September 14, 2020 – 10 minutes from the centre of bustling Makarska, blending traditional Dalmatia with incredible 5-star facilities, My Home Adriona is a blissfully secluded paradise and one of the most singular luxury villas Croatia has

My Home Adriona sits in the foothills of Biokovo mountain, just 10 minutes drive from the centre of bustling Makarska

Not everyone knows exactly what kind of holiday they want. Taking to the crystal clear waters on a pristine beach and soaking up the atmosphere of winding old town streets and their taverns are essentials of every holiday in Dalmatia. But, sometimes you need to break off from the crowds. They are not who you chose to spend your precious holiday time with. Neither are the all-too-near neighbours in the crowded apartment complexes or the town's full capacity hotels.

Views from the first-floor bedrooms show the wild nature which surrounds the custom-designed pool, the Adriatic close by and Brač island is the distance

A handful of houses are the villa's only neighbours, the only sound you hear all day is the crickets in the trees and the splashes you make in the pool

Luxury villas Croatia are the best way to make sure you and your fellow travellers get the most out of your vacation, and each other. Located in Kotišina, a small village in a Makarska neighbourhood, My Home Adriona is one of the most singular luxury villas Croatia has. Balancing traditional Dalmatian architecture with 5-star luxury, the villa is surrounded by the indigenous flora of the region and breathtaking views of the Adriatic and Brač island. Out of sight, but less than 10 minutes drive by car, the beautiful beaches and vibrant tavern and town life of Makarska await. Like the salty waves, they are on your doorstep any time you feel like dipping in.

Olive, citrus, fig and pine trees surround the villa.

The scent of wild rosemary, lavender, citrus and other Mediterranean plants and herbs fill the air on the ample terrace of My Home Adriona. Gazing across the custom-designed pool and down into the tree-filled valley below, only the sounds of crickets fills the air. The village is quiet. Many of its quaint, traditional houses lie empty, used for a week or two as holiday homes. A car or moped might travel through the single road in the village once every hour. Or maybe none will pass through all day.

The 17th-century Kotišina castle is carved into the mountainside, just 10 minutes walk from the villa, before it, the Botanical Gardens, dedicated to local plants and herbs

Shade from the sun by the side of the pool or soak up the rays in the morning or late afternoon

Sitting elevated from the shoreline, in the foothills of the mighty Biokovo mountain, it's all too easy to become captivated by the seascape from Adriona. But, of all the coastal luxury villas Croatia boasts, this is one where the breathtaking view surrounds completely. Olive and fig trees line the property boundary. Beyond them, the handful of traditional dwellings sit on gentle slopes before, suddenly, the karst rock shoots up towards the sky. At dusk, you can watch the colour shadings on the mountain change spectacularly every minute in response to the waning sun. Carved into the mountain, 10 minutes walk from Adriona, a 17th-century castle dominates the view behind. Below it, 300 wild plants grow in the Kotišina Botanical Gardens, each of them indigenous to this specific area, just like those surrounding Adriona.





The spacious open-plan living room and dining area sit next to a monster-sized, modern and fully-equipped kitchen. There's an additional eating area on the terrace, perfect for dining in the evening

Bedrooms come with king-size beds and ensuite bathrooms. Each double bedroom is individually named after locally growing fruits and herbs - the natural bathroom products of each room hold a corresponding scent

The games room and its bar are a proper man cave, with snooker table and poker table. Like the rest of the villa, it is furnished with fully restored antique furniture

The traditional white stone of Dalmatian houses forms the exterior to Adriona. Inside, restored antique furniture maintains the authentic feel, but it's combined with jaw-dropping luxury features that are wholly contemporary. On the ground floor, a spacious living room and dining area sit next to a fully equipped kitchen. A games room comes complete with snooker table, poker table and a fully stocked bar (although it's not as well-stocked as the wine cellar which, like the rest of Adriona, displays exquisite taste). In the basement, a spa and wellness area boasts a gym, sauna and a jacuzzi. Each of the four double bedrooms is huge, with kingsize beds, ensuite bathrooms and incredible views which perfectly welcome each day. All floors are accessible by lift and one bedroom is designed to accommodate those with disabilities or mobility issues.

The wine cellar is stocked with exemplary Croatian wines. Some of the best red wine from the country comes from this region and all feature within this connoisseurs collection

What a view to wake up to in the morning!

