From the moment we are welcomed aboard the beautiful, bespoke speedboat belonging to Maslina Resort, we are lulled into a deep sense of relaxation.
We reached Split airport by a direct flight, as several airlines service the city from London, and the speedboat will take us to the gorgeous hotel on the Croatian island of Hvar. There is perhaps no better way to travel.
The moment we set off, that sense of calm is enhanced as we are joined by a pod of dolphins waltzing around the boat in soothing, perfect harmony.
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Once at Hvar, we are met by the hotel's luxury car. Lowering ourselves into the very comfortable seats, we realise they have a massage option. Clearly, everything at Maslina is designed to be as stress-free as possible.
This is an impression only reinforced by the hotel's splendid new offering: "The Lavender Sleep Retreat", ideal for sleep-deprived guests.
What to do
(Image credit: James Rampton)
None of us seems to be getting enough sleep these days. Due to the strains of everyday living, we all seem to be constantly sleep-poor. It is the bane of modern life.
So the five-star Maslina has come up with this excellent solution. The idea is to draw on the well-known slumber-inducing properties of lavender, which grows in abundance on Hvar, to improve our sleep quality.
The hotel is offering a restorative four-day escape using the therapeutic power of the plant to ameliorate our sleep patterns.
Hvar is a very fitting location for this retreat. Boasting more than 600 wild, medicinal and aromatic plant species, the island is clothed in a ravishing violet coat of lavender. It even holds a Lavender Festival every July.
The sleep retreat starts in suitably relaxing fashion – with a very calming sound-healing meditation. In a remote and top-secret rural spot, where we are introduced to Damien, the hotel's resident sleep therapist – yes, such a job does exist.
At this wonderful site overlooking a bay of brilliant blue, we lie on a mat underneath a spreading cherry tree ringed by lavender fields.
Surrounded by more instruments than the percussionist at the London Symphony Orchestra, Damien sounds Tibetan singing bowls, hand pans, chimes and gongs.
He eases us into a profound meditative state, aided by the divine lavender aromas wafting over us.
The only threat to our tranquillity in the fact that the man lying next to me instantly start snoring very loudly indeed. At least it shows the treatment works.
The lavender theme continues that evening. At the hotel's Waterside Bar, we are treated to a lavender spritz, a delicious concoction containing lavender syrup, prosecco and – guess what? – a sprig of lavender.
Afterwards, the delicious dinner, which showcases the island's Unesco-protected Mediterranean diet, is served on the rocks by the Adriatic. The menu is adorned with another sprig of lavender fixed to it with the hotel's seal.
After dinner, we retreat to bedrooms to sip lavender tea and slip into an already-run bath infused with lavender oil and sprinkled with more lavender sprigs.
The only danger is that the experience is so soporific, you might actually fall asleep in the bath.
On our pillows, the staff have left a lavender face mask with a note reading, "Sweet dreams". Golden slumbers are guaranteed.
As the old Night Nurse advert used to put it, this certainly aids restful sleep.
(Image credit: Maslina Resort)
The dreamy quality carries on the following day. By Maslina's secluded beach, we have a workshop with Simone, an expert sleep practitioner. Might you call this gathering a slumber party? Either way, the sound of snoring again rends the air within moments of us lying down.
We go on to visit the hotel's nearby organic farm which is flanked by 100-year-old olive trees. There we forage for our own lavender. We are the wellness-era equivalent of prehistoric hunter-gatherers.
This lavender is then used to extract oil for our two-hour Adriatic Rejuvenation programme at the hotel's Pharomatiq Wellness Spa. This features a half-hour scrub, a half-hour bubble bath, and an hour-long massage.
This reminds us – as if we need reminding – that you can never have too much lavender.
The retreat may sound woo-woo, but it's actually wonderful.
Where to visit
(Image credit: Tuul & Bruno Morandi / Getty Images)
It is a 20-minute cycle ride on one of Maslina's enchanting wooden bikes into Stari Grad. Founded by the Greeks in 384 BC, the town is an eye-catching melange of pastel-shaded houses, winding back streets and a charming waterway.
The healing properties of the area certainly worked on Jacqueline Kennedy. Just six months after her husband President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, she fled to Stari Grad to recuperate. Based on a yacht in the harbour, she was shielded from boatloads of paparazzi by the might of the Yugoslav Navy, which President Tito had whistled up to protect her.
She said she had not felt so free in years. Local shops still sell posters of her waterskiing with the legend: "Stari Grad Saves Jackie."
The accommodation
(Image credit: Maslina Resort)
In Maslina's 50 appealingly light rooms and three villas, where you can enjoy private dining, design is king. There is an air of understated sophistication about the place.
It is constructed from brown metal planks. These enable the hotel to blend seamlessly into the Aleppo pine forest that encircles it.
The centrepiece is a gigantic jagged white marble stone that serves as the hotel's welcome desk. Tipping the scales at an eye-watering 12 tonnes, it had to be brought over from the nearby island of Brac on a specially strengthened ship and lowered into place by a crane.
The whole hotel then had to be built around it. The marble block mirrors the shimmering elegance that is the hotel's trademark.
Eating and drinking
(Image credit: Maslina Resort)
Served in a marvellous location by one of the hotel's two swimming pools, the food at Maslina is of the very highest standard. Using only local ingredients from land and sea, the chef displays a meticulous attention to detail.
Don't leave without trying his delicious amberjack tuna cured with pine needles and served with grapes infused with sweet wine, pickled daikon, seaweed, and herb oil. Just repeating that description will help you work up an appetite.
Also notable nearby is The Blue Doors restaurant in Stari Grad. Situated by the bobbing yachts in the old-town harbour, the restaurant merges into the surrounding ancient houses, some of which date from the 14th century. You could justify swimming from Split just to try Blue Doors' rump steak with bakery potatoes.
The verdict
I'm sure that, like Jackie O, many visitors will feel saved by Hvar, especially if they take part in the Lavender Sleep Retreat.
Thanks to some infamous footage a few years ago of an… over-tired Prince Harry falling fully clothed into a swimming pool at a get-together on Hvar, the island has acquired a reputation as party central. But Maslina's Lavender Sleep Retreat emphasises that there is a much quieter aspect to the destination.
If you are eager to sleep, perchance to dream, then Maslina is the place to lay your weary head.
James Rampton was a guest of Maslina Resort. Room rates start from £550 per night. The Lavender Sleep Retreat runs until 15 October 2024.
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