January 27, 2023 - An interesting ad appeared online, selling a part of the heart-shaped island Galešnjak, also known as the Croatian love island. The price is 13 million euros, or, to use the former Croatian currency, about 98 million kunas.

Morski cites the ad, originally published on Index. "A heart-shaped island with approximately 142,000 m2, of which slightly more than 30,000 m2 are for sale which is, of course in one piece and spread on more than 500m of sea shore. Now one more parcel added and joint together in one piece bigger then 40 000 m2! You can do something really unique with this real estate, especially when you have guests with yachts like Beyonce and Jay Z (Beyonce even celebrated birthday there), Jeff Bezos, Michael Jordan, etc. parked all the time".

As one of the options, the ad suggests starting an agricultural trade.

"One of the options is opening OPG! An agricultural farm that can be worked on an area of ​​three hectares. In addition, 400 square meters of above-ground buildings and 1,000 square meters of underground buildings can be built. What is an excellent opportunity for agricultural elite tourism with a villa and/or restaurant and a large warehouse for olives, wine, and other herbs..."

"That's right, three hectares of the island have been advertised for sale. The interest is relatively high for now, and some investment funds have shown the most serious interest, Silvestro Kardum, the seller's representative, confirmed for Zadarski.

"I don't have a real estate agency; I am just helping the owners with the sale. These are four connected plots owned by several people, with a total area of about 32-33 thousand square meters. There are maquis trees on that land, and there used to be olive trees. All ownership documents are in order, and the owners are registered. The owners are from Mrljan on the island of Pašman. The owners of the rest of the island were not interested in selling", adds Silvestar, who believes that he will succeed in selling part of the most famous Croatian island.

"According to the existing law, it is possible to build a villa or a restaurant with an area of 400 square meters and another 1,000 square meters of basement space in such an area with OPG for growing olives or vines. The investment could certainly pay off", he emphasizes.

The ad states that the plots for sale are located about 500 meters from the coast.

The island of Galešnjak in the Pašman channel is one of the most recognizable Croatian islets, and Brightside once included it in its list of 20 wonders of the world. In 2019, scientists from the Department of Archeology of the University of Zadar discovered that people lived there more than 7,000 years ago.

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June 16, 2022 - Galešnjak, a small island in the shape of a heart, is located in the Pašman Channel as it continuously provides a sanctuary for couples seeking moments of connection. It hides amongst Zadar's archipelago and is surrounded by crystal blue waters of the Adriatic Sea. 

“Cupid’s Island”, more famously known as the “Island of Love”, was originally spotted by a 19th-century cartographer working for Napoleon. However, the recognition it received was all thanks to Google Earth and the photograph it published in 2008 – depicting the island's prised heart shape. The awareness of the idyllic sanctuary from the public is unceasingly growing throughout the years as the natural phenomena is seen as a gem on social media.

Galešnjak Island is home to ancient Illyrian burial mounds, low shrubs, and little vegetation – nothing more! It has a population of zero, being an uninhabited, featureless island and a perfect place for some peace and quiet. Additionally, it is only 32 acres or so in area; allowing visitors to walk across it in less than ten minutes.

The exotic Island is currently privately owned by locals; the Jureško family. The family extolled Galešnjak’s features as a serene destination for honeymooners or other lovestruck couples, as well as cut down some of the natural foliage across the island in order to plant olive orchards that could host weddings and showcase splendour like no other.

Therefore, if you are visiting Croatia and find yourself near Zadar or Pašman, do not miss the opportunity to experience seeing the Island of Love in person and dive amidst its breathtaking marvels. And do know that the island's astonishing natural shape, the sound of the sea, and the occasional singing of birds charmed one of the most famous singers in the world, Beyonce, as she decided to celebrate her 39th birthday with her family on Galešnjak in 2020!

For more, check out our dedicated travel section.

