Perhaps the best holiday house in Croatia

After about five years in progress, construction of my vacation house, Nine Olives Hvar, on the edge of beautiful Stari Grad, on the magical island of Hvar, is complete. Furnishing and snagging is taking place in May. I am taking bookings from late June 2024 onwards.
I live in England. I was joint owner of a house in Stari Grad for 12 years. I liked it so much there that, when we sold that house, I started looking for the best site in the town to build a perfect holiday home. Nine Olives Hvar is the result.
I have, working with architects Morpharos, carefully designed it to be a perfect holiday house for extended families and groups of friends. It has been built by an excellent local construction company with great attention to detail. We have combined ultra-modern design with respect for local tradition, especially dry stone walling on the outside.
It has five bedrooms, all on the ground floor. They each open onto the spacious loggia (a veranda inside the body of a house).
There are four large main bedrooms, each of the same size. They each have a direct view of the sea through large French windows. One has a second large window looking into the garden. Each has two beds which can either be pushed together to be a double bed or separated to be twin beds, facing the window so that guests can gaze out to the wonderful view from their beds.
Each room has an ensuite shower / toilet with two purpose designed and constructed hand basins, and fitted wardrobe.
One of the four main bedrooms is a suite with an additional room with two single beds. It is designed with families with young kids in mind. The second bedroom in the suite can be entered without passing through the main bedroom so it can also be used as a comfortable fifth bedroom by adult parties.
A separate bathroom (i.e. with bathtub rather than shower, plus toilet) is shared by all rooms. There is also a secluded al fresco shower, with hot and cold water, in the garden. The ground floor will also have a laundry room.
The loggia, overlooking the swimming pool, will have easy chairs. It will be in the shade for much of the day. There will be recliners around the pool.
The living areas are in the chapel-style structure above the bedrooms. It is a beautiful space, double height for about a third of the area. The sea-facing side is entirely glazed. It is accessed through both an inside and outside stair.
The lower section of the upper area has an open plan kitchen and dining area, with a round table seating 10 that looks out over the sea. Guests will be able to watch the many yachts and other boats that come in and out of Stari Grad harbour.
The kitchen has a large oven, fridge, dishwasher, microwave and island preparation table. It is fully equipped.
A spiral staircase leads up to a mezzanine lounge with chairs facing the sea. The neighbouring island of Brac is visible from there.
There are floor to ceiling sliding windows at both levels of the upper area. The house faces directly west towards the sunset. The sun sets over the sea from late May to late July.
With the sun rising from the opposite side of the house, the blues and greens in the morning view towards the sea are, typically, deep and sharp.
There are French doors from the kitchen to the roof terraces on either side. Both offer fantastic views. The smaller roof terrace will often be in shade and the larger will be in the sun. The larger terrace has a gazebo providing shade, with a table seating 10. It also has 10 reclining chairs for watching the sunset with sundowner in hand. The outside stair leads from there to the swimming pool.
The swimming pool is directly in front of the loggia, with the neighbouring olive grove in the background. It will be in the sun for most of the day. The water is treated by hydrolysis, with no chemicals. It has shelves designed for comfortable sitting in the water to read or chat. It is heated, although that is only needed before May and after October. There will be a pool cover for avoiding heat loss in early spring and late autumn, but can be used as a safety precaution if there are young children.
The garden has been designed by a local landscape designer in Mediterranean style. It will have some large shade trees, although it will take a few years for them to mature. There are 12 olive trees dotted around the plot already. There is an outdoor dining table in the garden seating 10 and a barbeque.
The house is designed to be naturally cool. It has been well insulated and most of the windows are not exposed to the sun except in the late afternoon. The French windows along the front of the house open to the sea breeze, which normally blows in the afternoon. The bedroom windows will have insect nets so that they can be open overnight without disturbance from bugs.
All rooms have ceiling fans, if a little assistance with cooling is needed. The whole house is fully air conditioning if the fans do not suffice.
Solar panels on the roof will provide off-grid energy.
The house is short walk from Lanterna beach, a beautiful pine tree-surrounded cove with a pebble beach, sunbathing platform, lovely swimming and a beautiful beach bar (open seasonally).
Sandy Maslinica beach is less than 2km away via a beautiful coastal path.
Nine Olives Hvar holiday house is on the edge of Stari Grad, which is one of the oldest towns in all of Europe, founded 384BC It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town is strung out along the side of its harbour, with traffic free quays on both sides. The car-free walk along the harbourside from the house to the town centre is beautiful. It is about 600m to the main square.
Cycling is a delight for all ages and abilities, whether simply along the quayside or further afield into the stunning countryside. There is an excellent selection of waymarked routes.
There are innumerable boats of different shapes and sizes moored in Stari Grad harbour and there is always activity on the water. Small boats and sailing dinghies can be hired.
The stone-built old town has winding narrow alleys and hidden squares, with numerous ancient churches. It is car-free and children love playing in it. The main square is overlooked by the Renaissance-era summer home of poet Petar Hektorović, Croatia’s Shakespeare. It has a fish pond that is iconic in Croatia. There are many restaurants, bars, coffee shops and ice cream shops to choose from. A small but pleasant park has a children’s play area and outdoor gym.
All of Hvar's outstanding attractions are within easy reach.
It is easy to get to Nine Olives Hvar Most people fly to Split and take a ferry, which goes 5 times a day for most of the year. The ferry port is 800m from the house. You can. alternatively, take a taxi boat direct from Split Airport (which is by the sea). It is easy to have a look around Split old town, a fascinating World Heritage site, en route.
I can promise you a great time. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions. I am normally able to reply quickly and happy to do so.
David Geddes