Medvidina Bay · Gdinj · Island of Hvar
The south side of Hvar, below Gdinj. No road passes through here — only roads that end here.
Medvidina is one of a line of coves on the steep southern side of Hvar, between Sućuraj and Jelsa. Above it is the village of Gdinj and its hamlets; below it the open channel towards Korčula and Pelješac. The neighbouring coves — Srhov Dolac, Jedra, Skozanje, Torac, Tvrdni Dolac, Rapak — run one after another, and most are easier to reach by boat than by road.
The beach sits at the head of the bay: pebble over a sandy bottom, with a shallow entry. To either side there are smooth slabs for anyone who dislikes pebbles. The bay is sheltered from the south, so the water is usually calm even in poorer weather; the only real swell comes with the jugo, and rarely in summer.
Swim, free-dive, take the boat out, work your way through the neighbouring coves, fish. Above the bay, old tracks run through vineyards and olive groves to Gdinj and to abandoned hamlets — walk them early or before sunset, not at noon. Everything else means the car: Jelsa, Vrboska and Stari Grad are an hour away, Sućuraj and the ferry half of that.
June and September are the best here: warm sea, a half-empty bay, and the day still long. July and August are hot and demand shade until four in the afternoon. October is for people who come for the quiet rather than the swimming — although the sea is still warmer than the air.
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Drvenik – Sućuraj, a 30-minute crossing, ten to eleven sailings a day in summer. Drvenik is on the coastal road, 96 km south-east of Split.
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24 km from Sućuraj to Gdinj, or 25 km if you come from Jelsa. In Gdinj you turn off towards the sea, signposted Medvidina.
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The last stretch is unsurfaced and steep, but any ordinary car makes it with a little patience. Parking is at the house.
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The mooring is in front of the house. If you're arriving on your own boat, let us know the day before so we can keep the berth free.
The alternative is the Split – Stari Grad ferry and about sixty kilometres east along the island road. Sućuraj is quicker, and better looking.