Riva Marina

Riva Marina has stood on Hvar Town's harbour front since 1914, long before the superyachts arrived, and it has kept its place in the front row. The stone villa's ground floor spills out onto the promenade as BB Social Bar & Kitchen, grey sofas and rattan chairs under black awnings, open all day to guests and passers-by alike. Inside, the 2023 renovation by Tissa of Poreč left white barrel vaults over pale stone floors and furnished them with the harbour in mind: a fringed hammock slung between two lamp posts, and a model galleon under full sail, in case anyone indoors forgets where they are. Breakfast comes with the harbour view, laid on woven placemats with blue glassware under a wall of small white-framed mirrors.

Recommended for anyone who wants Hvar Town at the front door, nightlife included, and for families who would rather walk than drive: children are welcome, babysitting can be arranged, and the dog can come too. There is no parking, and with the ferry and catamaran terminal two minutes along the front, no need for any. The old town is a couple of minutes behind. The Fortica is about twenty minutes' climb above it, for the view over the rooftops to the Pakleni Islands, and the islands themselves are a short water-taxi ride out. There is no pool here; the pool and spa are at the sister hotel, the Adriana, a short walk away. And anyone who has spent an afternoon on the terrace admiring other people's yachts can stop: the hotel runs charters of its own, with day trips for up to eight.