Just like Goran Rihelj writes in his article for hrturizam.hr, this is a piece of news which we should've read ten years ago, but still - better late than never, and we're happy to report that the tourist boards of Hvar island have finally signed a contract to join forces!

There are five tourist boards on Hvar (Hvar, Stari Grad, Jelsa, Sućuraj and Vrboska), each of them developing their own version and strategy of tourism. Sounds insane and counter-productive, right?

They will continue to exist, but from now on, after they've signed the agreement, they will develop some projects and programmes jointly, as well as marketing and promotional activities. The idea is for them to work together in order to develop and promote Hvar island as a whole.

The presidents of all of those tourist boards signed the agreement - Rikardo Novak of Hvar, Antonio Škarpa for Stari Grad, Nikša Peronja for Jelsa and Vrboska and Ivan Slavić for Sućuraj. Gari Capelli, Croatia's minister of tourism, was also present for the signing, where he said that this agreement finally makes Hvar a unique tourist destination, to be developed and promoted under one name and brand.

Numerous synergic effects should be seen, not only in the quality of the market entrance of the destination, but also in financial efficacy regarding promotion and project management.

This is not the first instance of such cooperation agreements among numerous Croatian tourist boards. But now that Hvar has done it, as one of the brightest stars in Croatian tourism (338.000 visitors were on Hvar in 2018, realising an impressive 1,7 million overnight stays), we can hope that others will follow suit, especially other islands.

Rab, Krk, Brač and others, we're looking at you, synergy and clear branding is the only way forward. That has nothing to do with politics, just the competitive tourist market and market development, which is only possible through branding.

It has been quite a year for Hvar heritage and the realigning of tourism on Croatia's premier island, with the official opening of Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel on September 21, 2019 the latest jewel in its crown. 

It is a very strange feeling being a tourist in the place where you live. 

Of course, coming from Manchester, that feeling would be all the more strange, but after living on Hvar for 11 years, I had the opportunity to be a luxury tourist on the island back in 2014 as I joined a group of international foodie journalists from Gastronaut on a 3-day tour of the finest food and wine experiences on offer on Hvar, staying at swanky Hotel Riva on the fabled Hvar waterfront. It was quite a trip and opened my eyes to how the island was experienced by discerning guests expecting top quality. 

And although I swapped the sun and charms of Hvar for gorgeous Varazdin a couple of years ago, I left my heart on that idyllic Dalmatian island and am a regular visitor. I have watched Hvar's tourism story progress over the years, celebrating its many successes and highlighting its mistakes (at least in my opinion) and moves in the wrong direction. 

A particular battleground for the future of tourism on Hvar has been the rise of party tourism on the island at the expense of a more elite tourism based on culture and heritage. Several factors have combined in the last year or so to help refocus Hvar's tourism once more on quality and a higher-end offer. 

And the first results are already in evidence. 

Among the most important changes has been a stated change in direction of tourism strategy by official bodies, as well as an agreement between the nightclubs and the town on how best to co-exist to ensure the best tourism experience for all guests, as was explained earlier this year by new Hvar Tourist Board director, Petar Razovic in a TCN interview. While there is still work to be done, the results have been noticeable already in the first year. 

A second key factor in Hvar's change of direction has been the resurgence of flagship hotel group, Suncani Hvar Hotels, the biggest and most influential company on the island, whose domination of the hotel scene on Hvar makes them a key player in the town's tourism fortunes. After the initial investment by ORCO group back in 2006 after its takeover of Suncani Hvar Hotels, the town enjoyed a return to the pre-war glory days of tourism, and Hvar was once more a chic destination frequented by the rich and famous. 

(The renovated Hvar public theatre - a video tour)

Financial difficulties by the hotel group and the rise of party tourism in recent years has brought Hvar's luxury and elite image into question, but the acquisition of, and considerable investment in Suncani's hotels by CPI Property Group, has coincided with the new official tourism focus on quality tourism. As the town was finalising high-profile and important heritage renovations such as the Arsenal and the Hvar Public Theatre, the oldest public theatre in Europe (opened in 1612, then reopened after a 20-year renovation in May this year), so too was Suncani Hvar investing heavily in its own heritage project. 

