Hvar Scottish Country Dancers Weekend 9-11 May 2024

Come and join the Hvar Scottish Country Dancers in Vrboska, Croatia on 9-11 May for 3 days of dancing and fun! RSCDS teacher Zsofia Jozsef will lead the workshops, ceilidh and social dance, with live music provided by Phill Jones. Registration fee for the weekend is 50 euros.

9 May Thursday

17:00-18:00 Registration

18:30-21:00 Ceilidh Dance, Konoba Lem

We’ll start with an open air ceilidh on the Thursday evening (9th May) at Konoba Lem, with lots of fun easy dances that absolutely everyone can do! No experience or partner needed, just come and join us for a fun party! Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

10 May Friday

9:00-12:30 Workshop I 

Zsofie will teach us the steps for some easy Scottish country dances and Phill will be providing the music. This will be a very beginner-friendly session and we welcome everyone to come and try!

18:00-20:30 Ceilidh Concert

In the evening we have a special ceilidh planned, where we invite you to bring your voice, musical instrument, dance moves or other party piece to share in what we hope will be a fun cultural exchange! There may be dancing too!

 11 May Saturday

9:00-12:30 Workshop II

On day 3 we have another morning workshop to waken us up, with Zsofie teaching us more of the steps and figures that go into Scottish country dances – we should be getting pretty good by then! Phill will encourage us by providing some great tunes! 

18:00-20:30 Social Dance

In the evening we’ll hold a social dance with a special MC, with everyone all dressed up (kilts for those that have them!) Zsofie is already planning a fun dance program – including some of our group favourites!

The venue for all dance events will be the Vrboska Community Hall above the Studenac supermarket, unless otherwise noted.

For those not rushing off to catch a flight home on the Sunday, we can arrange a wine-tasting with local award-winning winemakers and/or dinner with local specialities.

For those already on the island, you are welcome to come along to any individual event, or part of the weekend for free (donations to cover costs appreciated).

Vrboska is a picturesque fishing village on the north shore of the island of Hvar, dating back to the 16th century. Many of the houses are of stone in the typical Dalmatian style. The largest building here is the unusual fortress church of St Mary of Mercy, with its defensive battlements and ravelin, built in 1571 to provide a safe refuge in case of attack. These days it’s a quiet, friendly place, surrounded by agriculture – fields of vines, olives and figs, just as it’s been since the ancient Greeks and Romans settled on the Stari Grad Plain 2,500 years ago. Come and enjoy the cultural heritage, beautiful scenery and dance with us!

Getting here:

Our nearest airport is Split, which is on the mainland. Other possibilities, if you are renting a car and want to see more of Croatia, would be to fly into Zagreb, Zadar or Dubrovnik.

  • Direct flights into Split from UK
    • Birmingham (Jet2) Sun, Thu
    • Bristol (EasyJet) Sat, Sun, Tue, Thu
    • Edinburgh (Jet2) Sun
    • Glasgow (EasyJet) Sun, Wed
    • Leeds (Jet2) Sun
    • London Stansted (Jet2, RyanAir), Luton (Wizz, EasyJet), Gatwick (EasyJet) 

Bear in mind that it’s a half hour drive from the airport to the ferry terminal in Split, and the last ferry of the day departs at 8:30pm.

Ferry services to the island
– See http://www.Jadrolinija.hr for full timetables and to book online.

Car Ferry services

  • Split -> Stari Grad (on Hvar): 0600 (weekdays only), 0830, 1430, 2030 – 2 hr crossing
  • Stari Grad (on Hvar) -> Split: 0530, 1130, 1430 (weekdays only), 1730
  • Drvenik <-> Sućuraj (on Hvar) 7 crossings daily till 6 May, 8 daily from 6 May See http://tinyurl.com/4jukpp79
  • Ancona (Italy) -> Split leaving 3 times a week 2000 arrive 0700 similar for return 

Passenger catamaran services (no cars)

  • Split -> Stari Grad 1130 takes 1 hr
  • Split -> Jelsa         1630 takes 1hr 40mins
  • Also Split -> Hvar town and Dubrovnik -> Hvar town, plus 30-40min taxi ride

Accommodation in Vrboska:

  • Labranda Senses Resort
    • Full service hotel facing the Adriatic sea, surrounded by pine trees
    • About 1km walk from Vrboska. Walk, bike, or even water taxi
    • Special deal just for attendees – to book contact reservations.senses@labranda.com and mention Scottish dancers
    • €49.80 per person in a double room with ensuite (€99.60 per two)
    • One child under 12 in room on sofa bed free
    • Option for single occupancy +60%
    • Option for 3rd adult on sofa bed 
    • Breakfast included, options for half and full board available
  • Bed & Breakfast 366
    • fabulous rooms in centre of Vrboska;
    • To book via email ann@bedandbreakfast366.com or via message: 00385992931998; mention Scottish dancers
    • It will be 145€ / night for 2 persons inclusive of breakfast, cash only. (Best breakfasts on Hvar!). 
    • Check the rooms on their website: www.bedandbreakfast366.com 
  • Stone House Lucijo
    • Self-catering apartments in a converted stone fisherman’s house in the centre of Vrboska,
    • One smaller apartment w/1 bedroom and kitchen across courtyard €250 per week
    • Three self-contained larger apartments each w/1 bedroom €300 per week
    • Cost is proportional for longer bookings
    • Contact Dragana directly +385 98 9590 804 phone/sms/whatsapp, mention Scottish dancers
    • Details can be seen here https://www.booking.com/Share-jrsA18 
  • Casa Belinda
    • Converted stone villa with three bedrooms, easily sleep 6,
    • Secluded position with outside courtyard in the centre of Vrboska 
    • 15% discount on regular price (€107.95 per night instead of €127) + €90 cleaning fee. 
    • For details and to book see: https://booking.hvaraway.com/villa/casa-belinda (Use code MAYDANCE15 when booking)
  • Camping Camp Nudist (you do not actually need to go nude)
  • Camping Camp Mina

Registration

If you haven’t already, please register your interest by filling out the form https://forms.gle/wX4fefYXzxiyMfyHA and email us at hvardancers@gmail.com with any questions.

We would like to thank the International Branch of the RSCDS and the Susi Mayr Fund for their support in putting on this weekend of Scottish dancing in Croatia!

We look forward to seeing you in May!