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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As Marija Crnjak/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 24th of May, 2019, Croatia's private accommodation renters who advertise their premises on platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb should make sure they are properly registered on the eVisitor system in order to avoid potentially serious consequences. A visit from an inspector could occur at any time.

Along with the beginning of the summer tourist season, the strengthening of the supervision of the properties rented out privately to tourists from landlords and owners, as well as other types of hospitality facilities, is on the cards. State inspectors will be out in full force this season, and they will, among carrying out numerous other tasks, "comb" through potential unregistered listings and punish Croatia's many illegal renters.

This ''action'' will be assisted by the central eVisitor information system that applies to all categorised facilities, and uncategorised apartments and houses will also be searched out on booking and reservation platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb, as has been confirmed by the state inspectorate.

There are numerous types of categorisation in place for private accommodation, and each and every facility that rents its space to tourists must be correctly registered on Croatia's eVisitor system in order for those guests to be registered with the police and/or tourist office upon their arrival (although this is something many choose not to adhere to, and which, in all honesty, isn't enforced well), and more importantly, for the host to be able to pay the correct taxes. In addition, a tax number must be highlighted for such tourist services carried out within the European Union.

A total of 136 jobs have been systemised ready for these types of inspection during the tourist season, and, together with the employees of the Customs Administration of the Croatian Ministry of Finance, a total of 97 jobs for tourist inspectors to carry out the work have now been filled.

At the moment, 52 inspectors are working to cover Croatia's coast, where the majority of illegal renting takes place, through offices in Rijeka and Split, as well as sixteen other associated offices. In addition to that, during the very height of the tourist season, inspectors from Croatia's continental counties will also be there to help out their coastal colleages. They all have access to the eVisitor system, which will help them to detect illegal renters.

The mechanism for locating Croatia's illegal renters is very simple, if the accommodation advertised on online platforms such as those listed above is not registered on eVisitor, this acts as a sign to inspectors that they can take the appropriate action. It has since been found out from private renters that nobody is asking for categorisation certification on those platforms anymore.

Booking.com and Expedia were asking for categorisation certification until the powerful Airbnb entered the Croatian market just a few years ago. Anamarija Cicarelli, head of the Split family accommodation advice centre, says most rental platforms have lost their legitimacy because they simply go off trusting the advertiser without any actual evidence.

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

Click here for the original article by Marija Crnjak for Poslovni Dnevnik

One of the richest people in the Balkans is putting his money where his mouth is in Dubrovnik's picturesque Lapad area, known for its beach, Cave Bar More, and numerous hotels. Tihomir Brajković is kicking off his investment in Dubrovnik with the construction of six luxury villas in this location in the Pearl of the Adriatic.

As Novac/Anton Hauswitschka writes on the 9th of March, 2019, Tihomir Brajković, a well known businessman from Kiseljak, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and one of the richest people in the Balkans, is busy going to work constructing six brand new luxury villas in Babin kuk (Lapad) just above Hotel More. The removal of trees and other rubble has already begun, and excavation work could be next, according to a report from dubrovački.hr.

Brajković, or more specifically his very appropriately named Dubrovnik-based company ''Six Luxury Villas d.o.o.'', is the owner of some very attractive land located along Ulica Kardinala Stepinca (Cardinal Stepinac street) right next to some residential buildings.

Unconfirmed news from Dubrovnik's city administration claims that Brajković has indeed started with the preparation of a land parcel according to the current general urban plan in the construction zone, and it is soon expected that the investor will request the necessary building permits to continue. This procedure, as they say, may take up to a year, but as long as the current spatial plans are properly in place, there is no reason that all of the necessary documentation won't be able to be obtained.

The very few who have seen the conceptual design say that they are buildings that will give their future owners the ultimate sense of total luxury and that their architectural bases remind them of the buildings across on the other side of town in the Eastern location of Sveti Jakov. Novac tried to find out directly from the Kiseljak entrepreneur what will exactly happen when he starts building in Dubrovnik, but contact with him from Dubrovnik failed.

Brajkovic founded the company ''Six Luxury Villas'', based on Vukovarska Ulica (Vukovar street), in the former DTS building, back in 2015. More specifically, the company's founder is his Swiss company PET engineering AG, which is led, at least according to the Swiss register, by Josip Šubašić, while Brajković himself is the director of the Dubrovnik-based company.

It's worth recalling the fact that Tihomir Brajković is the owner of Tibra Pacific and Meso-Impex, and has made his fortune in the construction sector, more precisely in terms of housing construction. In Sarajevo, in the Stup area in August last year, Brajković started building a business-residential complex which consisted of three buildings, while at the same time the media in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina incessantly ran negative stories on his Meso-Impex company, which allegedly owes the state more than 9 million convertible marks.

Brajković also become better known to the Croatian public when he planned to build a residential building in Makarska back in 2015 with its own state-owned observatory and astro park incorporated into it.

Although Forbes recently listed him on its enviable list of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the region, Tihomir Brajković himself is a man who seems to consciously avoid the media and other forms of publicity. An individual picture of him is impossible to find, he isn't inclined to making media statements, nor is he inclined to accepting other types of interviews. In recent years however, he has quietly invested heavily in numerous projects and investments and even managed to negotiate the construction of a hydro power plant on the river Bosna with authorities in Zavidovići.

Make sure to follow our dedicated business page for more on doing business in Croatia, investing in Croatia, and the overall business and investment climate within the country.

Click here for the original article by Anton Hauswitschka for Novac/Jutarnji

An ambitious and unusual plan involving Blockchain falls through.

Croatia’s luxury villas and castles do not attract as many investors as they should.

Over the past 6 years, Imotski (a part of our Dalmatian hinterland) has more than 10 times increased the number of vacation homes, and today it is has registered its 100th property in this part of inland Dalmatia. This quick growth for the region  has put Inland Dalmatia and Imotski on Croatian the tourist map. Just from Easter this year, the market has placed as many as 30 newly renovated villas, increasing this number each year by 50 percent! Imotski, which in 2006 had only two small accommodation facilities, as of 2016 boasts two hotels, one camp, 13 bed and breakfasts and even 84 luxury houses that nearly all have swimming pools.

Croatia has quickly become the center for luxury in the Mediterranean, with the perfect yachting destinations, first class gastronomy, and some of the best health and wellness services in Europe. It was just a matter of time before Croatia coupled its pristine Adriatic coast with some of the most extravagant and impreccable accommodation options for tourists to enjoy, and we are here to bring you five of the most lavish establishments to delight in across Croatia. 

The owners, a middle-aged couple, who returned from America and decided to renovate an old stone house, where they could enjoy the peace and the beauty of the natural environment, informs an article at the Dom i Vrt magazine of the Vecernji list.