(The renovated Arsenal, one floor below the theatre)

Right across from the Arsenal and Europe's oldest public theatre, a short walk across the largest square in all Dalmatia, lies the latest piece of outstanding heritage, fully renovated at a cost of 100 million kuna (14 million euro) on the very location where organised tourism in Europe began back in 1868 - Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel, the first 5-star hotel on this exclusive island. Last night was the official opening, and I was fortunate to be invited to be a tourist on my adopted island once more, complete with complimentary overnight stay in one of the lovingly renovated 45 rooms and suites. Palace Elisabeth had been transformed from a 3-star hotel with 78 rooms to 5 stars with 45. In an era of tourism where more is increasingly bringing less, it was refreshing to see a company investing in quality and an approach to exceed guests' expectations. 

And exceed expectations Palace Elisabeth certainly will in its first full year of operation in 2020. 

Having heard about progress throughout the summer, expectations were high. Palace Elisabeth was already a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World Group, only the 5th hotel in Croatia to be included in the elite list. Its outstanding architectural design and adherence to heritage had been recognised by Architectural Digest, as Palace Elisabeth was included in its feature on why the Mediterranean is the destination of the year for design lovers. Apart from Mali Losinj, this was the first 5-star hotel on a Croatian island.

And it exceeded expectation. You can take a tour above in this video which I filmed about midday the following morning, which takes you through most of the public spaces on the first three floors. 

As a local being a tourist in his own home, it was a strange feeling entering the hotel. It was as though I was leaving Croatia and going back in time to an age gone by, a golden age of Hvar culture. Empress Elisabeth was everywhere. The aristocratic benefactress of the original hotel which opened after her death on the same spot back in 1899 had been honoured more than 100 years later with her name given to the new luxury hotel. 

The hotel is GORGEOUS. So much attention to detail, so many tiny touches of the past, it is truly an island experience on another level, and one which is set to meet the need of the luxury Hvar tourist in search of that little extra. The hand-painted murals, the individual hand-painted room names, the tiny reminders at every turn of an era gone by, it was delightful. 

Time will tell, of course, whether or not the staff of Suncani Hvar can make the transition to 5-star level, but the initial signs are encouraging. In addition to using current staff, there has been widespread recruitment of hospitality specialists from abroad with the 5-star experience necessary to deliver the quality of service that such a hotel demands. We will soon have an interview with Palace Elisabeth manager, Deni Ohlsen-Dukic, with more on the running of the hotel. 

It was an honour to stay at the hotel, as well as a surprise given there were only 45 rooms in all, and while most were enjoying sea views, there was certainly nothing wrong with our fabulous view of the Spanish Fortress above the town, see above. In terms of media interest, it extended far beyond our little blog - writers for the New York Times, Travel + Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler and The Daily Telegraph were either in attendance or were recent guests. 

The opening party was quite an event, with a serious buffet and the wines of Zlatan Otok more than doing justice to the occasion (top tip - find out where to get the lamb chops with truffle sauce, absolutely outstanding. There were 150 guests in all, including Minister of Tourism Gari Cappelli, State Secretary for Tourism Tonci Glavina and Central Dalmatia Tourist Board Director, Josko Stella. 

A lovely evening on the Palace Elisabeth hotel terrace overlooking the harbour and the oldest public theatre in Europe. A truly gorgeous hotel, I concluded over the breakfast view above, and a VERY bright future for the direction of Hvar luxury tourism. 

To learn more about Palace Elisabeth, visit the Suncani Hvar dedicated page.

To learn more about the island of Hvar, check out the Total Croatia Hvar in a Page guide. 

September 16, 2019 - Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel, the first 5-star hotel on Hvar, opened its doors earlier this month. What are the early reactions?

It has been known for years as Croatia's premier island and one of the most elite destinations in Croatia, but it was only two weeks ago that the island of Hvar got its first 5-star hotel, Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel. 

The 100 miliion kuna upgrade of the former 3-star Hotel Palace just off the fabled main square of Hvar Town is the latest major investment by Suncani Hvar Hotels to provide a hotel experience in line with the quality of this very special island. The original 78 rooms have been reduced to 45 rooms and suites, and a major emphasis has been put on luxury and heritage. This is, after all, the location where organised tourism in Europe began on May 15, 1868, with the founding of the Hvar Health Society, and Palace Elisabeth takes its name from Empress 'Sisi' who was the benefactor of the original hotel which opened in 1899. 

