I arrived on Hvar after a 45 minute catamaran ride from Bol. As I was leaving the boat I thought to myself "oh no" what have I done?
It was so crowded with people and the boats in the harbor were like a jigsaw puzzle all trying to fit in. Ferry boats, luxury yachts, sail boats, catamarans and water taxis. It was craziness mixed in with all the people scurrying about. I don't know how everyone was able to manipulate passage into the harbor with so much commotion.
I had been warned by my apartment manager that they were 80 steps up to the apartment which I had been dreading since the beginning of my trip. There was an easier way to go which was longer but at least not steps. Unfortunately I couldn't find that road. So I proceeded to climb the 80 steps to the apartment with my heavy luggage swearing at every step! If that wasn't enough, there were 20 more steps to get into the apartment!
The apartment was small but perfect for two people. One bedroom, a fold out couch in the living room and fully equipped kitchen.
Best of all was the small patio off the bedroom that gave a view of the entire town center and harbor. It was the perfect place to sit with morning coffee or an evening cocktail to watch the sunset.
My sister Patty was arriving in a couple of days to spend the month of August with me so I set out to explore. I found some of the more secluded beaches and more affordable restaurants and bars. Hvar was more expensive than any of the other islands I had been to. I guess because it is so pooular and crowded they can get away with it.
I wasn't expecting to enjoy the island as much as I did. Jamie and I had been in Hvar one afternoon about two years ago waiting for our ferry to Dubrovnik. We sat watching the crowd thinking there was no way we would want to stay there. A very young, hip crowd parading around in their bikinis and speedos. Nice to look at but just not our scene anymore. If we were 30 years younger then yes, would be a good time. So much for getting older!
There was a wonderful two mile walking path around the island along the water. Along the path were beach clubs, places to swim, some cafés and restaurants.
One of the trendiest bars on the island was called Hula, Hula Bar. At sunset the place went wild with loud music and lots of drinking and dancing going on. It was fun just to watch the crowd and see how they dressed!
I did find a great secluded beach at the end of the pathway where I spent most of my days at the beach watching the sunset at night.
My favorite beach was located on the island of Jerolim. You had to take a water taxi to get there which was ten Euros roundtrip from the central harbor. There were two beaches, one side was for families the other side was a nude beach. In the center of the island between the two beaches was a great little beach bar under the pine trees.
There were sun beds and umbrellas for rent for twenty euros a day where on the main island of Hvar they were twenty to thirty euros per sunbed which was crazy.
My sister was finally arriving. I took the ferry from Hvar to Split to meet her. I had explained to her how to take the airport bus into Split where I would meet her. For some reason our cell phones were not connecting so we had no communication with each other. Fortunately she just appeared on one of the airport buses and we were able to run to the ferry to get back to Hvar.
As much as I love traveling alone, it was so nice to finally have some company and be able to share everything I've learned and love about Croatia. It was also a celebration for both of us to be together after earlier in the year having had some physical issues as well as personal sutuations. It was our way of moving on, new beginnings and being healthy in body, mind and spirit.
The best adventure we had was a private sail boat cruise that I had booked through Air B&B. The captain was named Kazimir. He had a 37 foot racing sailboat that he claimed the sails were always up and no motor used. We spent a half day just sailing around the Paklinski Islands with one snorkeling stop in a secluded cove. Our sail was exhilarating and the adrenaline was flowing. At times it felt like we would tip over but Kazimir was a true master of the sea.
Some of the restaurants that we found and really liked were Fig, Kogo Pizza, Asian Street Food and Black Pepper. We would usually spend the day at the beach and then stop at a restaurant on our way home which was perfect because at night there were long lines to get into a lot of places.
At night we really enjoyed sitting on the patio with a cocktail overlooking the harbor and watching the boats of all sizes come in for the night.
It was amazing how some of those huge yachts were able to fit in the space allowed. We also sat laughing at the people that walked up the 80 steps below our apartment with their heavy bags listening to them moan and groin, complaining about the climb.
I have to say I truly enjoyed our time on Hvar and like I said it was totally unexpected. With the beauty of the island and the young vibe going on, I would definitely return.
