The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Already done Dubrovnik? Try its quieter neighbour
The medieval city is truly magnificent, but so is up-and-coming Cavtat, says Jane Foster
Rising from the Adriatic on a tiny peninsula, clad with old stone houses and fragrant pinewoods, Cavtat is yet another Dalmatian wonder. With a deep blue bay to each side offering safe anchorage, this sheltered harbour town was founded by the ancient Greeks in the sixth century BC and named Epidaurus.
This makes it considerably older than Dubrovnik, which lies 13 miles up the coast. Through summer, the two are connected by a shuttle boat and the 45-minute ride over sparkling waters is a joy in itself. In fact, it is often shorter, and infinitely more enjoyable, than the bus ride from Lapad peninsula (where many of Dubrovnik’s hotels are located) to the walled city.
But other than proximity to Dubrovnik, which can heave with tourists, especially when cruise ships have docked, what does diminutive Cavtat have to offer? There’s its delightful old town – think a palmlined seafront promenade, stepped alleys and quaint stone villas clad in wisteria and bougainvillaea – with plenty to absorb art history lovers. It’s also the gateway to the Konavle Valley, where you’ll find unspoilt rural villages, agrotourism eateries, lush vineyards and a network of hiking paths.
If you’re looking for a slick hideaway, the newly renovated Hotel Supetar (doubles from £470 in high season; 00385 21 479 833; adriaticluxuryhotels. com), occupying an elegant 1920s stone building on the seafront, is where to stay. This heritage boutique property has 16 rooms with wooden floors, funky patterned wallpaper, summery pastel-coloured fabrics and plush bathrooms. There’s a secluded raised garden with palms and a small infinity pool, a lounge-bar serving cocktails, and openair dining – look out for the Konavle Highlights menu, featuring traditional local specialities such as risotto with clams, samphire and sea urchin, and stuffed quail. A swanky wine bar offers guided tastings in which you can learn about Konavle’s white Dubrovacka Malvazija.
From the hotel, a lovely waterside path runs the full perimeter of Cavtat’s wooded peninsula. It makes a dreamy walk, shaded by magnificent Aleppo pines (contorted into curvaceous shapes by fierce winter winds), passing a succession of pebble coves giving onto turquoise waters, and rocky outcrops dotted with agave and cacti. Look out for Little Star (beachbarlittlestar. com), a makeshift beach bar built into the rocks, from where you might have a quick dip and a cold beer, and maybe return later for an orangey-purple sunset.
If you follow a path up to the highest point on the peninsula, you’ll arrive at the cemetery, home to the noble Racic Mausoleum (migk.hr/en/museums/racic-mausoleum) by Ivan Mestrovic (18831962), Croatia’s most esteemed modern sculptor. Designed for the Racic family in 1922, it’s built of white stone, and based on an octagonal plan with a domed ceiling and a central cupola to let in light. The main portal is supported by two caryatids, stylised as angels, while the bell above the cupola is engraved: “Know the mystery of love and thou shalt solve the mystery of death and believe that life is eternal.”
Many believe that Marija Racic and Mestrovic were lovers.
Returning to town, step back in time at the old-fashioned Bukovac House (migk.hr/en/museums/house-bukovac). Vlaho Bukovac (1855-1922) is one of Croatia’s best-known painters, and this 18th-century stone house was his childhood home. On the lower floor, see the rooms he frescoed in vibrant colours at the tender age of 16, then upstairs, in his former atelier, check out his later works, including portraits and religious pieces. Bukovac trained in Paris and spent several years in London, Liverpool and Harrogate, where he garnered considerable favour, painting portly British aristocrats.
Back on the seafront, where yachts moor up in the early evening and locals play water polo (Cavtat has a proud history of producing many national team players), Bugenvila (bugenvila.online/ home) is a fine choice for dinner. The menu changes with the seasons – expect beautifully presented creative Mediterranean dishes, such as tuna carpaccio, shrimp tempura or ovenbaked sea bream, and divine homemade sorbets.
From Bugenvila’s terrace, across the bay you can see the white concrete Hotel Croatia Cavtat (doubles from £300 in high season; Tel: 00385 21 475 555; adriaticluxuryhotels.com) emerging from a huddle of pines and cypresses on its own rocky peninsula. It has the same owners as Hotel Supetar and featured in the MoMA exhibition Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia in New York in 2018.
There’s plenty on offer for sporty types too. You might join a three-hour sea kayaking tour along the coast with Sea Kayaking Cavtat (sea-kayakingcavtat.com) or take a scuba diving class with Cavtat Diving (cavtat-diving.com/ diving) to explore a vast underwater archaeological site scattered with ancient amphorae. Or, for a lazy waterside escape, catch a taxi-boat to rustic-chic St Pietro (stpietro-dubrovnik. com) on the tiny uninhabited islet of Supetar. There are sunbeds on a stone terrace and hammocks in the trees, but best of all are the wooden cabanas, with thatched roofs and white chiffon drapes (reservations essential). You can indulge in fresh fish or aged steaks at their restaurant, or opt for finger-food and cocktails at the lounge bar.
If you’re around for longer, you should definitely head southeast into the Konavle Valley. Start with a visit to Crvik Winery (crvik-wine.com) in Komaji, to taste its award-winning wines. Konavle was for centuries known for the Dubrovacka malvasija grape, which makes a dry white fruity wine, first recorded in 1424. In recent times, almost forgotten, it was revived and saved from extinction by Crvik – here you can taste four different wines from it.
Nearby in Gruda, AR Atelier (antoniaruskovic.com) is a quirky shopping venue. Thanks to an abundance of mulberry trees, Konavle has a centuries-old tradition of producing silk, which was used in local folk costumes. By appointment the atelier stages demonstrations of how this precious yarn is made by silkworms and woven to create fine smooth fabric. You can buy silk scarves to bring home, as well as charming hand-painted ceramic bowls, jugs and mugs.
History buffs might venture deeper into the valley, to the 15th-century Sokol Fortress (citywallsdubrovnik. hr/sokol-fortress), constructed into a rocky cliffside and rimmed by cypresses. Climb up to the ramparts, lined with canons, for wide views over the surrounding landscape – Sokol was built to protect the Republic of Ragusa (as Dubrovnik was then known) from marauders and as a place of refuge for locals in case of attack.
From here, follow a narrow country road through the heart of the valley, to arrive at rustic Konavoski Komin (restaurantkonavoskikomin.com) for a feast of authentic local home-cooking. In an old stone farmhouse, with a big open fireplace and outdoor seating in summer, you can taste homemade cheeses and prsut (similar to Italian prosciutto), and try lamb prepared under a peka (an iron dome, which is covered in glowing embers to slowcook meat casseroles).
It might be small, but this Croatian seaside town is certainly mighty. Just get there before everyone else finds out about it.
EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Dubrovnik (the airport lies just four miles from Cavtat) from London Gatwick,
Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh, from £29. For more information, see visit.cavtat-konavle.com