So, two weeks after opening, what are the early guest experiences? Where better to look than TripAdvisor, which has recorded three 5-star reviews so far?

Friendly staff

Wow.. This hotel is amazing.. True historic hotel, not some big fancy modern one but the vintage one.. Notes scattered around the hotel, wooden tables, hand drawings all over the wall, friendly and welcoming front desk, and highly professional staff.. As from the moment my wife and I entered, we were welcomed by the bartenders and waiters and they were showing us the hotels and all historic buildings around the complex.. Really a unique experience you will never experience in the whole island..

The most luxurious hotel on the island

I was lucky to be one of the few guests to stay at this completely renovated palace hotel which opened at the beginning of September 2019. It is currently the only 5 stars hotel and boy did they do an excellent job. The hotel screams loyalty all around, everything has been carefully designed and the amount of details that was put into this building is very impressive and pleasing. It's not your average 5 stars hotel, the rooms are top class all around, what's even more beautiful is that each room is named after a prominent figure. This hotel is not just a place for accommodation, it is in a way a small museum also. All my encounters with the staff were super friendly and delightful, a special thanks to Maria from the front desk and Antonela from the concierge.

Wonderful!

We were moved to the Palace Elizabeth prior to arriving at the sister hotel as it had just opened and it was suggested as an upgrade at the same cost. It is a beautiful hotel - newly remodeled and outstanding decor. The staff was so genuine, friendly and helpful and their pride in their hotel was touching to see. We would definitely stay here again.

You can learn more about the new hotel from the official Suncani Hvar Hotels website.

TCN will be reporting directly from Palace Elisabeth this weekend, as we will be attending the official opening party on Saturday. It promises to be quite an evening. 

To learn more about the island of Hvar, check out the Total Croatia Hvar in a Page guide. 

September 16, 2019 - Hvar wine tourism is booming, and that message is going international. Money Week features Croatia's sunshine island in its top wine holiday ideas.

Like many things in Croatian tourism, the potential was always there, but it went largely unnoticed. 

Until - at least in this case - about a decade ago, when a passionate wine-loving local called Ante Lacman decided to start offering the first accompanied wine tours on the island of Hvar. 

An island with a 2,400-year wine tradition dating back to the Ancient Greeks, with grapes still gown on the fertile UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Greeks established their first agricultural colony and planted the vines they brought with them from the island of Paros. An island rich in indigenous grape varieties not grown elsewhere - Bogdanusa, Darnekusa, Prc, Palarusa, Kortolaska, Mekuja. An island which is home to the only Master of Wine in all Croatia - hands from London, grapes from Hvar. The personalities and winemaking styles of Hvar's winemakers are as diverse as the terroirs and mico-climates on the island. Add to that the magnificent beauty of the sunniest island in Europe, and it was only a matter of time before Lacman's concept of wine tourism on Hvar became a major hit. The latest international publication to notice last week was Money Week. 

Here is what Money Week had to say about Hvar and the Hvar wine scene.

An ancient wine scene in Croatia

“Located off the coast of mainland Croatia is the island of Hvar – and if its idyllic location in the Adriatic Sea isn’t enticing enough, the island also boasts a wine scene that pre-dates the arrival of the ancient Greeks,” says Evie Carrick on Travel + Leisure. Hvar Wine Tours offers a half-day Waves and Wine tour (€125) that combines wine tasting with swimming in the sea.

Guests can talk to winemaker Toni Bojanic, whose family has made wine on the island for 500 years. There is also a subterranean cave on the southern shore that serves as a wine cellar and can be visited. “If you want to experience the creations of Croatia’s famous winemaking pioneer, Zlatan Plenkovic, Hvar Wine Tours docks at Plenkovic Bilo Idro for four courses of wine paired with local food – think marinated prunes, smoked ham and Croatian cheeses.” Hvar’s first five-star hotel, Palace Elisabeth, has its “soft opening” this month – perfect for those “looking for a luxurious wine holiday”.

