Late season Hvar Town has changed, at least in my opinion, in the last five years. Back then, October more or less signalled the end of the tourist season, with most restaurants closing. After yet another busy summer, the contrast with the more deserted winter town was stark. October for me has always been a nice time to visit, a time when the locals are looking more towards their fields, relaxing after another successful season, and in possession of the one thing they miss during the season - time.
Tourist attractions back from October onwards were in fairly short supply until quite recently. New late season tourism inistiatives such as the Peskafondo squid fishing championship, and the even more recent Hvar Big Game Fishing Cup have been added to the calendar, while the romantic Traditional Sailboat Festival has now been moved to mid-October. The annual New Year regatta always breathed a little life into Hvar after Christmas, but recent years have seen more attention to celebrating the New Year in style, and if you are looking for somewhere to see in 2017, the Hvar experience is a little different to what you may experience, but equally memorable (especially if you take part in the latest tradition - jumping in for a swim in the icy Adriatic on New Year's Day).
With so many announced events, as well as plenty of other things happening, Hvar's late season tourism offer is heavily dependent on the support of its hotels, and the partnership between leading island hotel group Suncani Hvar and the town is an important one. As you will see from the event promotions, Suncani Hvar is a key sponsor in all these late season events, offering special rates for participants, as well as the guarantee of quality and warm accommodation through these colder months. And not only accommodation - I was more than a little surprised walking through Hvar Town at the beginning of this year in search of lunch, to find the only establishment open being Hotel Riva. A little deterred by the prospect of paying four-star prices, it was a VERY pleasant surprise to find an excellent and filling two-course lunch for just 40 kuna.
Apart from support - and in some cases initiating - events in the town, Suncani Hvar of course has its own tourism offer. With an award-winning spa and large indoor pool at Hotel Adriana, the relaxation of its guests is not as weather dependent as other hotels, and the hotel group's recent change in fortunes with new ownership and the resolving of its financial difficulties can only be good news for the island's tourism future. Suncani Hvar is offering its own reasons to visit the island out of peak season, and a new offer for yoga lovers is proving popular, with several specially designed yoga packages - click here for an example of a yoga break.
And with Hvar's never ending summer, if is to be expected that the hotels would celebrate it with special offers for those still looking to catch a piece of Europe's sunniest island in 2016, and there are plenty of attractive offers for 2017 visitors who are organised and looking for a discount off their Hvar holiday by booking early. For all Suncani Hvar's current offers, click here.
