SHORT BREAKS CROATIA DESTINATIONS


of the seven wineries in the village. The three largest, Bire, Zure and Popic, don’t require appointments – just turn up for tastings of grk and the robust red, plavac mali, also made there.


To explore the rest of the island, holidaymakers will need to hire a car or a scooter, especially if they want to visit the beautiful beaches that are tucked into the deep coves of the southern


coast. The island’s main artery, the D118, leads to the village of Pupnat, the oldest in Korcula. Lunch at the rustic little Konoba Mate restaurant is worth booking, especially after a morning spent at the gorgeous pebbly beach at Pupnatska Luka. Carry on further west to the village of Smokvica, which, along with Cara, is the centre of the production of posip, a floral white wine whose vineyards dominate the centre of the island. Snorkellers will want to check out the small, secluded pebbly beach at Zitna, near the village of Zavalatica. Holidaymakers arriving from Split will dock in the port of Vela Luka, at the westernmost end of the island. Although it’s Korcula’s largest town, it doesn’t have the same flow of tourists – but its western location gives it some stupendous sunsets. Fishing and olive oil production keep it busy,


as does the Vela Spila cave in the olive groves above the town. This eerie limestone cavity looks like something out of Indiana Jones, and archaeological digs continually reveal more treasures.


w STAY: SEASIDE CHIC The luxury boom that has been spreading along Croatia’s coast and some of the islands has been slow in reaching Korcula. While there is a smattering of high-end hotels, most are comfortably mid- range. The most luxurious option in Korcula Town is the Lesic Dimitri Palace, a sumptuous, exquisitely designed residence of five suites in an 18th-century bishop’s palace. Each suite has an exotic theme – Arabian, Indian, Venetian among them – as well as fitted kitchens. Less than a 10-minute walk


from Korcula Town’s historic centre is the boutique Hotel Korsal, an elegant four-star with only 18 rooms. Set within


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PICTURES: CNTB/DAVOR ROSTUHAR; STUDIO GOBBO; ADAM BATTERBEE


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