While Aaron and I were "stuck" in Milna, we did a bit of shopping from the local vendors set up along the marina. I tasted some very interesting rakija, fruit brandy made in all sorts of flavors. Aaron bought the richest, most flavorful honey I've had in a long time, perfect for his tea and on my toast. And we bought a jar of sliced black truffles suspended in local olive oil. Aaron made soft scrambled eggs with truffles every day we were onboard the Sundance after these were acquired. Heaven!
As we neared the marina there was quite a lot of boat traffic, and Roko did a great job avoiding the boats crossing right in front of us. We were 2 weeks before the official season but Hvar was already busy.
Roko had suggested that we moor across the bay on Palmižana Island and use the water taxi to come and go to Hvar. We would be staying for 2 nights. But Aaron and I had our hearts set on staying in the ritzy harbor so our captain called ahead and got us a prime spot in the marina; we were front and center to all the action.
It was very choppy as we stepped off Sundance, but the day was a brilliant blue and we had plans to explore, so we didn't think much of it. It was time for lunch and we set off through the windy pedestrian-only streets to find the restaurant Macondo. We were here for Gregada, the local specialty, fish stew made with whitefish, potatoes, olive oil, and parsley. It is served for 2 but could have fed 3 easily. It was one of the most delicious things we ate on our cruise!
As we walked back to the boat, we were both pretty taken with the beauty of Hvar. We stopped at another beach club for more views and made our plans for the evening. We decided to stay onboard Sundance, have a few martinis, get a take-out pizza, and spend the night playing cards and people watching.
The marina was so rough, when we got back to the boat I had to call Roko to come and help me cross the gangplank! He loved that! haha! We realized we had made the wrong decision to stay in Hvar as the chop continued throughout the evening and during the night. We should have listened to Roko! We enjoyed the beautiful night onboard, but we would change our situation in the morning!
It was another gloriously gorgeous day the next morning. Roko was very happy to be told he had been right, and we sailed 20 minutes across the bay to Palmižana Island. The marina in the protected harbor there was like glass. Ahhhhh, no more rough chop!
As Roko cleaned the boat up, Aaron and I took a short hike to the other side of the island and settled into lounge chairs at the beach. For 100Ku each (~$14) we had our chairs for the entire day.
That evening we caught the water taxi over to Hvar. I think it was about $7 round trip, skippers ride for free. Aaron had heard about a restaurant that is in an abandoned village just outside Hvar Town and had Roko call for reservations.
Once in Hvar, Roko spoke to a taxi driver and explained where we wanted to go. We hopped in and headed into the surrounding hills in search of our destination. The village of Malo Grablje has been uninhabited since the 1960's. Everyone, including some buried folks, were relocated to Milna as they felt it was a nicer place to live. No one sold their homes, they just left the stone buildings and walked away.
The restaurant Stori Komin is run by Berti Tudor, the grandson of the first person to relocate away from the village, in the old house he use to live in. There are only a handful of tables, all outside on a covered terrace with gorgeous views of the surrounding hills.
They called us a taxi when we were done and Aaron and I just made the last water taxi back to Palmižana. Roko stayed to hang with friends in town. It was such a fun night, and Hvar is such a beautiful spot. One thing to know on Hvar is that pretty much everything is cash only. Even nicer restaurants. And we didn't see that many ATMs so come prepared!
We were so happy the sun had finally come out and it looked like the nice weather was going to continue. In the morning we were off for another island!
All photos from the Dalmatian Coast cruise here.
Other posts from this trip:
Eat, Drink, Dubrovnik
Lokrum Day Trip
24 Hours in Bosnia and Herzegovina
