Islands in the Sea, Day Six in Croatia

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After the constant travel we had experienced on our vacation so far, we decided that we needed a relaxing beach day!

Wanting to explore the nearby Pakleni islands, we decided that renting a boat for the day would be the best option since we own a boat at home and have experience on the water.  We awakened early, headed to the small harbor and sought out a vendor.  After a lot of questions with a lot of people, we were informed that since the onset of Covid we would not be able to rent the boat ourselves but rather with the assistance of a captain. I don’t know what Covid had to do with any of this, however, the addition of a captain made it quite expensive and much less private than we desired. 

Instead, we analyzed the signs along the Riva advertising the water taxis and their destinations.  

Palmizana Beach on Sveti Klement Island.

 Mlini and Zdrilica beaches on Marinkovac Island.

Kordovon beach on Jerolim Island.

Right away, we knew that Jerolim was out of contention as it’s home to a nudist beach…not that we have a problem with that…it’s just that my body isn’t in as great a shape as it once was!  Kordovon beach is one of the oldest Adriatic nudist beaches (established in the 1950s) and has been voted by CNN as the most beautiful naturist beach in Europe…sorry we had to miss it!

When we had solicited the opinions the day before at the Visitor’s bureau, from our waiters and our host, some had suggested Milini for its beauty, others had suggested Palmizana for its sheer size and facilities. 

Finally, we decided to just throw caution to the wind and flipped a coin…Palmizana won!  We hopped on board the next water taxi, with a handful of other travelers, and held on as our boat made its way across open water towards the islands. 

A short time later, we approached a dock and were allowed to disembark.  Following a path and the other passengers, we made our way to the other side of the island where Palmizana beach spread out before us, sparkling and pristine.  

Renting an umbrella and two chairs, we proceeded to relax and enjoy the sun for the majority of the day with a break to enjoy a couple of beers from one of the restaurants that remained open, since it was the last day of the tourist season.  

The beach was a bit pebbly and waters crystal clear, albeit a bit cold for our liking, but all in all the adventure was worth it!  It was nice to relax after all of our adventures.

During the late afternoon, we headed back to the dock to make the boat crossing back to Hvar Town.  My husband was a bit sunburned and anxious to take a break in the apartment, but I spotted the Cathedral of St. Stephen’s doors open, so I opted to take a quick peek!  

The cathedral, located on the eastern side of the city square (Pjaca) was built on the site of an early 6th century Christian church and later the Benedictine convent of St. Mary. While the church was decorated much less lavishly than I had expected, since it was decorated by Venetian artists, it did have some redeeming qualities. The side chapels were similar in style and much more ornate than the rest of the décor with heavy marble columns. The stone pulpit dates back to the 15th century and the crucifix, over the altar, is in the Gothic style, while the rest of the church is a blend of Renaissance, Manneristic and Baroque styles.

As I stepped outside to photograph the exterior of one of the most important historical buildings in Hvar and inspect its 17th century bell tower, the priest and another gentleman were hard at work raising a very large canvas portrait of what I assumed was St. Stephen above doorway. Stepping away into the Pjaca, I admired the uniquely styled cathedral in the dwindling afternoon light.

Meeting up with my husband, we proceeded to continue our afternoon sunset observations from the Riva before the dinner hour. The golden light was stunning as it set beyond the islands that we had visited on this day and once again, the yachts began to sail into the harbor, taking their places, sometimes five deep along the dock. With as many boats on this night, surely dinner was going to be a lively affair!

Hvar, while the smaller of the three cities that we visited, was filled with charm and natural beauty. We were only there for two nights, however, it definitely left a mark on us, making me wonder how many other secret spots Croatia had up it sleeve! Tomorrow, however, we were heading back, the final leg of our journey to Dubrovnik, and we were looking forward to see all of the sites we had not had time for during our first few days!

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St. Stephen’s Cathedral

• Address: Trg Svetog Stjepana 1P, Hvar 21450 HR
• Hours: 0900 to 2100, daily
• Admission: 10 HKN per person