Why on earth haven't I heard of this place?

Recently, I took my lovely friend, Emma B, on a research trip to the island of Šolta in Croatia. Before we’d even disembarked the ferry she asked ‘why on earth haven’t I heard of this place?’ and the only answer I could give was ‘I honestly haven’t a clue.’

Our one-night-only trip was something of a whirlwind but I’m going to sum it up here as I think it gives a good overall picture of the island and what it has to offer.

First stop was the Tvrdic Honey farm where Goran the quirky beekeeper captivated us with his tales of the life and loves of bees. Oh, and we also got to dress up in full beekeeper kit and collect honey.

Next, a late lunch in Martinis Marchi Heritage Hotel where, despite rubbing shoulders with some very notable guests, we were made to feel like princesses.

After a walk around the picturesque Maslinica harbour, we travelled up the hillside to Agroturizam Kaštelanac where burly vintner, Zoran, after explaining the hardships of winemaking, treated us to a delicious feast of Šolta’s finest olives and anchovies washed down, of course, with a selection of his best wines.

Conveniently, Zoran lives just round the corner from the Olynthia mill where olives are pressed into award-winning oil so we popped in there as well.

We also sampled locally brewed rakija, Croatia's answer to Grappa. In all the flavours. Several glasses later, we retired to Martinis Marchi in preparation for the next day’s adventure: a boat trip with Tomi and Nikolina of TN Boat Trips which included a daring dive into Šolta’s very own blue cave and a picnic in a deserted cove.

Having given the matter great thought, I still have no idea why the island is so eclipsed by its noisy neighbour, Hvar, but I must confess that I’m rather pleased as it means I’ve been able to enjoy it in peace.

Now I’m asking myself which other places haven’t I heard of that I absolutely must visit. So, if you’ve any to recommend, I’d love to hear from you.

But I’ll understand if you don’t want to share!