Sarah Siese spends 48 hours revelling in the delights of Dubrovnik
Y
OU don’t have to be a Game Of
Thrones fan to appreciate the medi-
eval magic of Dubrovnik – the set-
ting for much of the TV series – but
the dramatic connection did seem to
delight a surprising number of grown
men I saw brandishing toy swords around the
city’s Jesuit Stairs.
In real life, the Croatian coastal city has also seen
more than its fair share of violent drama – Crusad-
ers, Slavs, pirates and, in 1991, the Yugoslav Peo-
ple’s Army have all tried to make it their own.
Residents are resilient, generous hosts and the
area’s pristine Dalmatian shoreline is a real gem,
with water so clear you can often see to depths
of 50ft or more. Here’s how to make the most of
the unique city in just 48 hours.
DAY ONE
Morning
CHIll out first, with a pre-breakfast swim just
steps from your room in Dubrovnik’s most scenic
hotel, the newly refurbished Hotel Bellevue
(adriaticluxuryhotels.com/en/hotel-bellevue-
dubrovnik). Rooms overlook the marbled Dalma-
tian coast of the Adriatic Sea and it’s hard to
believe that Dubrovnik’s protected city walls are
just a ten-minute stroll away.
Then head off to the hilly Milos vineyards
(milos.hr), 45 minutes away between Prapratno
cove and Ponikve village. The area’s signature
white grape, Malvasia (think sauvignon blanc),
suggests honey and apple skins, and the wine
is made using the Slovenian method of macer-
ating the grape skins in their own juice.
DRIPPING
WITH
HISTORY:
Limestone-
paved
Stradun
main street
is the heart
of the
stunning
Old TownDRAMATIC VISTA:
The walled city
of DubrovnikSHUTTERSTOCKDalmatian
sensation!
Lunch anD
af ternoon
NeARbY Ston is well worth a visit.
Its impressive 15th Century walls are
the longest in europe and were built
to protect the town’s precious salt
pans and oyster beds.
To get there, hire a car for the
day or take one of the many excur-
sions from Dubrovnik. In Ston, take a
boat from the harbour to one of the
oyster farms (malistonoysters.com
from £36, minimum two people).
Oysters need a specific balance of
sea and freshwater and are grown
on long sheets of plastic netting, then
painstakingly glued to individual
lines with cement.
enjoy a relaxed lunch of oysters
(what else!). The locally grown ones
are reputedly the meatiest on the
Dalmatian coast, and go down a treat
seasoned with local sea salt flakes
and dressed with a squirt of lemon
picked straight from the tree and a
dash of local olive oil.
evening
ONCe the daytime temperatures
have abated back in Dubrovnik,
take the cable car to the summit of
the 1,350ft Mount Srd, a key
battleground during the 1990s Yugo-
slav civil war (dubrovnikcablecar.
com, £20). From here, the fortified
city looks like a lego scale model
with rigid grids clearly marked and
the islands of lokrum and elafiti
filling the horizon.
Having descended, stroll around
the stone-built city, one of the most
beautiful in the world.
An important maritime port and a
one-time state, it has always been
a cultural metropolis attracting art-
ists, writers and scientists whose
works are woven into the texture
of the town.
The city wall takes an hour to circum-
navigate with various museums along
the way. Paved with limestone, the
pedestrianised Stradun – the main
street in the Old Town – is lined with
shops and restaurants. Pop into the
Dominican monastery (dubrovnikcity.
com), off a narrow passageway behind
the Sponza Palace – it was built in 1301
against the city wall to strengthen its
north-eastern flank, and visitors flock
to its pharmacy to buy a prized pot of
krema od ruza (cream of roses). end
your walk at dusk, when aerobatic
swifts flock to the main square oblig-
ingly eating all the mosquitoes, andstep across to Posat (^) for a fine-dining
experience (posat-dubrovnik.com).
Mains start from £22, with a three-
course meal about £42pp.
DAY TWO
Morning
OF MORe than a thousand islands
along this coast, only 40 are inhabited
and all beaches are public. Take a ten-
getting
there
Double rooms at the Hotel
Bellevue start from £300 per
night (adriatic luxuryhotels.
com). Return flights from
Gatwick to Dubrovnik with
British Airways (ba.com)
start from £83.
minute taxi ride to the port for a
boat trip around the Elafiti Islands,
an archipelago of 13 lovely islands
(als.gva.hr/services, from £650 for
a private yacht for six). Stop for a
sumptuous five-course lunch and
siesta on the island of Sipan in
your own cabana at Bowa (bowa-
dubrovnik.com) before returning
across the placid seas.
afternoon
AFTeR returning in the late
afternoon, book a pre-dinner wine
tasting with the hotel’s Vapor
restaurant sommelier (£27pp)
to explore more wines created
from the region’s 25 indigenous
grapes. The one that really stood
out was Krauthaker Kuvlakhe,
a native, smoky-tasting orange-
wine matured in old barrels
(£28 a bottle).
evening
STAY in the Vapor, one of just
ten Michelin-starred restaurants
in Dubrovnik, with an excellent
four-course tasting menu (£47pp)
that puts the region on a plate.
Then relax. Above all, the art
of doing nothing is an actual
thing on the Dalmatian coast and
even has its own term: being in
a fjaka mood is well respected
by everyone.
It’s a sort of chilled-out state
that allows one to reset and
recharge. So, however busy you
are, make sure you take some
time out and enjoy a healthy ser-
ving of fjaka.
September 1 • 2019 The Mail on Sunday^ Holidays 71