Thanks to its location, visitors can choose from a wide range of activities.
Orebic and its surroundings offer a wealth of attractions and unforgettable experiences for active sports lovers.
The house owner's speciality, which she offers to her guests, is an experience not to be found anywhere else on the peninsula: truffle hunting with a trained dog. Under the beautiful trees of the area, delicious black truffles rest quietly, their aroma only enhanced by the wild herbs. After the hunt, you can also get advice on how to prepare them. So after an exciting hike, you can enjoy a delicious dinner.
If you visit Orebic in the spring before the main season, you can also get a taste of the wild asparagus season, when delicious spring asparagus grows on the roadside.
Although hiking and sightseeing are both excellent activities, the most important thing is of course the beach. Along the entire length of the peninsula, on both sides, there are many popular and well-known beaches. These are mostly within a few minutes' drive from the accommodation and cater for a variety of needs.
The long stretch of beach in front of us is just a few minutes' walk away. You can choose between sandy and pebbly parts. For the younger ones, the beach time can be made more exciting with banana, donut, SUP and jet-ski hire. Drinks and snacks can also be bought on the beach.
The peninsula's quiet and good quality car roads are perfect for cycling enthusiasts. With its big differences in altitude, it is a real challenge even for trained cyclists. There are challenging climbs, both on tarmac and mountain roads, with panoramic views at the end to crown the tiring journey there.
For those who like extreme sports, such as the owner of the villa, there are also rock climbing routes with different levels of difficulty.
If rock climbing is too much for you, but you would like to see the peninsula's mountain range from above, you can take 4 different hiking trails up to Sveti Ilija (961 metres), which rises above Orebic. After about three hours of hiking you can reach the summit and experience an incredible view. The ridges of the mountain range are so artistically sculpted that they take your breath away.
For those who prefer to spend their holidays underwater, there are excellent snorkelling sites and several dive terminals for qualified divers. The main dive terminal on the peninsula is in Mokalo, where a sunken shipwreck is a great place not only for divers but also for snorkelling enthusiasts. There is also a unique opportunity to dive for your own bottle of wine resting underwater for a long time, and then drink it.
Opposite of Orebic, small islets dot the turquoise sea, which can be easily approached, either individually or on organised trips. They offer a wonderful, unique island experience, with restaurants, attractions, deer, abbeys. And of course the crystal clear Adriatic Sea.
I have to admit that although I am very fond of and have tried both surfing and diving, and I regularly swim and run here in Orebic, I prefer long walks with my dog. There's nothing better than being able to wander through beautiful landscapes in good weather, with barren mountains behind you and in front tiny islands sparkling in the sea, like dropped pearls, making you forget your everyday worries.
One of the most popular places to visit is Korcula, which is a short 15-minute boat ride from Orebic and takes you right in the heart of the city centre. Korcula is famous for its medieval atmosphere, nightclubs, good restaurants and charming shops where you'll surely find the perfect souvenir.
If you want to cruise for more than 15 minutes and browse the larger markets and enjoy shopping, you can sail on from Korcula to Split and soak up the big city experience. In high season, a fast catamaran comes and goes every day to Split, which is a good excursion option without having to move your accommodation.
There are excellent holiday villages just a few minutes' drive from Orebic. Right next to us is Viganj, which is famous for its active water sports, hosting world surfing competitions thanks to the permanent wind tunnel that stretches between Viganj and Korcula. You can rent surf, kite, SUP. I personally would highly recommend Ciringito restaurant on the beach, the perfect place for breakfast. One of my favourite restaurants.
If you drive a little further at the end of the peninsula you can find one of the most tranquil places in the world, the small village of Loviste, where you can find completely deserted stretches of beaches even in main season. As the sea forms a small bay here, the water temperature is warmer and the sea is calmer than in more open places. Many of my guests have found the tranquillity they were looking for here. The small village beckons with its warm, quiet bays, its Hemingway-esque atmosphere, its small, colourful pebble beaches with shells and its excellent restaurants.
Directly opposite of Orebic, there are also beautiful beaches, with Divna and Duba standing out. I would definitely recommend it to my guests. Calm, crystal clear waters, a slowly deepening white pebble beach and beautiful scenery make the beach experience unforgettable.
