My partner and I spent the last 5 nights of our 2-week trip to Croatia at Villa Lavandula in Trogir. I have extremely high standards and cannot think of one problem with the Villa. It is in a beautiful location (note that it is about a 15 minute walk from the centre, but this allows it to have beach access - if it was in the centre itself, it would not have its seaside spot), spotless, huge apartments with lots of storage space, all modern amenities. But that is only a very small part of the story. Because the owners - Josip, Anita and their daughter Vinka - are actually the attraction here. From the moment we met them at the harbour in Split, they could not do enough for us. At any moment, we could be shuttled to a beach, to their private beach, to the town centre (to save about a 700m walk in 36 degree heat!), to a ferry, wherever. We also took two day trips with Josip - one to Krka National Park and one to Mostar in Bosnia (on the way to the Dubrovnik airport). Josip introduced us to beautiful and untouched locations in Croatia, took us to fantastic local eateries (some were farms - not restaurants!) and gave us history lessons throughout our stay. We also chose to have dinner at the villa one night - complete with homemade wine, olive oil, everything fresh, organic, healthy and delicious. It was difficult to say goodbye to Josip as he dropped us off at the airport in Dubrovnik and I am already thinking about when we can return in olive-picking season. Croatia is a beautiful country, Trogir is a beautiful town, but the Pavkovic family are the true gems that we found in Croatia.

I was unsure about this accommodation from the description on the website, but it met or exceeded ALL of our expectations. Villa Lavandula was a great place to stay!

It’s just across the bridge and down the road a mile from the old town of Trogir, on the island of Ciovo (which isn’t that scenic). The building is up a short driveway, marked by a sign on a garage and one by the road (have to look carefully for the signs). Our Garmin GPS mapped Trogir, but not this island, so we had to use our eyes! Parking is in front or in the garage (at cost). We had a very nice apartment on the first floor that opened to the patio.

It’s a nice place—interestingly, it’s a Sawdays and a Johansson’s listing. It’s a 3 story villa, nicely built with expensive touches, unlike the rather basic apartment-type villas we stayed in the rest of Croatia. Our balcony/patio in front faces the sea with nice patio furniture, inside we had a studio with a little kitchen; sink, 2 burners and a little fridge. Free internet, but weak signal. I cooked a light dinner for us in the kitchen; it was adequately provisioned with kitchen ware.

The road it is on is very busy, and not amenable for walking along. There are some public beaches on Ciovo just past the Villa, but not exactly the type of beach we’d enjoy. However—we came for history and Trogir, not beaches, so no worry. The apartment was very comfortable, and we felt very relaxed and at home here.

We met another American couple that night and sat on the balcony and chatted for hours. They had come with a dinner plan and had a beautiful dinner served to them. We also talked to the owner, Josep, for a long time, and learned about the recent history of Croatia, and the history of he and his family. The entire family were a very helpful presence at the villa, and helped us in many ways. We enjoyed our stay here, and would definitely stay here again, or recommend it to a friend! It was a genuine find, not expensive at all, and had a great feel. We felt like we were staying in the expensive summer home of a friend!

I have been in Villa Lavandula last year and of course that I will come this year again. I have traveled with my friends and family and will never forget the time that we spent there. Everything is so nice there, rooms are very clean and comfortable. The most important for us was a peace that we had there. The food and their domestic wine with excellent atmosphere is a great combination for a perfect night. We really enjoyed our staying there and we can't wait to go there very soon :)

I stayed with my friends 7 days in Villa Lavandula and had great time there. To all of You that consider about staying in Villa Lavandula, I can said just one thing: If You book Your stay there, You want regret!

p.s. If You want to taste real Croatia, try the Villa Lavandula's Gastronomic offer...