Maslina Resort Colnago Boat

Maslina Resort’s new luxury boat to transfer passengers from Split Airport direct to Hvar

The recently opened Maslina Resort on the island of Hvar has announced an excellent new addition to its facilities that will surely delight all guests – a new luxury boat that will transport guests directly from Split Airport to the boutique property in only one hour.

Maslina Resort Colnago Boat
Colnago Boat
Colnago Boat
Maslina Resort Colnago Boat

The new luxury boat, a customised Colnago 45 TS, has been built by the Hvar-based Colnago family who have a long-standing tradition in designing and building luxury boats. The bespoke boat, specially commissioned by the Maslina Resort, measures 11.95 metres and can seat up to 12 guests and 2 crew members. This beautiful vessel is a modern take on the vintage luxury Colnago 45 TS, which perfectly aligns with the design aesthetics of resort; its design has been crafted with the utmost attention to the comfort of guests in mind.

With this new luxury boat being able to ferry guests direct from Split Airport on the mainland to the Maslina Resort on Hvar, there will no longer be a need for holidaymakers to transfer from the airport to the port and then wait for a catamaran or ferry to Hvar – a transfer time which can easily take two hours or more. The Colnago 45 TS will now enable guests to travel directly to the resort within an hour, seamlessly and in style! Maslina Resort staff will also be able to take care of the check-in process on board the boat, meaning that guests that enjoy the facilities of the resort as soon as they step ashore.

The 50-room hotel – which is also home to five villas – is set on an area of two hectares of lush pine forests, surrounded by olive groves and terraced vineyards, all overlooking the beautiful Adriatic Sea. The chic, five-star Relais & Chateaux property focuses on wellbeing, family, culture and authenticity for its guests.

Maslina Resort Terrace
The Terrace at Maslina Resort
Maslina Resort Room
A room at the Maslina Resort

Zoran Pejovic, the Development Director of the Maslina Resort, comments:

“Wellness is the core element of Maslina Resort. We want our guests to have a seamless and stress-free transfer so that they arrive at the hotel relaxed. Maslina Resort is a luxurious oasis and delivers a bespoke service to all our guests. This enhanced travel experience enforces our philosophy to be the best, and the addition of our custom-made boat reflects this. The transfer will also offer guests the opportunity to form deeper connections to the destination and environment as they take in the stunning vistas, blue skies and azure waters of the Adriatic Sea.”

Zoran Pejovic, Development Director of the Maslina Resort

For more details about the hotel and to book a stay there, please see the Maslina Resort website. Prices start from €240 per night for a Garden Suite, based on two adults sharing, excluding breakfast.

Location near Stari Grad
The boutique property’s location
Hostel Dalmatia

Hostel Dalmatia – where the mountains kiss the sea

If you’re thinking about a trip to the Dalmatian coast in the off season but are concerned that everywhere will be shut outside of the major towns and cities, don’t be! If you know where to look, there’s still plenty of places to enjoy!

One such place is Hostel Dalmatia, offering travellers a tranquil getaway in stunning nature. Located in Marusici on the Omis Riviera, just a 1/2 hour south of Split on the way to Dubrovnik, between both Omis and Makarska along the scenic Dalmatian coast. The hostel is close enough to Split and other larger towns to enjoy their nightlife, but also in a quieter location for those looking for serenity and a more relaxed pace.

Hostel Dalmatia

Hostel Dalmatia

The friendly living room

Marusici itself is divided into a lower and upper village, with the highway from Split dividing the town into the two parts. The upper village has a small church, and is home to Croatia’s 3rd largest olive oil producer, Orgula, which has tours and tastings in-season. Hostel Dalmatia is in the lower village, and two beautiful pebbly beaches – each with its own unique charm and character – are within a 5-minute walk from the hostel. There are lots of hidden gems in the nearby towns and villages, and the hostel owners love to share their knowledge with all the guests who become like family.

Hostel Dalmatia

Sunset from the rooftop

Hostel Dalmatia

One of the nearby beaches

The hostel has 3 private rooms, each with its own bathroom and balcony overlooking the Adriatic and the nearby island of Brac and surrounding mountains. There’s also a mixed-bed dorm room with its own bathroom and balcony as well. All rooms have air-conditioning and heating, and there is strong free wi-fi throughout the hostel. Enjoy the views from the huge terrace overlooking the sea, while also enjoying the laid-back vibe that all guests enjoy during their stay.

