Reviewed by Jane Foster
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LA VILLA - REVIEW
Scattered in turquoise seas off Dubrovnik, Lopud is one of the largest of the gorgeous, green Elafiti islands. The only settlement unfolds as you enter a deep bay, guarded by a small Gothic-Renaissance chapel. With just 220 inhabitants and no cars, this village of stone cottages, towering palm trees and an abandoned Franciscan monastery was once a summer bolthole for Dubrovnik aristocrats.
Today, it appeals to young professionals who want a back-to-nature escape among some of the loveliest seascapes in the world. And where better than this 16th-century stone villa, set in smart gardens right by the sea? Above the ground-floor lounge, with its library and internet corner, are 8 spacious, white-washed rooms, stylishly furnished with wicker chaise-longues and splashes of colour from Indian cotton bedcovers and brightly mosaic'd bathrooms. From the seafront, a path leads across the island through herb-scented Mediterranean vegetation to one of Croatia’s rare sand beaches set in a blissful bay. |