Here are the top 5 wine tours available on Hvar - plenty of exciting diversity. 

To learn more about the wonderful world of Croatian wine, check out the Total Croatia Wine in a Page guide. 

One of the great late-season events on the Hvar calendar returns on September 11, 2019, as Dani u Vali (Days in the Bay) returns to Stari Grad for another maritime extravaganza.

One of the nice things about following a destination closely over a number of years is seeing how new events become established. When I first moved to Hvar back in 2002, for example, there was no lavender festival in Velo Grablje, and yes Croatia's most aromatic festival celebrated its 11 edition this June. There was also no Hvar Half Marathon until a decade ago. 

And so too with a delightful new festival in Stari Grad, which is now in its third year. Nicely positioned in mid-September, the third edition of Dani u Vali (Days in the Bay) has become a firm favourite during its short existence, as well as a wonderful showpiece for Dalmatian maritime and other traditions.  

This year's event will run from September 11-15 with a series of 56 exhibitions, events, concerts and MANY boats, all centred around the pretty harbour of Stari Grad, which the Ancient Greeks sailed into over 2,400 years ago. 

In addition to the traditional sailboats from the likes of Udruga Lantina, there will be plenty of other colourful characters on the water in a variety of maritime vessels. 

Hvar is, of course, home to the UNESCO-protected Mediterranean Diet, and there will be many gourmet events and tasting opportunities in the squares and restaurants around, as well as the chance to pick up some lovely local domestic products, such as Stari Grad's signature honey-based biscuit, paprenjak, pictured above. 

The sight of so many sailboats in this most pretty of harbours, especially when lit up at night, is a sight to see on its own.  

Plenty of live music.

Plenty of time to chill and enjoy the relaxed Dalmatian lifestyle on the water. 

But be prepared for the pirates on Friday night! 

You can see more information about many of the events in English on the Facebook event page. Please find below the full programme in Croatian. It promises to be a great event. 

The 44th Faros Marathon, a 16km open sea swimming race will take place once again in Stari Grad on Hvar on September 7, 2019. 

Of all the sporting events I have seen in Croatia, I can't recall one being more demanding or attracting a higher calibre of participant (from Olympic medal winners to world champions) than the Faros Marathon in Stari Grad. 

An annual event since its inauguration in 1976, the Faros Marathon has been a popular fixture on the Stari Grad tourism calendar ever since. Although beset by problems in recent times and under threat of not taking place this year, 

Thankfully, it has been announced this week that the Faros Marathon will take place this year, a little later than planned. In recent years, the race has taken place in the last weekend of August, but this year's event will now take place on Saturday, September 7 - the same month the marathon took place from its inception until 1997. 

The race is gruelling. A 16-kilometre open sea swim from the Stari Grad harbour out to the tip of the Kabal Peninsula and back again, with the fastest recorded time so far being over three hours. There is both a men's and women's race, which will start simultaneously at 08:00 from the new riva.

The track records have been intact for years, held by German Alexander Studzinski 3:01:55 (2009) and American Christine Jennings 3:04:09 (2013), and at the national level by Duje Milan 3:06:24 (2013). ) and Karla Sitić 3:13:35 (2010).

Take a look at the Faros Marathon in years gone by, with this Hvar TV report on the 2015 race above and 1985 below.  

to learn more about Stari Grad, here are 25 things to know. 

Croatia's premier island of Hvar opens its first 5-star hotel on September 1, 2019 - Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel.

A significant day for the island of Hvar yesterday, as the island's first 5-star hotel opened for business. Palace Elisabeth, hvar heritage hotel has undergone a complete overhaul and luxury upgrade from the previous 3-star Hotel Palace. 

Located on the spot where organised tourism in Europe began with the founding of the Hvar Health Society back in 1868, Palace Elisabeth completed a trio of important heritage upgrades and renovations around Hvar Town's historic main square this year. 

Back in May, the oldest public theatre in Europe reopened after a 20-year renovation period. On the floor below the theatre, which was built in 1612, the imposing Arsenal, which guards entrance to Dalmatia's largest square, also reopened after renovation. With the opening of Palace Elisabeth, one can now have a cocktail on the terrace of the hotel where organised tourism in Europe began, before enjoying a performance in the oldest theatre in Europe. You don't get THAT opportunity in many places... 

