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!
