Croatia holidays on Lastovo Island
| country: | Croatia |
| departures: | This trip can be tailor made and depart at a time to suit between May – October |
| price: | From £465 - £699 (8 days) excluding flights, minimum 2 people |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
Lastovo Island, part of a remote archipelago in southern Dalmatia, was declared by the WWF as one of the last ten paradises in the entire Mediterranean. Closed to the outside world for much of its history, a visit to the island is a step back in time – medieval stone villages, fields still worked by hand, large expanses of untouched forest, hidden coves and beaches, and a population of barely 800 persons.
The interior of the island remains a wild, unspoilt map of karst valleys and limestone ridges, macadam roads, olive groves, footpaths, fields and orchards.
While pine, oak and carob keep most of the island green and verdant, its southern shores are dry and barren. Here the stunning bay of Skrivena Luka mirrors a landscape of rock and Mediterranean maquis, fringed in pine and sheltered by a headland reaching deep into the sea. Lastovo Village, the island’s municipal centre, is a time warp of stone villas and churches, narrow cobbled alleyways, palm trees and purple bougainvillea.
This week-long gourmet and discovery holiday is designed for travellers who would like to experience life in the slow lane, on one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful islands, in a place so uncommercial most people have never heard of it. The programme includes accommodation of your choice, a day trip by boat to the nearby island of Mrcara and an evening excursion to the lighthouse of Struga.
As in all of our holidays, food and wine play a pivotal role. Serving only what they catch in the sea and produce on their land, your hosts will prepare small banquets of grilled fish stung with lemon, anchovies drizzled in olive oil, capers, goat’s cheese and garden greens.
A private excursion and day trip will take you to the island of Mrcara, one of 46 islands in the Lastovo archipelago. Three bungalows in a clearing, a summer kitchen on the beach and a covered pergola draped in fishing nets is the extent of civilisation on this uninhabited pristine piece of paradise. The day will be yours to explore the island - a Robinson Crusoe landscape of wooded trails and clearings, panoramic lookouts, secret coves and rock-strewn beaches. Your hosts will prepare a fabulous meal - prepared and cooked on the beach – and share their stories of island life.
An evening trip to the lighthouse of Struga, overlooking the outer reaches of Lastovo’s southern coast, will include meeting the lighthouse keeper and his wife and dinner at sunset high above the twinkling lights and deepening shadows of Skrivena Luka.
Villa Klara: Villa Klara is a two-storey modern villa at the northern end of Skrivena Luka, a beautiful amphora-shaped bay on the arid, southern fringes of Lastovo Island. The villa has four self-catering apartments (one and two-bedroom), all with terraces and panoramic sea views.
A few metres from the water’s edge, the house has its own boat mooring and private sunbathing area. Shops, restaurants, market and cafes are 7 km away. A nearby taverna, within walking distance, offers traditional island specialties served on a terrace at the water’s edge.
Struga Lightouse: The lighthouse of Struga was commissioned in 1839 by the Emperor Franz Joseph. Purpose-built to command the best views of the island, the lighthouse towers 80 metres above the outer reaches of Lastovo’s sublime southern coastline. Accommodation includes two simply furnished one-bedroom apartments with newly remodelled kitchens and bathrooms. The lighthouse keepers will gladly prepare meals for their guests. Lastovo Village, the nearest place to shop and stock up on groceries, is 8 km away.
The interior of the island remains a wild, unspoilt map of karst valleys and limestone ridges, macadam roads, olive groves, footpaths, fields and orchards.
While pine, oak and carob keep most of the island green and verdant, its southern shores are dry and barren. Here the stunning bay of Skrivena Luka mirrors a landscape of rock and Mediterranean maquis, fringed in pine and sheltered by a headland reaching deep into the sea. Lastovo Village, the island’s municipal centre, is a time warp of stone villas and churches, narrow cobbled alleyways, palm trees and purple bougainvillea.
