Enveloped by natural beauty, Azure Isle Vista doesn’t distract from its surroundings: the multi-level villa appears carved into the hillside; the landscaped terraces and gardens feel like an extension of the greenery on either side, with dozens of rosemary and lavender shrubs scenting the air. The all-white walls, grey pebbled rooftops, terracotta clay pots and monochrome outdoor furniture pop amongst the garden’s olive and cypress trees, and the surrounding forest. Hawk-moths, bees and butterflies gather around the lower terraces, the garden providing an oasis for guests and the local wildlife alike.
With five en-suite bedrooms and ten private outdoor lounging areas across the villa, the property is made for larger groups and families looking for both social space and privacy. Each of the bedrooms has its own balcony or terrace, of various sizes – the master alone would be impressive as a standalone one-bedroom villa. Backing onto the kitchen is an alfresco dining area with a barbecue, perfect for long evenings spent sharing food and looking out at the moon as it lights the sea below.
Waking up early, the grounds are peaceful and quiet; the soft sound of waves and the odd song of a bird are all I could hear as I made my way down the stepping-stone path to the property’s small but functional gym. With only a scattering of houses in the distance, guests can enjoy the villa without worrying too much about noise levels, given that the immediate area is uninhabited woodland. To me, taking in the calm serenity of the surroundings is what made me fall in love with the villa’s almost meditative quality.
Walking towards the gym, down a stone path
The BBQ and outside dining area
There are both sides of the coin here: a sound system, which one half of the villa’s couple owners, Arpad, was particularly proud of, a wine cellar, multiple outdoor seating areas. Then there’s the retreat of the cinema room with a projector, the Hammam that backs onto the gym, a bubbling Jacuzzi tucked away in an almost secret garden area, and a working fireplace for winter visitors. It is a villa for all: snowy escapes (the bedrooms all feature faux fur throws, there are outdoor coats in the wardrobes, and cosy sofas are aplenty), summer jollies, large groups catching up, smaller groups looking for a retreat, hikers, loungers, culture-lovers, sunbathers.
The couple who own Azure Isle Vista, Tammy and Arpad, have thought of everything, from salts and essential oils for the hot tub to ice-cold hand towels on arrival. A unique selling point with any villas booked via Oliver’s Travels, as my group of friends did for this trip, is that the service is much more personalised and consistent than other options, meaning you can enjoy a lot of the perks of a hotel stay whilst staying firmly in a self-catered, private villa. Like, for instance, Marisa, the villa’s house manager, who lived 100 metres down the road – a necessary support given how remotely situated the property is – and was on hand to help should we have needed it. One night, she arranged for the people behind local culinary hotspot Konoba Pescaria to prepare a private dinner for us at the villa. We dined on local scampi, crni rižot (cuttlefish risotto, a local delicacy), a creamy shrimp pasta, and, for me, the vegetarian of the group, a truly unique (but delicious) passion fruit broth with sweet potato.
The villa’s social kitchen and entrance staircase