Feel what idyllic island life was like 100 years ago at this old stone farmhouse on Hvar. The grounds are filled with lavender, rosemary, artichokes, olives and lemons which you can harvest by hand (in season and with pre-approval from the host) and used to cook in the stone outdoor kitchen. Long lunches on the patio, surrounded by groves and orchards, can be proceeding by a cooling dip in the swimming pool and drying off on a lounger. If you want to get out and explore the rugged scenery, perhaps take a trip to Europe’s oldest town – Stari Grad, 10km away – on one of the complimentary mountain bikes. Spread across a main villa and guesthouse with its own kitchen and living room, this country spot radiates Croatian rusticana. Wooden ceilings and weathered cabinets in the kitchens add to that ancient farmhouse aesthetic and the bedrooms are encased in exposed stone walls, keeping things cool at night. There are modern touches just where you need them – the huge fridge in the kitchen, state-of-the-art coffee-making equipment and rainfall showers. But none of it interferes with the beautiful, away-from-it-all feel of this place.

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