This historic city/port is the cultural and economic centre of Dalmatia, and this ‘lovely old stone building’, managed by Joze Tomaš, is used by business people, but other travellers love it too.

On a small private island in the south Adriatic, off the coast of the island of Hvar, this ‘splendid’ complex (‘my favourite place for a weekend break’, says a fan) is owned and run by Dagmar Meneghello, journalist and arts patron, with her three adult children, Djenko, Romina and Tarin.