HVAR ISLAND, CROATIA
On the promenade
With it’s year-round sunshine and growing fame as a new European party capitol, Hvar island is a popular vacation destination. Although technically Hvar town has a center, the most prominent architectural feature is the palm-lined marble promenade that wraps itself cozily around the harbor. Small streets filled with trendy and expensive restaurants slink off of a main square, which is home to the rather bland Dominican church of St.Marko.
I found the tourist population to be younger, better dressed, and a bit less chilled out than the vacationers in Korcula. This is no doubt due to Hvar’s reputation as the new Ibiza….so the kids say. To be honest I really didn’t feel like partying during my stay, so Hvar wasn’t exactly the place for me – not on this trip. However, some French guys at my hostel, a group of 5 guys from a town near Nante, partied hard the entire time and gave the town rave reviews. Others I had met in Korcula said they couldn’t understand the comparison between sleepy Hvar and Europe’s party capitol. So I guess you’ll just have to go and decide for yourself. The first night the people from my hostel went to Nautica- a cheap Top 40′s bar, which I felt way too old for. I actually ordered an orange-flavored Bacardi Breezer, the kind of malt-beverage that I haven’t touched since high-school- that’s when I knew it was time to call it quits. The main club on the island is Carpe Diem- an upscale establishment that’s starting to get some big-name djs. Its sister establishment, the creatively named Carpe Diem 2, is located on a nearby island- ‘free’ ferry shuttles covered in the 20 euro entrance fee float people over at night. From what I heard, if you’re looking for lots of trance music and the opportunity to have sex on an uncomfortable jagged-rock beach, this is the place for you.
Also noteworthy: Hula-Hula, a day club that you’ll find by walking 15 minutes west along the coast. Entrance is free, there’s a dj and the option to sit on chair or on the beach. When I went, they were playing some decent house music.
My hostel, Villa Skansi, was easily the nicest hostel I’ve ever stayed at, in fact hostelworld.com members voted it as such in 2010. Just a short walk from a pebble-beach next to a beautiful monastery, this was less of a hostel than a full-out villa. The family have added dorm rooms and private accommodations to their gorgeous tri-level family home; and as a weary backpacker I was impressed by the great deal of work that went into making the facilities more than just a cheap place to crash for young party-goers. It comes equipped with indoor and outdoor kitchens, brand new-bathrooms, and air-conditioned dorm rooms- all of which are incredibly stylishly decorated. A beautiful wicker-chaired terrace overlooks the blue sea and the owner, Matteo, a tanned-friendly guy, makes an effort to introduce himself to everyone while tending bar at night. In the evening, everyone gathers on the terrace, chats, and consumes excellently priced mojitos, draft beer, and homemade wine. At 10:30 the terrace closes and the fun-loving girls working at the hostel usually lead the group to a bar or club in the harbor.
Franciscan Monastery
Vive la France!
On my second day the French guys invited me to rent a boat with them. It was a bit expensive, seeing as they had purchased it for 10 hours and gone all out by renting a ‘banana’. They had wanted to reserve a doughnut (inner tube in American) but they were already booked out for the day. Renting a boat seemed like pretty much the only thing to do in Hvar- so I agreed, looking forward to anchoring at one of the many islands nearby. Soon 7 french friends, a young British girl from our hostel, and myself, boarded a comfortable rubber boat with a 150 horsepower engine, ready for the day’s adventure. We had a relaxing morning, afternoon, and evening, and anchored at several beautiful inlets in the nearby Pakleni islands.
Our chariot
Somewhere off of a Pakleni Island
Why are Speedos still funny to me?
We saw more than a few ridiculous yachts- totally superfluous. Everyone had their flags waving, and it was interesting to see just how far some of these yachts had come. The boys were good company and very funny- constantly dancing in their little Speedos and pushing each other into the water. Although a couple of the boys spoke very good English (one had been at Oklahoma university for 6 months) everyone got some good English practice that day, and the British girl and I did a lot of laughing.
Dance break!
"Bonjour!"
