Croatia: Restaurant Bonj Les Bains (August 2016)




My spouse and I visited the bar/lounge at Bonj les Bains on a Wednesday afternoon in late August 2016. We encountered the beach club as we strolled along the seafront (riva) promenade away from Hvar Town. 

Bonj les Bains is an exclusive cliffside beach club, bar, restaurant, spa, and event venue that first opened in 1927 just minutes from the main port at Hvar Town. It is located along the coastline in front of a grove of pine trees near the Hotel Amfora. Hvar architect Silvije Sponza (1889-1960) designed the Roman-inspired sanctuary. Suncani Resorts acquired Bonj les Bains in 2006, and it has worked to renovate and preserve its original design. The restaurant offers a colonnaded terrace with upper and lower dining rooms that you can reserve for private parties of up to 200 patrons (seated) or 350 patrons (standing). A bar/lounge area is also located on the upper level. 

The lower terrace beach club offers a long concrete deck where guests can lie in the sun and access the ocean for a swim. Sun packages for two people including lounge chairs, towels, and an umbrella cost approximately $100 USD per day (prices may no longer be accurate, so check their website), or if you want more luxury, you can rent a stone “cabana” with louvered doors that enclose an indoor futon, outdoor private loungers, and an umbrella for approximately $150 per day. The ultimate luxurious “splash out” includes a private luxury pontoon with loungers, side tables, a canopied sunbed (sometimes called a baldachin), pillows, and champagne for about $175+ USD per day. The Sensori O spa offers massages and other treatments. Steps/ladders lead from the lower terrace into the sea. In 2010, the Times Online rated Bonj les Bains as one of Europe’s 20 hottest beaches.

We sat in the upper lounge area to enjoy a drink while our eyes “drank” in the fantastic view. However, our server informed us that the first few items that we attempted to order (freshly squeezed juices and certain beers) were no longer in stock because it was the end of the season. Although disappointing, we quickly made alternate selections to drink while we enjoyed our surrounding. Our bill totaled 64 Kuna ($10 USD) for one round of drinks, which we felt was reasonable for such a special location.

Bonj les Bains is a spectacular place – make the effort to walk there for a drink when you visit Hvar Town!











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