April 16, 2019 – Hvar Town’s luxury and heritage credentials are growing by the day. Inside the new Palace Hotel Elisabeth, heritage hvar hotel.
It has been a while since I visited Hvar Town, a place I used to know well during my 13 years living on the island.
It is a destination which has been through various phases in recent years, and one which is showing signs of returning to its core strengths as an elite destination with a strong heritage story at its core.
As previously reported, May 1 will finally see the reopening of the oldest public theatre in Europe, built in 1612, when it opens its doors for its first performance after its decade-long renovation.
One floor below the theatre, the imposing and majestic Arsenal building, which guards entrance to Hvar’s magnificent main square (the largest in all Dalmatia at 4,700 m2), will also reopen after its own upgrade.
Across the square, the first ever 5-star hotel will open this summer, as Palace Elisabeth, heritage hvar hotel will raise the standard of accommodation on the island, following its total overhaul at an estimated 300,000 euro a room, making it one of the most expensive renovations by room in Croatia’s history. The fact that the hotel stands on the spot where organised tourism in Europe began back in 1868 adds one more piece to Hvar’s impressive heritage jigsaw.
I had a very productive working breakfast with the new Hvar Tourist Board director and a representative from Suncani Hvar, during which we discussed the direction of tourism in this gorgeous town. And it was very reassuring to hear of what seems to have been a change of course, with more emphasis on quality tourism than has been the case in recent years. Change will not happen overnight, of course, but it seems that some important fundamentals are being put in place in terms of strategy.
And there is no doubt that the focus of Suncani Hvar Hotels to raise the bar in terms of quality is adding a level of quality to this new direction. A view from the Penthouse Suite on the top floor of Hotel Adriana above shows just what is possible in the centre of town.
I will do an extended blog on the luxury hotel offer at Suncani Hvar in the coming weeks, but this was a view to beat all views to wake up to in the morning.
But perhaps those views will be beaten by the new-look Palace Elisabeth, which has just been added to the ‘Leading Hotels of the World’ group, becoming only the fifth hotel in Croatia to do so.
With a combination of heritage and luxury at its core, Palace Elisabeth, heritage hvar hotel, is set to raise the level of hotel accommodation on the island. These image renditions of the final product have been released by Suncani Hvar today, giving the first insights into how the hotel will look.
Plenty of great spots for a little relaxed sun worship, but the views from the luxury suites on the top floor towards the fabled Pakleni Islands will rival that spectacular penthouse view from the Adriana, above.
Another layer of luxury, another layer of heritage.
With so much quality coming online in 2019, and with such a focus on heritage, culture and heritage, are the good times returning to this elite destination? The noises being made are increasingly the right ones, and the projects being realised certainly point to that direction.
And when you coming this new direction and Hvar’s fantastic holiday offer with clear waters like this from your penthouse suite, why would you holiday anywhere else?
A very inspiring visit, and we will be focusing a little more closely on the subtle changes coming to Hvar Town in the coming months, but all the signs are looking great for 2019. Learn more about the new luxury heritage hotel on the block on the Suncani Hvar website.
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