Holiday Villas in Pakleni islands to Rent 2024/2025

Pakleni islands travel guide

Archipelago of small islands reached by taxi boat from Hvar. Stay in cottages on Sveti Klement and eat at magical Meneghello restaurant

Tranquil and busy, natural and trendy. South west of Hvar Town and very close to it there are seventeen small islands called "Pakleni". They are full of beaches and covered in pine woods and tropical plants. The fresh scent of pine resin, which in Hvar dialect is called "paklina" permeates the air and that’s how the islands got their name - the pine scented islands. All islands are car free. The closest island is Jerolim where you can swim on a naturist beach and there is a small shop. On Galesnik, which is just 300 metres from Hvar you can relax in peace and have a romantic dinner of Dalmatian specialities. In 15 minutes from Hvar you can be in Stipanska bay on the nearby island of Marinkovac. It hosts the very popular Carpe Diem Beach Club which attracts the younger crowd. Zdrilica and Mlini beach are pretty pebbly coves on Marinkovac.

The largest of the islands is St Klement (5.28 square kilometres), a green and luscious island where there are three villages: Palmizana, Momica Polje and Vlaka. Most famous is the beautiful Palmizana, which has been nurtured by the Meneghellos, a well known local family of botanists, artists and gardening and gastronomic enthusiasts who have created a tropical garden paradise over many acres of land. We still dream about the shady path from the beach through the luscious enormous cacti, eucalyptus trees and exotic plants to reach their unforgettable restaurant also called Meneghello. On Palmizana there is a good marina, a shop and some other outstanding restaurants such as Zori and Toto's. Do book in advance. Excelling in seafood and excellent meat and pasta dishes and offering amazing local wines. The cuisine on the island has been declared one of the best in the Mediterranean by the German Magazine Boote and The English Traveller. The Pakleni Islands are a place to go to relax and enjoy swimming in the sheltered bays. Diving there is particularly interesting. Diving through steep tunnels (Poseidon Pillar), Vele Garska underwater wall, past Paulina ship wreck and in the Vodnjak canyon, you will encounter lobsters, octopus, shoals of fish, moray and conger eels, corals and sponges of various colours.

Getting there. Pakleni islands can only be reached by water. There are ferries to Palmizana, Stipanska and Jerolim from Hvar Town (some wheel chair accessible) and taxi boats.