Introduction
St. Tropez, Majorca, Aspen, and other glamor destinations don't have anything on Hvar, the glitzy Croatian playground patronized by celebrities, the idle rich, and the average Joe tourist who wants to find out what the Hvar hoopla is about.
Hvar is indeed a lush, sunny Shangri-la with more hours of sunshine (2,724) than any other place in Croatia, according to the literature. But when you're talking just 24 more hours of rays than Brac (2,700) and only 124 hours (4 days) more than most of Croatia's other islands, you're splitting hairs. Nonetheless, some Hvar hotels will discount the price of your room if it rains continuously for 4 hours on any given day and give you a free night if it snows (fat chance).
Ultraviolet rays aside, Hvar is a lovely piece of real estate with vineyards, fields of lavender and other aromatic herbs, a few interesting sites, a lot of good restaurants, and some rather expensive -- but historic -- places to stay.
Hvar's principal towns are Hvar Town, Stari Grad, Vrboska, Jelsa, and Sucuraj, though Hvar Town seems to be the center of current interest in the island.
