... of the most popular of the Pakleni Islands
The Pakleni Islands, emerald jewels glistening in the Adriatic in front of Hvar Town.
Stipanska. Palmižana. Jerolim. These are the most popular destinations, which are on three different islands, all of which have lesser known but equally beautiful hidden gems.
Many tourists are surprised to hear that Stipanska and Palmižana are not actually the names of the islands to which they travel. Stipanska Bay is located on the island of Marinkovac, but the destination is better known at Stipanska, for there lies the major attraction - Carpe Diem Beach.
A great chill zone by day and the island's top party by night, life on the other side of Marinkovac is a little different, with two excellent bays of Mlini and Ždrilca - both of which can be reached by water taxi, offering timeless relaxation on the beach, backed up by excellent food and refreshment.
Jerolim is CNN's top naturist beach and one of the jewels of Hvar tourism. Most people head to the bay facing Hvar Town, known as Amo Beach and also operated by Carpe Diem, but those in the know head through the trees about 100 metres to the other side of the island, to reveal one of the true hidden beauties of Dalmatia, the decidedly rustic and very chilled Kordovon Bay, whose owner Mare is even more horizontal that Kordovon itself. It is a regular beach, FKK, gay - whatever you want, you can be that on Kordovon, a true taste of the Mediterranean where time has stood still.
Arguably the most famous destination of course, is Palmižana, where tourism started in 1906 with the Meneghello family in Vinogradišće Bay (where the majority of visitors head), but the island itself is called Sveti Klement.
While Vinogradišće is the closer destination, explorers looking for another taste of Hvar should take a boat to Vlaka, on Sveti Klement's distant northern shore, where a selection of treasures await, including the fabled vineyards of Andro Tomić (just 1 metre above sea level), evidence of Roman settlements, including a Roman mud bath, and one of the best restaurants in Dalmatia, Dionis.
The Pakleni Islands - emerald treasures in the glistening Adriatic, each one a collection of sparking individual diamonds.
*Author - Paul Bradbury
*Photo Credit - Romulić & Stojčić multimedia studio
