Are you thinking about a peaceful holiday in Croatia, but picturing a crowded beach in Makarska and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it? Then you can calmly forget about that. If you want to relax from civilization on your holiday, read on, we have a tip for a few bays with robinsonades on the island of Hvar. We have explored all these bays. The village of Bogomolje and its bays are a matter of the heart for us. We succumbed to the charm of these bays so much that we came here for 10 years and more often than just for summer holidays. It's a place where time has somewhat stopped. Even tourist guides overlook this part of the island.
Resorts on the island of Hvar
The island of Hvar is crossed from east to west by a single asphalt road. In the western part of the island, there are well-known towns such as Hvar, Stari Grad, Vrboska, and Jelsa. These are the only larger resorts on the island. In the east, there is the port resort of Sućuraj, where a ferry from the mainland operates. Between Jelsa and Sućuraj, a few small villages are scattered. Some of them have already succumbed to the exodus of young people seeking work on the mainland and have become abandoned settlements. It's a pity to see those decaying buildings. One of the villages that has so far managed to maintain a certain, albeit sleepy, pace of life is the picturesque village of Bogomolje.
The village of Bogomolje
The village consists of several houses scattered along the road, a post office, a church with a cemetery, and a shop in a small square. The shop also serves as a kind of information center for those heading to the bays and unfamiliar with the way. It's also a place where locals meet and sit together during the day. Imagine a hot summer day, cicadas chirping, the air shimmering and smelling of the sea, lavender, and dust from the roads, and you're sitting on a bench in front of the shop, in the center of all the action, sipping your chilled beer. Time lazily rolls by like waves on the sea on a hot afternoon, and you're observing the local color. On the benches around you, old-timers discuss important points of local life and engage in philosophical debates on various topics, including politics. They sip beer and smoke. Occasionally, a tourist arrives to buy essentials. Soon, Zvonko, the owner of one of the robinsonades, arrives, transporting a live goat in his car today. Then some lost tourists arrive, asking in the shop for directions to the bay. Meanwhile, Ante is upset that tourists broke his bed, and Ivo vividly describes how guests once clogged his toilet pipe with a cream lid. And so it goes on and on until you realize you've had enough beer and still need to get back to your accommodation in the bay.
Dance parties
Bogomolje is the closest civilization to the bays that cut into the sea below the village. There is no restaurant here. The only entertainment consists of regular summer dance evenings – Bogomoljske ljetne večeri, which are village parties with live music, small refreshments, and a raffle. That is, they were, until 2016. The following year, unfortunately, the organizers disagreed on how the dances should continue and, as often happens, stopped organizing them. It's a great shame because it was a pleasant diversion. Occasionally, a tourist would even venture there. It was here that we met many local residents. The dance floor was often very full, and dancing sometimes lasted until the early morning hours. It should be noted that the locals felt honored if tourists attended the dance. Since then, they have managed to organize at least one outdoor party per summer at the "balote" court. This is a local sport close to their hearts; you must try it. Local champion Miro Rudan will be a formidable opponent and will certainly not refuse a challenge to play. However, he will probably be one of the main players in the ongoing tournament during the party. In addition, there is live music, and plenty to eat and drink. Everyone tries hard to organize the party, and everyone lends a hand.
The road to the bays with robinsonades
The asphalt road from the village continues towards the sea to individual bays cut off from the world. From this road, you then turn onto a macadam road, and from there, you descend further into the individual bays, until the road ends in the last bay – Solotiša bay. Apart from locals and accommodated tourists, few people visit here, occasionally a lost tourist looking for the way. A few years ago, there were only modest fishing houses without electricity or water, accessible only by a footpath. Local people have converted the original fishing houses into apartments and rent them out. The bays on the northern side have been electrified, but the bays on the southern side have not yet. On the southern side, solar energy is still used. It must be said that thanks to modern solar accumulators and other technology, solar energy no longer poses any problem today, and electricity is available all day. However, not every house has this modern equipment, so it can happen that you will be without electricity in cloudy weather. What one person sees as romance or the challenge of a Robinson Crusoe experience, another might find off-putting – it always pays to find out this information in advance. It also pays to find out how many houses there are in total in the bay. In some places, there is only one, and you will be alone there; in others, there might be four, meaning more people on the beach. But forget about a crowded Makarska beach.
How the Robinson Crusoe houses came to be
The owner of the small shop in Bogomolje, Mr. Ivo, told us how difficult it was to rebuild the fishing houses at a time when there was no road leading to the bays, and all building materials had to be carried from the village on foot, or, in a better case, transported by sea. For a better idea – the walk from the last bay, Solotiša, to the village of Bogomolje took us more than an hour. The renting of houses in the bays started slowly, and the Slovenians are to thank for it. They were the first guests about 30 years ago who visited here (some reportedly by mistake) and were looking for accommodation. At that time, the houses were not yet adapted into apartments, so the locals accommodated them in their own homes and gradually seized the opportunity to build apartments. In some houses, the owners still live there (check this in advance), but most live in a house in the village, or on the mainland, and only come to the bay when tourists are staying. Thus, you can find bays with a single house where the owner does not live, and you will be completely alone, for example, in Vela Pogorila bay or Divja Vela bay, which is closer to Sućuraj but can only be reached by boat. There is simply no road here.
Order bread, otherwise you'll be hungry
What we appreciated most here was the atmosphere of the place and the nature of the local people. It was as if this village and the nearby bays weren't even on the map. The hustle and bustle of the modern world haven't reached here. Yet. Even bread has to be ordered a day in advance; you won't buy it in the shop. Locals make a living from agriculture, fishing, and tourism. They are kind and friendly people who welcome you with a smile. Here we got to know the true Hvar nature, so different from the people in the busier towns on the island. It is predominantly an older generation, as young people leave for the mainland for work. Many here grow olives and produce olive oil from them (some still according to old original recipes and methods – e.g., Mr. Josip in Bristova bay or Mr. Miro in Solotiša bay), which can be purchased from the locals. Many of them also cultivate lavender and produce lavender oil. Of course, homemade brandies (travarica, rakija, mrtina, orahovica) or even honey can also be bought here. On the way to the bay, you just need to stop by a fig tree and pick fresh figs. Rosemary grows everywhere, here and there almond trees, and some lemon trees too. The island has a lot to offer.
When you miss civilization
When you crave a change, you can drive to the pleasant, peaceful town of Jelsa, where there are grocery stores, restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops. Jelsa is about 30 km from Bogomolje. Or perhaps to Sućuraj, which also has a shop, cafe, and restaurant. But we usually didn't feel like going to town; we enjoyed the desired peace. Anyone who experiences the captivating atmosphere of Hvar's bays and gets to know the local people once cannot help but keep coming back.
