The Dalmatian Coast, Croatia | Travel + Leisure

The Dalmatian Coast, Croatia

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Driving south to north, you'll find stylish hotels and sophisticated food and wine. By Valerie Stivers-Isakova

Day 1 Airport to Dubrovnik, via Ljuta (25 miles, 1 1/2 hours)

If you can, try to arrange to land in Dubrovnik in the late morning with a healthy appetite.

• Where to Eat Before beginning the northern drive, swing six miles south to Konavoski Dvori, in the village of Ljuta (385-20/791-039; lunch for two $55) for the coast's best smoked ham, and fresh, mild cheese served in homemade olive oil. Trout comes straight from a nearby pond, and the country-style kitchen is in an old mill with outdoor tables on the banks of a mountain stream. The restaurant attracts local power brokers and vacationing oligarchs, so you'll want to book ahead. A path behind Konavoski Dvori follows the river upstream to an old waterwheel; it's the perfect post-prandial stroll before beginning the 19-mile trip north to Dubrovnik.

• Where to Stay Until recently, most of the area's top hotels tended to be swaddled in staid carpets and drapes. For a hit of modernity, go 10 minutes north of Dubrovnik's Old Town to Dubrovnik Palace Hotel (20 Masarykov Put; 385-20/430-000; dubrovnikpalace.hr; doubles from $470), which has a white minimalist lobby with panoramic views of the Adriatic Sea and the forested Lapad peninsula. The 308-room hotel cascades down the cliff face to stone-and-concrete platforms with ladders leading straight into the splashing sea.

• Where to Go Out Right across the street from Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, pick up local bus No. 4, which leaves for Old Town every 20 minutes (buy a $2 ticket at the reception desk). At sunset, head to a bar known informally as Buza (Iza Mira St.; no phone). A sign with an arrow reading Cold Drinks With The Most Beautiful View points up a terraced street to the bar, composed of a series of tiny footholds in the cliff. Be careful: you're only shielded from the drop-off by a thin iron railing.

Day 1 Dubrovnik to Hvar town (132 miles, 3 hours)

The 8-E65, an old two-lane highway, clings to the curves of the karst hills. Arid gray mountains appear beyond the passenger's window. Out the driver's side, there are low-shouldered islands in the sea.

• Worth the Detour At Drvenik, 80 miles up the road, car ferries depart hourly in the summer for the 30-minute trip to the island of Hvar (jadrolinija.hr; $2 per person; $16 per car). It's smart to show up early because the ferries fill up (there are no reservations). After you land in Suc´uraj, take Route 116 into Hvar town—an exhilarating hour-long drive full of hairpin bends, with sea views on either side.

• Where to Stay Right on the yacht basin in Hvar's Old Town you'll find the Riva Hvar Yacht Harbor Hotel (385-21/750-100; suncanihvar.com/riva; doubles from $270), a century-old stone house. Matisse-like murals of nude, silhouetted swimmers hang in the corridors, and the 54 mostly bold-red rooms contain Modern art and Midcentury design classics.

• Don't Miss An American yoga instructor named Evening Lategano co-owns the hotel Suncokret Dream Body & Soul Retreats (St. Ana, Dol; 85-91/739-2526; suncokretdream.net) with her husband Stipe Skender, a Hvar native and informal tour guide. The couple takes students to off-the-radar sights such as promontories overlooking hidden pebble beaches for outdoor hatha yoga classes. Lategano's homemade vegan health bars and tea infusions (from her own garden) are a fitting post-class snack.

Day 3 Hvar town to Split (111 miles, 4 hours)

Take an early morning ferry back from the island of Hvar to the town of Drvenik, on the mainland. You'll want to leave plenty of time for the 60-mile-trip north along 8-E65 to Split, in the middle of the imposing Dalmatian range.

• What to Do Split, Croatia's second-largest city, has the coast's most extensive daily farmers' market. Dozens of varieties of local cheese—Goudas, fetas, hard yellow wheels—are sold beside bags of dried figs, homemade herb schnapps, and a spectrum of olive oils. Shopfront bakeries on the market's outskirts sell burek, a heavenly layered concoction of noodle-like phyllo dough stuffed with fresh, ricotta-style cheese.

• Where to Stay Jimmied into the original framework of Roman emperor Diocletian's ruined quarters, in the heart of Split's Old Town, is the Hotel Vestibul Palace (4 Iza Vestibula; 385-21/329-329; vestibulpalace.com; doubles from $325). Inside, each of the 11 rooms has understated black and taupe décor. Book No. 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, for exposed walls of original Roman stonework.

• Where to Eat Split wine distributors Marijana and Edi Ganter supplied local hotels and restaurants before opening Enoteka Terra (6 Bra´ce Kaliterna; 385-21/314-800; vinoteka.hr; dinner for two $75), a restaurant, wine shop, and tasting bar. Try Grgich Hills' light, aromatic white Posip, made from grapes grown on the island of Korcula. The full menu of dishes (try the smoked fillet of sea perch and the tuna carpaccio) provides a welcome break from the country's many anonymous tourist traps.

Local Sign Language Brace yourself; strong side winds may blow off the water

T+L Tip It's illegal to drive here without your lights on, even during the day.

Total mileage: 268

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