House in Cara, Dubrovnik-Neretva

17th Century Castle on Dalmatian island

17th Century Castle on Dalmatian island

Photo gallery for 17th Century Castle on Dalmatian island

Front of House with view of lower terrace
Side of the house facing towards the vineyards and sea (spot the crest!)
Property grounds
Front of house + annex
Unclassified image, 5 of 31, button

Overview of 17th Century Castle on Dalmatian island

Reviews
5 out of 5 Exceptional
4 bedrooms2+ bathroomsSleeps 7145 sq m

Popular amenities

  • Kitchen
  • Washer
  • Pet-friendly
  • Outdoor space
  • Ocean view
  • Barbecue grill

Explore the area

Cara, Dubrovnik-Neretva
  • Popular LocationKorcula Old Town24 min drive
  • Popular LocationKorcula Ferry Port25 min drive
  • Popular LocationOrebic Harbor48 min drive

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 7)

Annex

Kids

Master

Twin

2 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom

Annex

Toilet · Shower only

Ground floor wc

Toilet

Main

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Deck or patio
Porch or lanai
Kitchen
Kitchenette
Balcony
Garden
Dining Area

About this property

17th Century Castle on Dalmatian island

Kastel Spanič is a unique Adriatic family house located on the Croatian island of Korčula. Recently restored to its original 1674 format. The house is designed for those wishing to enjoy the more traditional island way of life of a wine-growing village. With beautiful views of the sea and vineyards, it is removed from the tourist centres of the island. The closest beach is 2.4km away, but isolated coves are all within easy reach, as are excursions to other islands and inaccessible bays. Visit https://kastelspanic.com/ and follow @kastelspanic.korcula to discover more.

Property manager

Alexander Paine

Languages

English, French, German, Italian, Russian

Amenities

Kitchen
Washer
Pet-friendly
Outdoor space
Ocean view
Barbecue grill

House Rules

Check in after 2:00 PM
Minimum age to rent: 21
Check out before 10:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0-17
Not for young children. Walls and steep stairs

Events

No events allowed

Pets

Pets allowed: dogs and cats (limit 1 total)

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Damage and incidentals

You will be responsible for any damage to the rental property caused by you or your party during your stay.

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
Onsite parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher

We should mention

A car is required for transportation to and from this property

About the area

Korcula

Located in Korcula, this villa is by the sea. Olive Oil Museum and Bishop's Treasury are cultural highlights, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at ACI Marina Korcula and Korcula Ferry Port. Discover the area's water adventures with jet skiing and scuba diving nearby, or enjoy the great outdoors with hiking and cycling.

What's nearby

  • Marco Polo Birth House - 24 min drive
  • Korcula Old Town - 24 min drive
  • Korcula Ferry Port - 25 min drive
  • Orebic Harbor - 48 min drive
  • Korta Katarina Winery - 48 min drive

Restaurants

  • Konoba Mate - 13 min drive
  • Konoba Albert - 4 min drive
  • Konoba Mali Jakov - 9 min drive
  • Cin & Cin - 22 min drive
  • Konoba ''Vala'' Račišće - 22 min drive

Reviews

5

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
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Rating 5 - Excellent. 16 out of 16 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Good. 0 out of 16 reviews" "
Rating 3 - Okay. 0 out of 16 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Poor. 0 out of 16 reviews" "
Rating 1 - Terrible. 0 out of 16 reviews" "

4.7/5

Cleanliness

5/5

Check-in

5/5

Communication

4.8/5

Location

5/5

Listing accuracy

Reviews

5/5 Excellent

Daniel P.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Idyllisch & viel Charme
Die Lage ist sehr ruhig, das Haus hat viel Charme mit viel Authentizität. Haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt und mit Familie und Freunden, einen schönen Urlaub gehabt.
Stayed 12 nights in Aug 2023

5/5 Excellent

Nora H.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Wonderful, charming place to stay
We spent a week as a family of six in this place and we absolutey loved it!!! The house is very tastefully renovated, with an amazing view, located in a charming little village - we immediately felt at home! You need a car to get around, but it is also really nice to take a morning walk to the nearest beach, around 40 min by foot. Alex, the owner, was really great and always reachable gor anything we needed! We really hope to come back one day!
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2023

5/5 Excellent

Verena V.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Klasse, danke!
Toll saniertes und sehr geschmackvoll eingerichtetes ehemaliges Kastell. Der Vermieter ist extrem hilfsbereit und immer ansprechbar. Für mich war es perfekt!
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2021

5/5 Excellent

Deirdre D.

