Jadrolinija Ferry to Hvar Island
The next day, May 31, 2010, we boarded the Jadrolinija Ferry in Split to Hvar Island. We caught the 2:00pm ferry and the tickets were 22KN/person. We were surprised when the return tickets from Hvar to Split were 47KN/person for the 1:45pm ferry. The lady at the ticket office explained that the ferry we took to get to the island was less expensive, since it was meant for residents of the island to go to the mainland for shopping and doctor’s appointments. The 1:45pm ferry we were taking back was meant for tourists, and so more expensive. Be sure to check the current ferry schedule, as it varies throughout the year.
On Hvar Island we stayed in Hvar Town, which is where the Jadrolinija Ferry takes you. We never ventured around the island to the Stari Grad, but you can get there by bus. There are more accommodations and things to do in Hvar Town. We heard that the Stari Grad is a sleepy town with not much going on. Hvar Town is also near the Pakleni islands archipelago where people like to go sun bathing and kayaking, but we didn’t make it out that way, either.
We had been looking forward to a relaxing time on Hvar Island for quite a while. It is a beautiful island, but unfortunately, the weather was unseasonably cold. The tourist season usually starts at the beginning of May, but due to the cool weather, even at the end of May and beginning of June the tourist season hadn’t kicked in. Instead of spending our days swimming and lounging on the beach as expected, we spent part of the time working on our laptops in the very nice apartment which we rented.
Iris Doris Apartments
We rented an apartment for four days at the new Iris Doris Apartments, which are located about a ten minute walk up hill from the center of Hvar Town. They’ll come pick you up when your ferry arrives and drive you up to the apartments, so you don’t have to carry your bags up the hill. The apartment we stayed in was nicely decorated and spotless. It had a bedroom with TV and internet, bathroom, kitchen, and balcony. The sisters, Iris and Doris, who run the place are very accommodating. The only disappointment with our apartment was that it didn’t have a sea view, as expected. Only some of the apartments look out towards the water, while our balcony looked out on a partially constructed building. We highly recommend Iris Doris Apartments! If you rent an apartment you can save money by shopping at the Konzum Market in Hvar Town and cooking for yourself. It was a pleasant change for us to eat in, and there was even a small oven for baking strudel!
Around Hvar Island
Sometimes it would rain part of the day, so as soon as it cleared up we’d head out for a walk to explore the island.
The water around Hvar Island and in the whole region is super clear! You can see right down to the rocks. Just watch out for the sea urchins! We only waded, since the water was a bit chilly for our tastes.
More about the fortress in the next post!
Their concept of a “beach” is not quite the same as what we think of ;). Any outcropping of rocks near the water count as a beach. Although there is a pebbly beach near a luxury hotel, which you can reach if you walk West from Hvar town.
More about Hvar Island in our next post about hiking to the fortress…