Mediterranean time off
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Villa Nai 3.3 Dugi Otok, Croatia
Agape Destinations
EN The island of Dugi Otok off Croatia’s Dalmatian coast
is the largest of the Zadarian Islands. Stretching 45km
long and only 4km wide, it is characterized by long sandy
beaches, white cliffs and turquoise waters along its coastline
and thick forests of maritime pines and olive groves across
its center. The town of Žman, which sits squarely in the
middle of the island’s western coast, is a holidaymaker’s
paradise. And among all of the many lush locales that
occupy the region, boutique hotel Villa Nai 3.3 is the most
exclusive of them all.
Prized for both its exquisite views and inventive take
on traditional architecture, the villa’s unusual structure was
designed by architect Nikola Bašic. “The conceptual design
of the hotel is thanks to renowned Croatian architect and
academician Nikola Bašic, who managed to portray Villa
Nai 3.3 unobtrusively, adapting to the surrounding nature by
respecting the contours of the terrain”, the owners describe
of its orientation, which sits burrowed into the ground facing
the sea. In fact, the pale stone walls of the villa’s structure
are formed of stones sourced from the surrounding olive
grove, blending the architecture into the environment using
a technique that has been used in the region for centuries.
“The terraced landscape of Dugi Otok is part of the ‘Art
of dry stone walling’ recognized by UNESCO as Intangible
Cultural Heritage”, the owners add.
Within the rooms, the designers took a more
contemporary approach. They chose fine Italian furniture
— marble coffee tables, plush, comfortable sofa, generous
four-poster beds — in a palette of neutral colors.
The decoration remains subtle enough to keep the eye
trained on the view beyond: a sloping field of olive trees
that leads downwards towards the shore, with neighboring
islands cropping up on the horizon. In the suites’ bathrooms,
they kept things similarly modern, contrasting the pale
local stone with rich marble surfaces, including the Flat
XL countertop with Ottocento 001 integrated washbasin.
“Agape provided an essential point of view”, the hotel
owners say of the collaboration, “that complemented
the materials, textures and colors of the surroundings in
which this project is set while keeping in with the modern
requirements of a five-star hotel”.
“Agape provided an essential point of view that
complemented the materials, textures and colors
of the surroundings while keeping in with the
modern requirements of a five-star hotel”. Villa Nai 3.3