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Cara
Thoroughly enjoyed our stay in this beautifully restored and very comfortable castle , in the July heat. Alex the host was very helpful , friendly and easy to contact. The garden and planting was wonderful -and tended to by a lovely lady named Vinka. It was so pleasant to sit on the terrace at the big table or swing in the hammock on the lower terrace during the warm evenings. The rural location was still and silent -apart from local agricultural traffic and the growing of cockerels, both usually early in the morning! No television , which discomfited my teenage children initially (!)- but good WiFi and lots of intresting books , especially ones about Korcula and Croatia . I would highly recommend this property to others .
Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2019

5/5 Excellent

Elisabeth C., lyon

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
La vie de château !
Très belle île, la maison est idéalement située pour la découvrir. Merveilleuse journée à Lastovo avec Tonci. De très belles criques à découvrir. Alexander a plein de bons plans et est très attentionné et réactif. Cara est un village viticole actif très tôt...la maison n’est pas faite pour des enfants en bas âge.
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2019

About the host

Hosted by Alexander Paine

Host profile image
I am on the left of the photo. I am British and we live in London. We spent between 2001-2014 living in Bosnia and Slovenia. We bought the house in 2005 but only finished the restoration project in 2013, since then we have been doing the interior. We have only just put the house on the market - starting rather late in June 2016. This is our first year!

I work for a large development bank in London and work a lot in Eastern Europe. We have two kids and used to have a lovely old mongrel dog from Sarajevo. My wife and I both grew up in Italy and this project is a real "once in a lifetime".

Why they chose this property

If you are seeking a stone dalmatian house then Kastel Spanič is a classic.

We have spent the last 6 years restoring the property under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture as it is a listed building and categorised as a National Monument.

The Bishop of Korčula built Kastel Spanič in 1674. With a dominant view over the Adriatic it served the purpose of providing advance notice of any sea borne threat as well as ensuring that the inhabitants of Čara paid their dues. The original fortifications still exist and include 16 firing ports or “gun loops” and four “bartizans” at each corner of the top room looking down on to the ground. The house is one of the island’s more important historical buildings. The Spanič family crest of three roses and mailed fist holding a sword still adorns the house.

Korčula is one of three islands that dominate the southern Adriatic coast of Croatia (the other two being Hvar and Brać). It is 46 kilometres in length, with good roads connecting its two ports of Korčula and Vela Luka to the mainland hubs of Split and Dubrovnik.

Trojans, Romans, Illyrians have been settling on the island on the Dalmatian coast since C12th BC. The Venetians held considerable sway over the island and Marco Polo is reputed to have come from the main town of Korčula. Korčula was the last outpost of the Venetian Empire for 200 years. Immediately to the south lies the Dubrovnik Republic.

What makes this property unique

Čara, the village, is one of the oldest settlements on the island of Korčula and spreads out on the south slope of the surrounding hills, just above a large and fertile field called Čarsko Polje, famed for its Pošip white wine. Čara enjoys a lot of sunshine all year round, while at the same time enjoying a good sea breeze.

The house is designed for those wishing to enjoy the more traditional island way of life. You are surrounded by sea and vineyards and it is removed from the tourist centres of the island. It offers the opportunity to enjoy the small but unique village life of a wine-growing community. Access to the sea is by car - with the closest swimming made of secret coves and small outcrops rarely accessed by most tourists. The local harbour town is 1.4 kilometres away with two restaurants and a coffee shop with wi-fi, and a great harbour wall to leap off. From here you can hire boats to farther outlying islets, secret inaccessible coves and near-tropical beaches close to the island of Lastovo - Croatia’s farthest inhabited island before Italy.

Check our house website: www.kastelspanic.com

Languages:

English, French, German, Italian, Russian
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