When it comes to luxury villas Croatia has more than a small share. But, among them, Adriona is quite unique. Neighbourless and remote, yet just 10 minutes from the centre of a town brimming with people, beaches and nightlife, it's a luxurious base perfect for exploring the Makarska riviera and wider Dalmatia. Beautiful beaches, the Biokovo nature park, islands Hvar and Brač, adventure sports on the Cetina river, traditional taverns and Michelin-starred restaurants are all within very easy reach. This is a luxury villa at which every day can be different, and at which you can take your holiday at your own pace.



The view of Biokovo mountain and the castle from the upstairs terrace of My Home Adriona. The colours of the rock face seem to change every minute at sunset

All photos © Marc Rowlands / My Home Adriona

You can check out more photos of My Home Adriona on their Instagram page

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June 20, 2020 - As the Makarska Tourist Board director posts photos of beaches in Mozambique, a phenomenal private video project showing all the Makarska Riviera beaches from above. 

The Makarska Riviera beaches are among the most popular summer destinations for those looking for a slice of Adriatic heaven under azure skies. The divine coastal strip is littered with outstanding beaches to suit all needs, from family to remote and romantic. 

A new project from Vice Rudan and team at Makarska Riviera Beaches has brought all the Makarska Riviera beaches from above into one place, in the form of 17 videos, one for each of the 16 destinations location on the riviera, finishing with an general tour of the beaches along the entire Makarska Riviera coast. 

Beautifully shot as always by young Rudan, if this does not have you heading to the beach this summer, nothing will. The project was fully supported by the Brela Tourist Board, with additional participation from the Makarska Tourist Board. 

Let's take the tour,  starting in the north of the Makarska Riviera, in Brela, and working our way south - one beach at a time.  

Brela

Baska Voda 

Promajna

Bratus

Krvavica 

Makarska 

Tucepi 

Podgora 

Drasnice 

Igrane 

Zivogosce 

Drvenik

Zaostrog

Podaca

Brist

Gradac

And finally, a wonderful overview of the Makarska Riviera beaches from above.  

You can see more wonderful photos and videos of Makarska Riviera beaches on the Facebook page - a great place to bookmark for dreamers on a rainy day in Manchester. 

For more news from Makarska, check out the dedicated TCN section. 

September 27, 2019 - The Makarska Riviera, Imotski and Vrgorac, which includes Biokovo, are actively working together to promote cycling tourism in the county.

HRTurizam writes that one of the projects that will promote this outdoor segment of tourism is the cycling spectacle ‘CRO Race’, which starts from Osijek on October 1st and rides to Biokovo and Makarska on the third day.

Specifically, CRO Race is organized by Top Sport Events, which has proven itself through the successful organization of all ‘Tour of Croatia’ editions over the past four years. This year, the race will include six stages, covering more than a thousand kilometers across Croatia. The race will be broadcast on six continents of the world.

When it was previously organized as ‘Tour of Croatia’, the race also passed through the Makarska Riviera, Biokovo and Zabiokovlje, and footage of the race itself was shown in 190 countries, which contributed globally to the promotion of this part of Split-Dalmatia County. It is the result of a collaboration between the Makarska Tourist Board and Spot, which through its brand "Trail - Full Cycling Experience", develops the Makarska Riviera, Biokovo and Zabiokovlje as a cycling tourism destination. 

"Beautiful nature, spectacular views, along with quality roads, accommodation facilities, and the gastronomic offer makes the Makarska Riviera and Biokovo ideal for cycling tourism. It is an enormous potential that can be greatly developed with a serious approach and program,” announced the race organizer Vladimir Miholjevic.

"We will cover all places of the Makarska Riviera, and cyclists will go through all their centers. It will be spectacular! Thanks to fantastic television footage from earlier races that toured the world, a group of UK reporters arrived, riding across Biokovo on a fascinating road leading to the very top. They were thrilled! They wrote a great report, published on 7-8 pages, a subtle, honest, personal experience. Those of us who live in this destination realize that we really do not appreciate it enough only when others open our eyes. Cycling tourism can only do good to the destination, and discover it in a new way, with a different perspective,” he explains, pointing out that it is necessary to develop infrastructure that includes cycling paths, as well as other services that cyclists need.

Miholjevic notes that he participated in the meeting with the tourist board and hotelier and is pleased that the potential has been recognized and that there is a will to develop it.

