Croatia

Iconic Dubrovnik is the jewel in Croatia’s crown. With more than its fair share of history and attractions as well as, arguably, the best city walls in the world, Byron once referred to the city as the ‘pearl of the Adriatic’. Backed by rugged mountains and jutting out into the sea, it is one of the world’s finest and best-preserved fortified cities and now Croatia’s most upmarket and glamorous destination.

Just south of Dubrovnik and squeezed by the coast to the west, Montenegro to the south and Bosnia-Herzegovina to the east, Konavle is a verdant ribbon of land that has it all: imposing mountains, a spectacular coastline sprinkled with beaches, a broad, fertile valley sustaining dense olive groves, bountiful vineyards and orchards, as well as characterful rustic villages where the pace of life is as if from a bygone era.

Heart-shaped and surrounded by crystal clear Adriatic waters, Istria has for centuries been an intersection of different cultures: visit Roman ruins; Venetian ports; haunting medieval hilltop towns; and be sure to look inside its larder, bulging with grapes, olives, truffles and seafood.

Pretty country byways snake up and down this striking peninsula through vineyards and olive groves. As Istria is only around an hour's drive from top to bottom, you are never too far from anywhere, including the coast which is not more than 30 minutes away from all the houses in our portfolio.