Most of the island of Mljet is a national park, making it ideal for hikers. There is a ferry from the peninsula that takes hikers to and from the peninsula on the same day. There is no car traffic on the island, so you can be sure of great air and beautiful surroundings.
The world-famous Dubrovnik is 100 kilometres away, which is within reach even if you're just looking for a nice dinner and a pleasant evening stroll in the heart of the city centre. Dubrovnik's evening atmosphere with its parades, changing of the guard, burning candles and street music is like nothing else. Not to mention that the beauty of the city speaks for itself. As it's also within easy driving distance, you can save on expensive accommodation and still enjoy what the city has to offer.
On the way to Dubrovnik you can make a stop at the town of Ston, famous for its old salt distilleries. You can take home authentic, good quality sea salt and even walk along the city's famous Great Wall, the second longest after the Great Wall of China.
If you're already in the car and love seafood, stop by the world-famous oyster and black mussel farms, half an hour away, where you can taste oysters that have won top prizes in the world's oyster competitions.
Of course, Orebic also has plenty of great restaurants, so you don't have to drive to get a good meal and a drink. I am happy to recommend places and restaurants that have already won the favour of myself, my friends and my guests.
Kids: Orebic is popular with families with children, as it has a sandy beach (rare and unique in the area) and is a very ideal environment for small children. In addition, the only playground in the town is right in front of the house, a 2-minute walk, and there are two asphalted pitches for outdoor ball games next to it.
The house has a kitchen on each floor, so 3 rooms share one kitchen, which is usually no problem as the kitchen is very well equipped. There is a gas stove, pots, pans, plates, bowls, cutlery, coffee machines and water heater in the kitchen. Refrigerators are located in the rooms. If you want to barbecue you can do so in a specially built barbecue place down in the garden of the house. If you prefer to eat in restaurants and drink in wineries, there is plenty to choose from. The manager of the house will also guide you to restaurants and wineries, but you can easily and quickly find very good places. Wine tours and tastings are one of the mainstays of tourism, so we recommend them as a good accompaniment to food.
The unique advantage of Orebic is that, while it has magnificent natural assets, it is not an island. Therefore, you are not tied to the ferry schedule or have to worry about not being able to get on because of the crowds. You can depart from the accommodation and arrive when you feel like it. In addition, you can now drive over the Peljesac Bridge, which shortens the route.
The Croatian motorway till Ploce is finished, which means that you can get to Orebic by motorway relatively quickly and very comfortably. Personally, I have done a lot of driving on the motorway and I know a lot of routes through Bosnia and Serbia, but as my guests come from different places, I would recommend that if you want to travel comfortably and don't mind the extra cost, you should take the motorway. Most important! Don't just rely on your GPS! The Bosnian, Serbian areas cause problems with GPS orientation and for many of my guests it has cost extra hours and kilometres. Even though we are living in the age of electronics, just in case, bring a map, it can't hurt.
As the Mediterranean climate offers pleasant weather all year round, the guesthouse Villa Leona is open all year round.
In 4 months of the year (June, July, August and September) you can be absolutely sure of good weather, while May and October also offer beautiful weather, and in fact the whole year. Depending on your plans, you can choose the time. The water is as warm, if not warmer, in June than in the later months, so don't let that be a factor in choosing a date (in my experience, June has been the warmest month regarding water temperature).
The off-season months are much quieter, more pleasant, calmer, so for those who want peace and quiet and a breeze, I recommend the pre-season and post-season. For those who also want to party and enjoy the heat, I recommend the months of July and August. Of course, Orebic is a small town, so even the busy time is quiet compared to the cities. For dog lovers, I would definitely recommend the pre and post season, and even the months of March, April and May.
As a dog owner myself I welcome all guests with dogs. But I also ask that guests with dogs exercise proper dog-owning etiquette, so they should not let their pets run around the house unsupervised, and the garden is not for dogs. There is plenty of space close to the house for your pets to do their natural needs and the surrounding area is rich in walking paths. There are many hiking trails right behind the house, so you can go dog walking without a car. There is a 5 euro/night surcharge for dogs.
