Coastal Dining

I just love these beige and blue stripes here on the table placemat and napkins, plus the healthy meal of ... green apples!   Definitely the coastal look I will try on the terrace when Spring arrives.   (no credit found for pic but sourced here)

Christmas & New Year wishes

Time to fly to England today (land of the snow and chilly weather!). Will try and post during the Christmas holidays, if not, will be back in the new Year - with more exciting photos of the beautiful azure Croatian coastline!

Am I mad to change?

From this .... to this! Here is the snowy scene sent by mobile from my friend in Brighton today, just where I am heading to on Sunday. Yes our Dubrovnik temperatures have dropped somewhat this week with the cold north wind, but to be experiencing snow soon is a shuddering feeling. At least British Airways are not on strike now, so air travel plans should be fine.

3rd September 2009

I woke up this morning and flung open the shutters at 7.20am and was greeted by small ripples on the Adriatic together with a speedboat in the distance. Peace and quiet all around. Days like this I appreciate living on the coast (wait til winter and I will post a different story!!!)

Radisson Blu, part II

Erin from House of Turquoise would just love this hotel, the accents are the colour turquoise! Finally I got to the Radissson spa and resort this afternoon, just 20 minutes from Dubrovnik. Fabulous new 5 star hotel, very impressed indeed. Attention to detail throughout. I saw a room which was perfect! Contemporary yet luxurious. We had a drink at the pool bar - generous glasses of wine, well done, the sign of a great hotel! I can see myself visiting here more often!

"Dubrovnik and the Elaphites"

I had the great pleasure to meet British businessman and entrepreneur James fforde yesterday, who is also a talented artist, photographer and writer. His excellent brand new book 'Dubrovnik and the Elaphites ... Heart of the Adriatic' now graces our office coffee table. What a book! Indepth detail on the Elaphite islands (Lopud, Sipan & Kolocep), with magnificent photographs and honest and personal information on both lifestyle and history of the islanders. If you have been to the islands this is an excellent reminder of how special our islands are, and if you haven't visited, this book surely will make you book a flight this minute!

Hotel Radisson Blu, Dubrovnik

Click on above photo for more detail

The Radisson Blu hotel has opened in Orasac, 15 minutes drive north of Dubrovnik. I saw this hotel in progress back in February (workmen, hard hats, snow blizzard ...) so I am dying to return for a full visit. 201 rooms and 207 apartments. See here The hotel also boasts huge conference facilities in elegant contemporary surroundings for up to 900 delegates. See here More than 15 eateries around the resort. Formerly known as Gardens of the Sun, the new spa hotel certainly regenerates the sleepy village of Orasac, popular with stone Captain's villas.

Where have I been today?

Have been to Mali Ston and back today. About an hour's coastal drive one way 50km. I had to drive to meet a client to hand over keys for his fabulous new property. As I was early (he was driving from Poland, so allowed to be a tad late), it gave me time to be a tourist and photograph the area. Mali Ston (little Ston) is on the sea, and Ston itself is inland. It has a 5.6km / 3.5 mile wall surrounding the hillside, resembling the Great Wall of China and built to defend itself from the Turks. Impressive!

Elafiti Islands - Dubrovnik

Had a busy day with a client who was a former diplomat - driving far and wide along the coast. Beautiful scenery, not too hot (24 deg F/75C) and a little breeze. Fabulous views of the Elafiti Islands - Kolocep, Lopud and Sipan. I'm off to Lopud tomorrow, and that 45 min ferry ride is gorgeous.

From Azure to Grey ...

The thing about living on the coast is that it is great when it is calm and sunny, but all changes when the south wind picks up and the sea begins to rage .... forever cleaning windows ...

Old Town Dubrovnik

Old Town Dubrovnik. A stunning medieaval walled fortress, UNESCO protected. I live just behind the main town, on the coast. You can see my house from here!