious prsut and cheese, followed by octopus salad and scampi washed down with the local Dubrovacka Malvazija, time for the main course - and a burning and very baked fish was presented in front of me.  

A sea-bream of 2 kilos, wrapped and baked in no less than THREE kilos of salt and egg white, then baked before being set on fire for show. 

But that was just the start. Now see how the salt is removed and the fish served. And yes, it was well worth the wait. 

Do you have to stay in Dubrovnik to enjoy the Pearl of the Adriatic? Absolutely not. 

There are some real gems very close by which offer the perfect combination of culture and sightseeing on demand, against a backdrop of an idyllic Dalmatian lifestyle experience. Kalamota is right up there with the best of them. 

To learn more about the island of Kolocep, visit the hotel website. 

Paul Bradbury was an invited guest of TUI BLUE Kalamota Island Resort in July 2020.

ZAGREB, July 25, 2020 - Zagreb mayor Milan Bandic has pledged aid to residents in repairing the property damage caused by a severe storm that hit the capital on Friday evening, when nearly 100 litres of rain per square metre fell in 10 hours, leaving many properties flooded. 

"The damage will be compensated for, but what cannot be compensated for is a human life. I regret to say that one young life was lost," Bandic told a press conference on Saturday. He announced that he would visit the family of a 53-year-old voluntary firefighter who died in the line of duty, on Sunday.

The mayor thanked the emergency services for a prompt response. He reassured the residents by saying that the damage would be assessed and that they would be assisted in repairing the damage.

Asked to comment on the fact that he has been the mayor for 20 years and that every time a heavy rain occurs residents see scenes like these, Bandic said that he and his team have done more about the municipal water supply and drainage infrastructure than all the mayors of Zagreb in the last 100 years combined.

Reporters also asked the head of the Department for Emergency Management, Pavle Kalinic, whether the water drainage system could have been damaged by the March 22 earthquake, to which he said that this was yet to be looked into and assessed.

Chief fire officer Javor Lozar said that the city's public fire brigade and about 50 voluntary firefighter associations had carried out over 250 response operations between 9.30 pm on Friday and 11 am on Saturday, involving 180 firefighters. They were engaged in pumping out the water from residential buildings and underground car parks and rescuing people from vehicles and basement flats. Lozar said that there had also been a fire in two flats that were promptly brought under control and no major damage was done.