Villa Donna Paola

Lined with Bisazza mosaic tiles, the 12.5-metre pool stretches three metres wide across a terrace facing Dubrovnik's city walls from 200 metres above. Wild orange trees, laurel shrubs, rosemary, and myrtle edge the garden that surrounds the villa. Built in 1929, the property was refurbished by an architect who opened the ground floor into a single-volume living, dining, and kitchen space lit through three full-height French doors that give onto the south terrace and pool. Design pieces by Mies van der Rohe, Alvar Aalto, and Ron Arad sit alongside century-old tapestries and an Art Deco fireplace. Works by Croatian artists hang throughout. The original stone staircase rises from a mirrored entrance hall to the first floor.

The villa holds four double bedrooms and sleeps eight. The ground-floor bedroom adjoins its own bathroom; a guest WC stands separately. Upstairs, the master bedroom faces south through two windows overlooking the garden, pool, sea, and city walls, and includes an en-suite bathroom. Two further double bedrooms on the first floor share a large marble bathroom and look over the villa's inner courtyard, garden, and walls. All four bedrooms and the living room are equipped with UHD smart TVs. Two shaded terraces — one fitted with a retractable tent — accommodate alfresco dining. A third terrace by the pool receives full sun. The villa stands a five-minute walk from the east gate of the old city and the Stradun.