February the 13th, 2021 - Two Croatian destinations have made it onto the latest of Forbes' prestigious lists as Valentine's Day quickly approaches. The pandemic might be raging on and travel may be difficult, but we're sure many people outside of Croatia will be daydreaming about the romantic Croatian coast.

As Novac/Jozo Vrdoljak writes, as Valentine's Day 2021 approaches, the highly influential American magazine Forbes published a list of sixteen of the most romantic destinations in Europe, including two Croatian destinations, Opatija and the islet of Galesnjak, said Ina Rodin, the director of the the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) across the Atlantic in the United States of America.

Of these two Croatian destinations, beautiful Opatija, known as the old lady of Croatian tourism, is presented as a fashionable coastal resort and a jewel of the Kvarner area in the Northern Adriatic, whose tourist traditions date back to the 19th century.

The unique Opatija villas and hotels are surrounded by exotic gardens, parks and the stunning Croatian Adriatic sea, as well as the city's famous chocolate production. Then you have a tour of the islet of Galesnjak at hand, the possibility of discovering this beautiful little heart-shaped island by boat or plane with a panoramic view of the ancient Dalmatian city of Zadar and the Kornati archipelago.

Just the descriptions of these two Croatian destinations alone will surely be enough to set of a sense of longing in the hearts of anyone wishing for a romantic getaway in these difficult and unprecedented times in which just hopping on a plane with ease seems truly alien.

Croatia aside, this Forbes selection is, as stated, a compilation of some of the most romantic destinations for Valentine's Day in Europe, compiled by the European Best Destination Organisation.

Along with Opatija and Galesnjak, the list includes the Portuguese island of Porto Santo, Spicnik in Slovenia, Italian Burano, Dinard in Brittany, Oia in Santorini, Greece, Mijas in Andalusia, stunning Polperro in Cornwall, England, Lake Como in Italy, the Algarve in Portugal, Sveti Stefan in neighbouring Montenegro, Gdansk and Sopot in Poland, Rossa in Switzerland, Rothenburg Ob der Tauber in Germany, and Preveli on the Greek island of Crete.

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February 1, 2021 – The Adriatic might be too cold for us right now, but conditions are perfect for this dolphin family, spectacularly captured gliding through glacial, undisturbed waters by an overhead drone

The Adriatic might be too cold for us right now, but conditions are perfect for this dolphin family, spectacularly captured gliding through glacial, undisturbed waters by an overhead drone

The footage of the dolphin family was captured spectacularly by keen amateur drone photographer Davor Miljkovic. Davor, who is from Zapresic, usually puts his eye for aesthetics into website design – he works as a PHP website developer for Virtus dizajn in Lanište, Zagreb and as a freelance website developer. But, he is currently taking advantage of working remotely and was able to catch footage of the dolphin family during his off time.

“I live in Zapresic but my grandmother is from island Rava, near Zadar,” Davor told TCN on 1st February 2021, two days after he posted the video of the dolphin family to his Youtube channel. “So, we have a house here by the sea. My fiance and I spend part of the winter here and we are here all summer too.”

The Zadar archipelago (in Croatian Zadarski arhipelag) is an incredibly picturesque group of islands off the coast of the city of Zadar. In addition to island Rava, off which Davor saw the dolphin family, the archipelago also consists of the islands Dugi Otok, Galešnjak, Iž, Lavdara, Ošljak, Pašman, Rivanj, Sestrunj, Tun Veli, Ugljan, Vir, Vrgada, Zečevo and Zverinac.

The beautiful stretch of islands is usually very popular with summertime visitors. It would seem that it's also popular in wintertime with visitors who live in the sea. And, of course, people like Davor who are lucky enough to catch sight of them.

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October 9, 2018 - Croatia has more islands (some 1,244 in all) than some people have had hot dinners, and some of them are truly unique and spectacular. Meet six of the most unusual on the Adriatic. 

Playing with fire rarely brings positive results.

Croatian islands, most would agree, are a true paradise on Earth.

Yes, we know that Valentine’s Day was yesterday, but any excuse to spread the love is a good one...