The 78 rooms of the former Hotel Palace has been reduced to 45 rooms and suites, adding a lot more space to each room. As befits such an historic building, there has been an extraordinary amount of attention to detail to capture the magic of Hvar in a previous age. Palace Elisabeth is already a member of the prestigious Leading Hotels of the World group. 

The completion of Palace Elisabeth is the latest upgrade by Suncani Hvar Hotels at a cost of 100 million kuna, and it is the latest piece of good news for the flagship Hvar hotel chain which has seen an upswing in its fortunes in recent years. 

There will be an official opening party on September 21, where partners, friends and media will be invited to experience the hospitality of the new luxury hotel. TCN will be in attendance to road test the new hotel and report back on the evening's festivities. 

Enjoy more photos of the newly-opened hotel on its first day, and learn more about Palace Elisabeth on the Suncani Hvar website. 

(Photo Anita Koledic)

(Photo Anita Koledic)

August 31, 2019 - The biggest party in Jelsa awaits, as Festa Vina awaits in the Dalmatian wine capital. A look back at the fascinating history of this iconic Hvar wine festival.

Festa Vina in Jelsa (Jelsa Wine Festival) - a firm favourite of many along the Dalmatian coast, and a unique event whose history was only properly explained at a small but excellent open-air exhibition in picturesque St John's Square on Thursday night. 

How to explain Festa Vina? A weekend of family fun, where food, wine and song meet family entertainment - from donkey races, climbing the pole to touch the prsut and even tug o'war. A case of Blackpool on the Adriatic was one description which comes close. 

And yet for years Festa Vina has not really been associated with quality wine, which is somewhat ironic given that Jelsa has a proud wine tradition and today is home to a handful of the finest winemakers in Croatia. A chance to showcase the quality of the island's quality wines seemed somehow to get lost in the general party atmosphere, and for many years, the emphasis of the festival seemed to be more on beer and food brought from the mainland than local products and quality Hvar wine. So much so in fact, that the Hvar Wine Association decided no to attend Festa Vina a few years ago. 

All that has changed in the last 3-4 years, with a much more concerted effort to return the focus to wine, and to celebrate the island's winemakers, who now occupy a prominent position on the waterfront with their wines available for tasting. 

And to learn more about the origins of Festa Vina, the exhibition was full of surprises and great information. I should mention that some tourists complained to me that the exhibition was only in Croatian, which is true, although there is a very good English summary and timeline printout available - ask at the museum on Jelsa's prettiest square.  

The first surprise was that the event dates back 67 years, all the way back to 1952. It was not a wine festival back then, but an agricultural fair, and it was conceived as a means to sell off all the old wines in the Jelsa cellars to make room for the new vintage. And it was certainly a huge success, with the statistics from 1957 reporting a staggering 60,000 litres of wine were sold, and "by the afternoon there was a shortage of cigarettes, bread, roasted meat, fruit and other supplies."

Initially known as The Regional Community Festival, the early events included brass bands from Jelsa, Stari Grad and Kastel Sucurac, water polo and football tournaments, theatre companies, national folk dancing, and a full-blown agricultural fair. People came in their boats and trucks to celebrate and buy wine to take home. Others were transported in steam boats from Split and the Makarska Riviera, and there was also organised transport from inland Dalmatia. 

Business was certainly brisk, and the fair added to Jelsa's credentials as a top wine destination, but with so much alcohol flowing, it was inevitable that drunkenness occurred, which overflowed into violence (this in an era when the drunken British tourist had yet to be invented...), and despite the economic success, the fair was discontinued in 1969 or 1970. 

And that might have been the end of the story until it was decided to resurrect the event in 1984, but with a different focus - a wine festival. The main organisers were the hotel company, Hvar wineries, the local community council, and Jelsa's restaurant and cafe owners. Festa Vina was timed to be the last weekend of August so as to prolong the season a little. 