"The Makarska Riviera, Imotski and Vrgorac is a unique area along Biokovo, ideal for the development of cycling tourism, so we have contracted with Spot, who will then propose measures that we will take to raise the offer to a higher level, complement it with all that the modern cycling tourist needs, and promote it. The development of cycling tourism is one of the strategic plans for the development of our destinations for the development of the post-season and pre-season,” said Hloverka Novak Srzić, Director of the Makarska Tourist Board.

Spot is trusted with developing the destination for cycling tourism. “We are currently reviewing the condition of existing trails and looking for new ones. After determining the complexity of the route, we go to different stakeholders. Of course, it defines how the route is prepared, its equipment, services, and other things. We also educate business people who are familiar with the specifics of our guests, as well as the local governments, who will be educated on ways to maintain the route,” explains Karlo Kucan, the company's director.

"After that, there is the promotional part in which we include hotels, prepare photo, video and printed materials, and in 2020 and 2021, we will present the Makarska Riviera at four tourist fairs. The destination cannot be branded overnight,” Kucan emphasizes, adding that “we cannot have adrenaline parks on Biokovo because of the karst, which does not allow it, but we have an excellent opportunity to develop mountain biking. On the coastal part, we are somewhat restricted by the traffic on the highway, but that is why the hinterland of Biokovo is an uncut diamond for cycling tourism."

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

While having increased in popularity over the last couple of years owing primarily to active tourism, the Dalmatian hinterland tends to live in the shadow of its coastal cousin, but is all that about to change?

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 3rd of December, 2018, the calculations of the Institute for Croatian Tourism show that the number of overnight stays in Split-Dalmatia County could rise by 30 percent, mostly in the Dalmatian hinterland, by more than 200 percent. The study in which these figures were presented was entitled "Measuring Sustainability of Tourism in Practice".

Tourism Institute researcher Zoran Klarić explained that Split-Dalmatia County tourism would be able to achieve a presumed growth of 30 percent, but only if certain obstacles are dealt with and removed before that goal, Slobodna Dalmacija reports.

"When it comes to the biggest development obstacles, we've come across an unacceptable situation with waste disposal, a power system on the edge of durability, a water supply system that depends on a single source in the case of Split, inadequate drainage, and very weak traffic power, plus parking spaces," said Klarić.

He explained that tourism in that particular county was explored through five parts: Split, the Split riviera, the Makarska riviera, the Dalmatian hinterland, Brač, Hvar, and Vis. In addition to the Dalmatian hinterland, which could account for 200 percent growth, the biggest potential for growth lies on the nearby island of Brač, where calculations show potential of up to 50 percent growth, Slobodna Dalmacija writes.

Through the additional number of guests who could come to Croatia over the coming years, the institute calculated that the potential increase of tourists could be as much as 250,000 per year. According to estimates, the largest number of overnight stays would be made by Makarska riviera (two million) followed by the Split riviera (one million and 950 thousand), while Split would see as many as 670,000 overnight stays realised.

In the coming years, the number of hospitality and tourist zones could increase, to 145 with a total of 95,000 beds on offer.

"It's almost twice the capacity available today in this type of accommodation," the institute noted, adding that there is currently no indication that the growth of tourism in private accommodation which otherwise currently accounts for about 80 percent of Split-Dalmatia County's overall accommodation capacity today will be limited.

Despite these indicators, which can be taken in both a positive and a negative way, tourism has some limitations in parts of the aforementioned county. The lack of labour is a big problem, and one which will continue to grow, and the Makarska riviera has a particular issue with its overall beach capacity.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated travel and lifestyle pages for more. If you're interested solely in the Dalmatian hinterland, make sure to follow Total Inland Dalmatia.

While a meeting with a horned viper is unsettling enough, is there another type of snake living in the mountains above the Makarska Riviera?

A 178 million kuna investment is on the cards for one leading company.

May 17, 2018 - Another spectacular timelapse video from Croatia, this time from TCN's VIce Rudan, taking in his beloved Makarska beaches at night. 

You can run, but you can't hide... At least not in Makarska, anyway.

The Croatian State Property Ministry is preparing new lease and sale tenders.

If you've been following TCN, you know Croats love to throw a good fešta. With a hefty fund of historical and cultural heritage, we don't have to look for a party theme for too long.