Best of all, the hostel is open year-round! To inquire in the off-season, message the hostel directly regarding off-season availability and rates (as the online calendar is offline during this time).

Hostel Dalmatia
Put Borka #20, 21318 Marusici
hosteldalmatia.com

Boutique Hostel Forum Review

Review: Boutique Hostel Forum, Zadar

Boutique Hostel Forum in Zadar is one of the hostels that’s joining a relatively new trend in Croatia and elsewhere – of the upmarket kind. For often times much less that even a half decent hotel, you get a fun and funky place to stay that’s usually rather new, has great facilities and is well located. What’s not to like?

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

Gorgeous view from a dorm room!

The Boutique Hostel Forum is all of these things. Located right on Kalelarga/Siroka ulica, you can’t miss it. Well, actually, you can as we did – stumbling off the bus from the airport, we wandered up and down Siroka ulica a few times before we finally found a door for the hostel. And then felt a bit stupid because it was quite obvious. (The hostel’s opposite the bellower of the Cathedral, in case you find yourself equally challenged.)

Two things strike you when you first enter – ORANGE and BLUE. It’s all very orange and blue. But it’s also very friendly – the young staff check you in quickly and give you a few pointers for the premises, including a little welcome leaflet that contains hostel information, plus a map of Zadar and a few local recommendations.

Private rooms are available but the shared, mixed dorm rooms are certainly comfortable enough – albeit compact – and offer a good deal of privacy.There’s two ‘bunk beds’ either side of the room, so if you and a friend are travelling you can easily have half a room without needing to mingle much with your dorm mates. Having said that, one side of the room is home to a small toilet and the shower room is on the other – so you do need traverse over to the other side occasionally. (I suppose you can always use the ‘public’ toilets in the hallways if you want.)

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

Left: dorm hallway Right: Floor hallway…. See – orange and blue!

A couple of chairs feature in each corner of the room, plus hooks for hanging up your coats and what-not, and each guest gets a large (really a good size) drawer unit to store their ultra-private but expensive and essential travel kit- iPads, cameras, Christian Louboutin heels. (Just joking on that last one, of course.) This inventive drawer opens with your room card key, which makes it pretty secure and easy to manage.

Each bed is more like a little cubby hole than merely a bunk bed. Inside your bed unit you’ve got a light, a mirror (for checking yourself out as soon as you wake up, I suppose), a LAN socket (?) and – oh yes! – two charge points. For every traveller’s most important needs are a) wifi and b) electrical sockets! There’s also plenty of other sockets dotted around the room too, in case you’ve decided to bring every electrical item with you on holiday. These cubby hole-type beds have their own blinds, which you can shut for complete privacy. The bed and bedding is more than comfortable, although the actual duvet is perhaps a little too thick for a typical Croatian summer. (Especially as – given the tight bed space – things get a little stuffy!)

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

A bunk bed

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

Breakfast is served! (Sort of)

The rooms actually overlook Kalelarga/Siroka ulica, and beyond that you can easily see The Forum and the twinkling Adriatic sea. It’s a simply gorgeous view! Don’t forget that as good a sight as you have of the outdoors, people outdoors have a good sight in…make sure you shut the blind before you, y’know, get into your PJs or whatever. (There’s actually a friendly warning by the window to this effect!)

There’s not a great deal of storage overall in the room – you have to squeeze your backpack/suitcase into the corner or hallway of the room as best as you can and there sure isn’t a good deal of space to ‘hang’ out. But you’re in the beautiful town of Zadar – who needs to hang about indoors?

There are, of course, a number of common rooms, including kitchens where you can store your own food or opt for breakfast if you want it, although a ‘breakfast in a bag’ (see below) is included in your room price. There’s an outdoor terrace out back, and a relatively large TV room – with two TVs – that reminded me a little of a children’s soft-play zone, with the bright colours and the sofa seating on different levels.

My favourite bit – waking up in the morning, pulling up the bed bunk blind and finding a breakfast bag had been delivered by my bunk. How did they do that? Who cares, there’s a sweet burek pastry inside! Pop down to the harbourfront for breakfast with a view.

Most importantly, the hostel’s wifi is strong and FAST – yay!

I’d highly recommend Boutique Hostel Forum – friendly, clean, comfortable, fun, decent value and superb location. Give it a try if you’re visiting Zadar!

Boutique Hostel Forum
Siroka ulica 20, Zadar
en.hostelforumzadar.com

Disclaimer: Visit Croatia stayed at Boutique Hostel Forum anonymously and paid for her own stay.