"Grilled sardines were an indispensable part of the menu offered by the restaurateurs. The wine company Dalmacijavino sponsored the wine barrels which were placed in front of the park. But it was not only the wine and food which attracted the many boatloads of people from Split, Omis, Makarska, Bol and other coastal towns. There were lots of different attractions happening in Jelsa during the Wine Festival. Aeroplanes towing banners used to advertise the festival, and parachutists would jump out of them. There were many games, competitions and sports, fireworks, flares on small boats - there was a buzz and enjoyment on every side." 

 A few weeks ago, I published an article on how Jelsa could easily improve its tourism without spending much money. A key element of that strategy is developing a brand for the destination, which it currently does not have. As the most important wine town in Dalmatia, a slogan like Relaxed Family Lifestyle in the Dalmatian Wine Capital immediately gives Jelsa a focus and a personality. Events such as Festa Vina give content and history to that brand. 

It is 77 years since it started, and Festa Vina has undergone several changes in that time. The current trend - to focus more on the quality wine aspect - is the best approach in my opinion. The big party is tonight - see the programme below. 

See you there? 

If you are looking to learn more about the Dalmatian wine capital, check out 25 things to know about Jelsa. 

We recently reported on the absolutely horrible story of some French tourists having paid over 6,000 euros for a stay in a villa on the island of Hvar, only to turn up to find no villas, merely a dirt road and a few trucks. 

This isn't the first time this has happened after tourists were duped into paying for their accommodation on online booking platforms for accommodation, but 6,000 euros is a huge amount of money to vanish into thin air, and being left stranded on an island in a foreign country with ''nobody wanting to help'', as the tourists claimed on Twitter themselves, is hardly a wonderful summer break on the Adriatic.

As the only saying goes: For every bad comes something good, and as Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of August, 2019, the group of duped French tourists have been offered a free stay in a villa on the nearby island of Brač, the owner of which had his photos stolen to make the fake Booking.com advertisement on Hvar, which of course turned out to be nonexistent.

The owner of the Brač villa claims that despite the fact that it isn't his fault at all, and that he isn't obliged to have to do anything at all, he feels that the incident is a horrendous bit of publicity for Croatia, and wanted to make things right for the group of tourists from France.

Namely, since both the group of French tourists and Mr. Vuić, the owner of the Booking.com ''Hvar villa'' which is actually not even on that island at all, were fooled, the owner of Villa Marteline decided to offer the French group two free nights at the villa they saw on the photos on Booking.com before being duped out of 6,000 euros, writes Jutarnji list.

''This is a really awful bit of publicity in my opinion, and I'm not the one who is guilty, nor am I obliged to do anything. But, I'm an honest renter who pays for absolutely everything that is required by law. As both of us are deceived, let them at least see that it's not everything is so bad here with us in Croatia,'' Vuić said when he called in the editorial office of Jutarnji list and asked them to contact the group French tourists who, as expected, accepted the offer readily.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.

An awful story has found itself on the social networking platform Twitter after a tourist spoke of their horror after having paid over 6,000 euros to rent a villa on the gorgeous island of Hvar, only to arrive there and be greeted with nothing else but a dirt road and some trucks.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 20th of August, 2019, ''Here, we arrived at the villa on August the 18th and it turned out to be all a hoax. We have nowhere to stay. We also called the booking agent, he told us it wasn't his problem that we would have to sleep outside now,'' tourist Julie wrote on Twitter.

As 24sata reports, she claims that, together with a group of friends with whom she rented a villa on the island of Hvar for 6,420 euros, someone had cheated her out of it all. The villa didn't even exist. When they arrived at the destination on Hvar where the ten villas were allegedly supposed to be, they were greeted by a dirt road, several trucks, and some excavators.

From an entire villa that they paid a large amount of money for, Julie and this extremely unfortunate group of tourists didn't even get as much as the letter V.

''Nobody wanted to help us. We learned from some of the neighbours near the construction site that there had been more cases like this. We called the customer service, they offered us a refund within ten days or to book another accommodation, but at our expense,'' Julie wrote.

This awful situation is unfortunately not entirely uncommon and has happened several times in Croatia as well as in other countries across the globe. 

Read Julie's original Tweets and watch the video she uploaded of what she was greeted with instead of a beautiful Hvar villa here.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle page for much more.