Where to Stay on the Makarska Riviera: Why Brist

The Makarska Riviera runs for about 60 kilometres along the Dalmatian coast, squeezed between the Biokovo mountains and the Adriatic. The whole coast shares the same pebble beaches, clear sea and pine trees down to the shore. What changes from one end to the other is the pace of life, and that is what really decides where you should stay.

The northern half, around the town of Makarska, is where most of the big hotels are. In July and August the beaches there fill up so much that people lie towel to towel, packed in like sardines, the promenades are full until late and the traffic builds up. If nightlife is the point of your holiday, you will find it there easily. If you are looking for something slower, keep driving south.

The southern end of the riviera is made up of small villages with far fewer beds and a much calmer rhythm. Brist is one of them: an old fishing village of fewer than 400 people. It is the birthplace of three of Croatia's great names: Andrija Kačić Miošić, one of its national poets, Srećko Diana, the twentieth-century writer known as the poet of the sea, and Mladen Veža, one of its most celebrated painters, who lived here and devoted much of his work to the village. On the wall of his house in the heart of the village you can still see Život životu (Life to Life), a mosaic he worked on from 1966 to 1979, made from ceramic fragments gathered on the beach in Brist and never quite finished. Around it you will find small beaches, a bakery, a few restaurants and a seaside promenade that is lovely at sunset. And even in August you find your own spot on the beach, with room to spread out a towel and hear the waves instead of the conversation on the next towel. Life here moves with the sea. A swim before breakfast, lunch in the shade, dinner on the terrace while the light fades over the islands.

Staying in Brist does not mean missing out on the rest of the coast. The whole riviera is within easy reach whenever you want it. Makarska is about 45 minutes away for an evening out, the Biokovo Skywalk makes an unforgettable morning, the ferry to Hvar leaves from nearby Drvenik, and Dubrovnik, Pelješac and Medjugorje are all good day trips. You see the riviera on your own terms and come home each evening to a quiet village.

One of our guests from Bosnia and Herzegovina put it better than we could. After a first stay in Brist, the verdict was simple: the most beautiful, most peaceful and most charming place on the Makarska Riviera. We hear the same thing, in different words, again and again.

Our family's three stays sit at the calm end of Brist, where through traffic stops and the sea is a few steps from the door. Each has its own terrace, sea view and private parking, and each has its own character. The Original Beach House is the whole house over several levels, the largest of the three, with a rooftop terrace, a summer kitchen and the widest panorama. Ena has the biggest terrace and the fewest stairs, made for long breakfasts and late dinners outside. Paula sits a little higher and more tucked away, with an intimate terrace for two that is perfect for morning coffee and sunset.

The whole swimming season is good here, from June through September. June brings long light evenings. July and August bring the warmest sea and village life at its fullest. September brings a calm, warm sea after the summer rush. Because the southern villages have far fewer beds than the big resorts, summer weeks in Brist fill early.

When you book directly with us there are no booking fees, and you talk to the family rather than a platform. Send us your dates and we will check availability and reply personally, usually within a day.