Brac: The Beach (and Food) Gods Have Answered

Supetar: A Helping of Bracian Hospitality

The veal gently flaked off the bone as the potatoes swam in its sauce. Almir doused a hunk of bread in the pan, soaked up a puddle of veal juice, mushed it in his mouth, and… “Mmmm….”

“Dees ees how you are supposed to do eet,” he said in a lispy, Croatian accent.

Almir is one of three brothers of the family-owned Vila Punta (http://vilapunta.com/) in Supetar, Bra?. My traveling companion, Shira, and I chose the B&B style abode based on the suggestion of a local we met traveling in nearby Sarajevo. He claimed Vila Punta had the best food and hospitality in Brac…and we were more than willing to test out such a statement.

After making arrangements, we arrived in Supetar by ferry from the Croatian port city, Split, at nightfall. Taking a taxi to Vila Punta, Almir whisked us to dinner where we met a dozen of his local comrades. Inside, a clubhouse-like venue, all eyes were planted on a small television blasting a soccer game. Loud, cheerful bellows resonated around the long wooden-planked table as they rooted for their teams. Two long benches fit six comfortably on either side. The room also had a mini-fridge, sink, trinkets from the Adriatic - including a turn of the century transistor radio and old weaponry from capsized boats.

But the showpiece of the room was the commine – a common Croatian cooking range, resembling a fireplace for slow-cooking Balkan favorites, like veal or lamb.

Our company made sure our plates were completely full, as most Croatian generosity seems to be measured on how much they can give you to eat…or drink…

“Now you must have another Croatian specialty!” Almir declared as he offered me a cup of a fizzy, blood-red liquid.

Bambus. A brilliant concoction of red wine and Coke. Shira opted for pivo (beer), Ojusko, and there was another option of a special white wine that had the unfortunate aroma of urine. I grabbed the bambus. Then, one member of our group fetched his guitar and the rest of the evening we attempted to belt out traditional Croatian songs with our hosts and partake in some Balkan revelry and more bambus. Needless to say, that night I slept like a baby.




Bol: Beach D’Jour

The next morning we sat on Supetar’s seaside for breakfast at the Punta Restoran. Almir’s energetic disposition had not changed since the previous night. He happily presented plates of Croatian breakfast staples like chicken patè, hotdogs, smoked meats, breads, croissants, jams, cheeses, hard boiled eggs and cheese omelets. A food coma soon emerged for both Shira and I, but Almir urged us to take catch a bus for a day- trip to one of Bra?’s most prized possessions, Zlatni Rat (“Golden Horn”) beach in Bol. We grudgingly made it to the bus and arrived an hour later. (Bus Schedule) www.autotrans-brac.hr/red_2.htm

Walking along Put Zlatanog Rata towards Zlatni Rat, vendors lined the pathway, displaying traditional jewelry and souvenirs, as construction bustled along the coastline. We came across the prep work for some of the new hotels in the area such and the newly refurbished Bluesun Hotel Elaphusa, www.bluesunhotels.com. The venue now shows off updated rooms, pool, spa, disco and several restaurants for tourists young and old.

Zlatni Rat offers one of the world’s most versatile coastlines. One guide described the vast shingle sandbar as a “white tongue stretched out into the sea.” Zlatni Rat beach gives sungoers, windsurfers, swimmers and para-sailors a unique shore that juts into the Adriatic, shifting shape as the tide changes. Also on the beach is a self-service restaurant, cafes, parachute rides, pedal boats, jet-ski, banana boats.But please bring the flip flops - The beach of made of tiny, tiny pebbles and are especially painful on the feet. But after a few hours of some exhausting sunning, the hunger bug attacked once again.

We walked back along Put Zlatanog Rata and had a few attractive eateries to choose from. The vibrant Santo Restaurant beckoned to us most. We were seated right by the marina and dined on fresh octopus salad or black risotto with seafood while watching the ferry boats drift to islands like Hvar or back to the mainland to Split.

Connection to the Beltway?

Getting back to Supetar, we headed back to Vila Punta for a late siesta.

But as we learned in Brac, there is no escaping the food. With a gentle rap-a-tap on the door, we were asked to join the family for dinner at the Punta restaurant for our last night. The man of the manor cooked up his infamous Cevapcici: Ground beef mixed with onions, wrapped in flat bread moist in buttery oil – and of course, paired with French fries.
Vila Punta encourages a familial comfort that never faltered. We sat around a table with Balkan basics of coffee, cookies and cigarettes as his mother showed us photographs of the Croatian village where she grew up. The family also sang praises over Bra?’s rich history. The country is the third largest island in Dalmatia and was ruled by the Republic of Venice for almost four hundred years. By the19th century, the island became so populated that the Austrian Habsburg constructed roads to connect the villages as the influence lives through rows of terracotta roofs that protrude from the landscape. Much of the rest of Bra? is coated with olive groves, pine forests, and vineyards.

We also learned the stone-carved reliefs found in a place called Drahonja Cave are worthy of exploration since Bra?’s white stone has played an important role in history, used to construct many renowned buildings, including the White House in Washington, D.C. The Romans also knew its quality and used the stone to build cities, amphitheaters, temples, palaces, graves all over Dalmatia.


After dinner I headed back to my room belly full and happy and yielded to the fact that this magical island defeated any attempts for a bikini ready body, my eyes were opened to a worthy dose of what Dalmatia and its people are all about: Beauty, great food and, simply, gracious hospitality.