This week-long gourmet and discovery holiday is designed for travellers who would like to experience life in the slow lane, on one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful islands, in a place so uncommercial most people have never heard of it. The programme includes accommodation of your choice, a day trip by boat to the nearby island of Mrcara and an evening excursion to the lighthouse of Struga.
As in all of our holidays, food and wine play a pivotal role. Serving only what they catch in the sea and produce on their land, your hosts will prepare small banquets of grilled fish stung with lemon, anchovies drizzled in olive oil, capers, goat’s cheese and garden greens.
A private excursion and day trip will take you to the island of Mrcara, one of 46 islands in the Lastovo archipelago. Three bungalows in a clearing, a summer kitchen on the beach and a covered pergola draped in fishing nets is the extent of civilisation on this uninhabited pristine piece of paradise. The day will be yours to explore the island - a Robinson Crusoe landscape of wooded trails and clearings, panoramic lookouts, secret coves and rock-strewn beaches. Your hosts will prepare a fabulous meal - prepared and cooked on the beach – and share their stories of island life.
An evening trip to the lighthouse of Struga, overlooking the outer reaches of Lastovo’s southern coast, will include meeting the lighthouse keeper and his wife and dinner at sunset high above the twinkling lights and deepening shadows of Skrivena Luka.
accommodation
Villa Klara: Villa Klara is a two-storey modern villa at the northern end of Skrivena Luka, a beautiful amphora-shaped bay on the arid, southern fringes of Lastovo Island. The villa has four self-catering apartments (one and two-bedroom), all with terraces and panoramic sea views. A few metres from the water’s edge, the house has its own boat mooring and private sunbathing area. Shops, restaurants, market and cafes are 7 km away. A nearby taverna, within walking distance, offers traditional island specialties served on a terrace at the water’s edge.
Struga Lightouse: The lighthouse of Struga was commissioned in 1839 by the Emperor Franz Joseph. Purpose-built to command the best views of the island, the lighthouse towers 80 metres above the outer reaches of Lastovo’s sublime southern coastline. Accommodation includes two simply furnished one-bedroom apartments with newly remodelled kitchens and bathrooms. The lighthouse keepers will gladly prepare meals for their guests. Lastovo Village, the nearest place to shop and stock up on groceries, is 8 km away.tailormade holidays
As this trip can be tailormade to your requirements it would be helpful if you could you provide the following information: Rough budget per person (without flights), preferred date of travel, length of trip, number of passengers, specific interests, type of accommodation, your address, postcode and contact phone number.how this holiday makes a difference
|
Lastovo Island has been designated by the WWF as one of the last ten paradises in the entire Mediterranean. This programme specifically aims to promote responsible tourism by supporting local endeavours involving eco-tourism and the private hospitality-accommodation sector. Our excursion to the island of Mrcara is a direct contribution towards the sustainable development and preservation of a unique natural habitat, rich in marine and plant biodiversity.
Because this holiday is designed for couples and small groups of independent travellers, its impact on the natural resources and sensitive eco-regions of this near-pristine archipelago is minimal. Meeting your hosts and learning about their culture is a fundamental premise of all our holidays. Your hosts and guides on Lastovo are local people we have partnered with whose families have lived for generations in the area. Sharing their knowledge and stories with our guests gives them a more personal, insider's experience of Croatia. Our excursions to the lighthouse and island of Mrcara support and preserve authentic cultural and culinary traditions. All of the food and drink is produced locally, fished from the sea that morning, grown in the hosts’ own gardens or raised on smallholdings. Homemade wine and brandies and other local specialties may often be purchased directly from your hosts. This holiday offers guests a choice of accommodation – Klara Apartments on Skrivena Luka or the lighthouse of Struga. Klara Apartments is owned and managed by a local couple. Your hosts at the lighthouse are the lighthouse keeper and his wife. All are interested in sharing their knowledge of the island’s history, culture and traditions with their guests. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |