Review Villa Marijana – Bol Town, Brac Island, Croatia
When planning our trip to Croatia we always knew that a twin centre was going to be the way forward. The hubby and I had had Dubrovnik on our must-see list for a long time so that was a certainty but with a 5 turning 6-year-old (whilst we were away) in tow and after a long time working without a break we knew we just wanted some downtime and not to be chasing all the sights.
So, we decided that a 3-day city break (read about that here) and then a week on one of Croatia’s Islands was the way to go. After a bit of research as well as acquired travel knowledge we decided on Brac Island and more specifically the town of Bol.
Why you may ask? I think Bol offered us the best option – big enough to have some good facilities and activities to keep the children happy and starve off any potential boredom but not so big that we felt overcrowded like some typical resorts in the height of season in Europe. There are a lot of day-trippers come over to experience Zlatni Rat beach but they tend to have disappeared by 4-5pm. We also found that there were not hoards of British, there was a total mix of nationalities which was blissful.
It turned out to be a perfect choice.
Once we had chosen the town it was then time to find somewhere to stay. We had decided that we wanted a villa with a private pool and so the search began. There were tons of gorgeous traditional looking properties through all the usual villas websites as well as some of the local agents, but we were finding they were either 2 double rooms (my stepson not minding sharing for a night or two but a whole week would be stretching it) or totally outside our budget/preferred location.
We then came across Villa Marijana which was a little more modern than we had originally wanted but gave us everything else. With a bit of research found the owners private website, we contacted Marijana and Kruno (the owners), they had the dates free and we saved a bit of money in the process.
The Villa
The villa was a modern unit at the top of the town with its own private pool and views overlooking the town, with the sea in the background – stunning.
It had a bright, modern and well equipped open plan kitchen/dining/living area with everything you could imagine needing being supplied including towels, linen etc. Just off the living room was a separate shower room and washing machine/dryer. In the centre of the living area is a spiral staircase up to the first floor where it had 3 bedrooms – one double and 2 singles. Ella and Tyler loved having their own rooms and set about making their space their own.
The outside was compact but not suffocating with a shaded area to get out of the heat a large table and chairs and space for 4 loungers around the pool. It was the perfect place to soak up some rays, play in the pool or just sit of an evening with a glass of wine admiring the view.
Booking
The villa is available on most villa/apartment websites but if you prefer to deal direct then click here.
This was simple with the owners we dropped Marijana an email, paid our deposit and then the balance a few weeks before arrival.
Service
Marijana met us on the day of arrival , she had left a few essentials including a bottle of delicious Croatian Red (which was a nice touch and very personal). Her English was good, and she was really friendly telling us about her business and family. The family run the business and told us any problems that they would be right over (they lived in a town a little way around the coast where they have another couple of apartments they rent). Kruno (the husband) came during the week to clean the pool and make sure everything was OK so we felt really well looked after.
Location
The villa is about a 10/15 minute walk up a fairly steep hill from the harbour so little legs can get tired but with an delicious gelato from any of the vendors in the town this was easily forgotten and you certainly felt less guilty (plus there was also the bonus of a refreshing dip in the pool when you got back to the villa). Plus the views from the patio when were totally worth the climb.
There are many, many beaches within walking distance – the most famous Zlatni Rat is about 30 minutes’ walk to the start of the beach. We visited a few during our time and once you are at the sea there is an esplanade that takes you all along so making the walk very buggy friendly and there were a lot of children on scooters/bikes.
Within a 2 minute walk there is a supermarket that is well stocked and pretty good value for money.
One of islands top rated restaurants Ranc Restaurant is located almost next door to the supermarket and it is fantastic. We ate at the restaurant on two occasions – both times the food was amazing. The second time was to try the local Lamb Peka which I would highly recommend but you do need to book and order the day before.
I would say the only downside was that there was a bit of wasteland next to the villa, however this did not put us off and in fact if ensured we remained quite private. Whether this will be built on in the coming years is not clear.
Summary
If you are looking for a modern, well equipped villa with private pool in a quiet location but close enough to all the services you need then you cannot go wrong with Villa Marijana. We had an unforgettable time in Bol (see We’ll be Brac) and this lovely little villa contributed to that.
thetravellingwilbennetts 