Michelin shortlists Croatia’s Villa Nai 3.3 as one of the world’s best-designed hotels

In its first-ever Architecture & Design Award, Michelin has named Croatia’s Villa Nai 3.3 one of the five best-designed hotels on the planet — and the only European on the list

Europe has more than 620,000 tourist accommodation establishments offering close to 30 million bed places (writes John E. Kaye). This, according to Michelin, is most striking of them all.

Hidden amongst the ancient olive groves of the Croatian island of Dugi Otok, Villa Nai 3.3 has been named in the top five of the Guide’s new Architecture and Design category. It is the only European hotel to feature.

It stands alongside competition that includes Dubai’s Atlantis the Royal, Saudi Arabia’s Shebara Resort, Rosewood São Paulo with its vertical forest tower, and Japan’s Benesse House, the pioneering museum-hotel hybrid by Tadao Ando.

It is the latest statement from Nikola Bašić, the celebrated Croatian architect whose work ranges from Zadar’s wave-powered ‘Sea Organ’, a set of marble steps that use pipes beneath to turn the motion of the Adriatic into sound, to the teardrop-shaped Sukošan Marina on the Dalmatian coast, a gateway for yacht and speedboat transfers to Dugi Otok and Villa Nai.

Inspired by the region’s traditional dry-stone walls, Bašić designed Villa Nai 3.3 as an extension of its setting by shaping the building’s curves to form terraces that run into the 40,000 square metre olive groves beyond. Most of the stone used in the construction was dug out on site, reducing emissions and rooting the structure in its surroundings.

Michelin itself calls it “an almost undetectable fusion of edifice and environment”. I rather prefer work of art.

Villa Nai 3.3 is a five-star member of the Leading Hotels of the World, a consortium of more than 400 independent luxury properties that are admitted only if they meet strict standards on service, facilities and guest experience. Unlike many of its peers, though, Villa Nai 3.3 has just eight rooms — five deluxe doubles and three suites. Each boasts a king-sized bed and a private terrace looking straight onto the olive groves. Inside, Italian marble and timber details sit alongside distinctive designer furniture in soft, natural tones.

The suites include fireplaces (welcome outside of the summer months) and in some cases, four-poster beds, too. Bathrooms, meanwhile, are lit from above and all include a tub and a walk-in shower, while Frette linens and Diptyque toiletries add a touch of polish.

The entire retreat can be booked in its entirety for family gatherings or groups who want it to themselves. Groups booking the whole estate can make use of bespoke services, from tailored menus designed by a private chef using the island’s seasonal produce to spa programmes built around olive-based treatments. It is particularly popular over Christmas and New Year.

At all other times it is adults-only, open to guests from 12 upwards, which keeps the atmosphere quiet even in peak summer.

The grounds are laid out around a 23-metre seawater infinity pool, edged by olive trees with the sea beyond. There is another pool indoors, cut into the stone and lit from above, which feels more like a grotto than a spa. Treatments make use of the estate’s produce — olive-paste scrubs alongside Balinese and Thai massages — while a Finnish sauna and cold-plasma therapies complete the line-up. There is also a small outdoor gym and, for anyone feeling more competitive, a clay tennis court tucked between the groves. Yoga sessions can also be arranged, often held at sunrise among the olive trees.

After the exertion comes the reward, and the estate’s focus on food is as strong as its focus on design, with meals built around what is grown, raised and caught on the island. The hotel takes its name from Nai 3.3, the estate’s olive oil. Pressed on site the same day the fruit is picked from trees that are up to 500 years old, it has become the most awarded oil in Dalmatia and is central to the way the kitchen works. Tastings are part of any stay, and the oil runs through both restaurants’ menus.

The first, Grota 11 000, is named after the caveman Šime, whose remains were found in a nearby cave and dated to around 11,000 years ago. Here the cooking is primal by design: fish and seafood from the Adriatic, vegetables watered with desalinated water, and meat from family farms, all cooked over charcoal grills or hearth ovens within stone walls.

The second, Restaurant 3.3, sits between the olive groves and the sea and takes a more modern line on Dalmatian cooking. The estate’s oil is used as a signature in every course, while the restaurant’s garden is fertilised with by-products from olive pruning and pressing, closing the loop between grove and table.

Beyond the restaurants, much of what appears on the plate is sourced directly from the estate: figs, citrus and heritage greens from the gardens, eggs from the chickens, fish from local boats, and meat from nearby farms. Bread, pasta and desserts are made on site, and the wine list leans on single-estate Croatian bottles with Old World support. Menus are adapted without fuss for dietary needs.

The Lobby Bar, meanwhile, runs throughout the day, from morning through to evening cocktails, while a list of Croatian and Old World wines is available at any time. For smokers there is the Cigar Lounge with proper humidors and an adjoining stone garden, set apart from the main bar to keep it discreet.

Whilst Villa Nai 3.3 is a complete retreat in itself, no visit here would be complete without exploring Dugi Otok itself. At just 45km long and barely five wide, Dugi Otok — literally, “Long Island” — can easily be explored by car thanks to a single road running the length of the island. Its eastern side is sheltered and home to most of the villages, while the western flank meets the full force of the Adriatic with sheer cliffs and rugged shoreline.

At its northern end, the 42-metre lighthouse at Veli Rat is the tallest on the Adriatic and still in use today. Its highest point, Vela Straža, rises to 338 metres and can be reached on foot, rewarding walkers with views across the island to Zadar on one side and the Kornati islands on the other.

Across the island, you’ll find hamlets such as Sali (the main settlement), Božava, Brbinj and Zaglav, each with their own small harbours. In the north lies Sakarun, an 800-metre sandy beach in a country better known for pebbly coves. Its shallow, clear water makes it especially popular with families.

Alongside its pretty villages and beaches, Dugi Otok is also defined by two protected areas at the southern end: Telašćica Nature Park and Kornati National Park.

Telašćica is perhaps best known for its sheer limestone cliffs, or ‘stene’, rising to 161 metres above the sea and dropping almost 90 metres below it. Its sheltered bay holds six small islets, while Lake Mir, a warm saltwater lagoon connected by underground channels, is a rare phenomenon in Europe and reputed for its therapeutic qualities. Just offshore, Kornati spreads across 89 islands, reefs and islets. Sailors describe it as a nautical maze; in summer it’s a playground for swimming and snorkelling, while outside the peak months it’s a quieter place to explore by boat.

The hotel’s concierge can arrange a wide range of activities, from cycling and hiking routes across the island to kayaking, yachting and diving. Offshore trips can include big-game fishing for tuna, swordfish and amberjack — a nod to Dugi Otok’s maritime heritage — while on land guests can even take part in the annual olive harvest.

Villa Nai 3.3 is reached via Zadar on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. From the airport it’s a short drive to the port, where the hotel can arrange a limousine and private speedboat across to Dugi Otok. Scheduled ferries and catamarans also run from Zadar, with complimentary pick-ups offered for guests arriving at Zaglav or Žman.

Those short on time can opt for a helicopter transfer direct from Zadar airport, touching down on the hotel’s helipad in about 20 minutes. Arrivals by private yacht are welcomed with advance notice, and free valet parking is available on site.

Further information

Produced with support from Villa Nai 3.3, one of just five hotels worldwide shortlisted for the Michelin Guide’s first Architecture & Design Award, and the only one in Europe. The result will be revealed on 8 October, when Michelin also unveils its new hotel ratings, the Michelin Keys. To find out more, visit villanai.com.

_{Main Image: Villa Nai 3.3 aerial}