Nestled in the heart of the historic centre of Zadar, Almayer Art & Heritage Hotel is a small family owned 4-star boutique hotel which features nine exclusive rooms, an attractive secret garden with a unique and leafy glass house and the hotel bistro Corte Vino & More. Surrounded by the green oasis of the nearby park and protected cultural monuments, it is in close proximity to all the city’s sigh
ts, the ancient forum, the sea and Zadar’s waterfront, as well as the famous architectural installations of the Sea Organ and Greetings to the Sun. Named after the Inn of the same name in Alessandro Baricco’s novel “Ocean Sea”, this romantic jewel, built in 1863, after a comprehensive renovation and adaptation in 2017 is transformed into a sensitively reimagined, distinctive, four-star hotel and a new focal point of the city. Specially designed by the owners to emanate the atmosphere of the home, before the classic hotel, it becomes a place for true connoisseurs and modern epicureans. While the comprehensive exterior renovation of the complex has been done meticulously to preserve the original details and spirit of the old building, so far the interior of the hotel is visually rich, truly eclectic and filled with the cosmopolitan spirit of the Mediterranean. The new interior designed by Boris Ružić BRDesign Studio is visually lavish, eclectic, modern, classic and elegant, with an abundance of texture, shades and colours. Guided by the aesthetic manifesto of the connection of heritage, design and art, the emphasis was not only on the interior design, but on the creation of the experience of place that makes a strong emotional impact, as well as make a place feel instinctively comfortable. In the attractive courtyard of the hotel, hidden with a medieval wall and filled with the scent of oranges, like the present-day Garden of Hesperides, it is situated our ''secret garden''. From the herringbone brick pavement as reminiscence of the Antiquity and times under the winged Lion of Venice, the medieval courtyard wall which remembers the crusaders times and Ottomans wars, to a verdant Mediterranean vegetation and a steel and glass orangery in the industrial style, as connection to the Fin de siècle and golden age of bourgeois Zadar, our “Secret Garden” is a visual hommage to a centuries-old art of living in Zadar. A place for epicureans and dreamers, bistro Corte Vino & More is a lively and sensuous place that is sure to surprise as its atmosphere evolves with the passing of time. You can enjoy a hearty breakfast in the morning or a palate-pleasing gourmet nibbles and desserts from the small plate bistro menu afterwards. In our culinary culture and style deeply rooted in our Dalmatian birthplace, we creatively reinterpret traditional Dalmatia’s prime ingredients, terroir and unique flavours. Our extensive drinks list includes more than 80 wines, 25 of them available by the glass, specialty coffee, organic and fair-trade teas, cocktails, prizewinning spirits and liqueurs in a fine Zadar tradition. Art and design are woven into the fabric of the Almayer. The hotel partners with a diverse range of Croatian and foreign artists to present a continuously changing exhibition. Every space is a canvas for artistic expression—from the art itself to exquisite furniture design and well-thought architectural elements—creating a singular environment and experience in which art is the focus. Almayer Art & Heritage Hotel isn’t just another boutique hotel. It has been transformed from a place for sleeping to a place for daydreaming. Almayer is now an intimate meeting place for curious travellers, with artworks created by emerging and established artists. It’s a unique retreat where reality and fantasy intersect – and make you want to stay. Most of the artworks are for sale and you’ll find the entire range listed in our Art Catalogue, which is available for viewing online or at Reception. Almayer is not the usual hotel. If Almayer is an idea of home, of comfort and security, of familiarity, the other is an institution, a series of services. While it has all the facilities expected today, Almayer is a place that allows the guest to become part of it. Guests are treated as friends of the family. Almayer is connected to the street and the sky, to the city, it is not a machine cut off from life outside. Almayer is as glamorous as it is casual, but while it is a luxury, it is not a luxury hotel. The whole house works on a human scale, with the layout and interconnectivity of the spaces encouraging real use. Walking through the kitchen, where one of the chefs might be preparing dinner, to the glasshouse and garden beyond, seems totally natural. Themed after the winds (Tramontana, Bora, Levante, Siroco, Ostro, Garbin, Ponente and Maistral) and the final chapter of Baricco’s novel (La Settima stanza), our nine double rooms have been designed with the exact same comfort language as that of a private residence.
