A Relais & Châteaux estate above the southern Adriatic

Korta Katarina sits on a quiet corner of Orebić, on the southern coast of the Pelješac peninsula, looking out across the narrow channel that separates Pelješac from the medieval walled town of Korčula. The Adriatic here is the deep blue of southern Dalmatia; the hillsides above the estate run with cypress, olive, and the steep, sun-drenched vineyards of Postup. The walled streets of Korčula sit twenty minutes away across the water by ferry; the old town of Dubrovnik is about two hours by road. It is the most beautifully sited estate on the southern Adriatic, and one of the few in Croatia that combines hotel, restaurant, working winery, and a serious private yacht under a single, family-owned roof.

Korta Katarina is the work of Lee and Penny Anderson, who first travelled to post-war Croatia in 2001 and quietly fell in love with the country. Two decades on, what began as a private project has become one of the small handful of properties on the Adriatic that Relais & Châteaux will admit — and the only one in southern Dalmatia. The estate is run with the precision of a hotel and the warmth of a private house; the Andersons are usually somewhere on the property, and most guests meet them within a day or two of arrival. For the luxury traveller looking for the right base for a Dalmatian week, this is it.

Villa Korta Katarina — eight individually styled suites

The original Villa Korta Katarina is the heart of the estate — a beautifully restored Dalmatian villa above the harbour with eight individually styled suites. Each suite is its own room, its own composition: refined antique furnishings, polished stone, considered art, and panoramic views across the Adriatic to Korčula or up the Pelješac hillside to the Postup vineyards. The villa is small enough that it never feels like a hotel and large enough to deliver a full luxury programme — private spa appointments, in-villa dining, sunset cocktails on the terrace overlooking the Adriatic.

The villa is the right base for travellers who want a small, personal luxury stay — couples on honeymoon, returning Croatia regulars, and small parties who can take the entire eight-suite house for a private week. For families and larger groups the new Hotel Katarina, opening alongside the villa in early 2026, expands the estate’s capacity without diluting the editorial of the original house.

Hotel Katarina — opening 2026

Hotel Katarina is the second chapter of the estate, opening in early 2026 as an intimate eleven-suite Relais & Châteaux seaside retreat in the Korta Katarina collection. Each of the eleven accommodations has its own balcony or terrace, custom furnishings, artisanal details by local makers, and serene Adriatic views. The architectural language is contemporary Dalmatian — local stone, polished plaster, deep marine blues — and the rooms are designed around the same principle as the original villa: a small number of beautifully made things rather than a hotel-issue catalogue.

The new hotel adds the Neptune Spa to the estate — a hammam, a sauna, and a fitness room — together with the new Captain’s Terrace restaurant and the adjacent American Bar, both of which are open to villa and hotel guests alike. Rates begin at approximately €450 per night, including breakfast and access to the spa facilities. For the traveller who wants the certainty of a dedicated balcony with a sea view and the full hotel programme alongside the more intimate villa rooms, Hotel Katarina is the strongest opening on the Adriatic in 2026.

The Captain’s Terrace and the American Bar

The estate’s restaurant, the Captain’s Terrace, is an open-air dining room above the Adriatic — farm-to-table and sea-to-table cooking that honours Dalmatian tradition through a modern lens. The kitchen is led by Chef Kristijan Feskov, whose menus follow the Slow Food philosophy and are built around sustainable ingredients from the family of farmers, fishermen, and artisans the estate has cultivated for almost two decades. Pelješac oysters from the Mali Ston bay, fish from the morning’s catch, lamb from the inland villages of the peninsula, olive oil and cheeses from the surrounding hamlets — it is some of the most considered Dalmatian cooking on the Adriatic, and the wine list runs deep into the estate’s own cellar.

The adjacent American Bar is the right place to begin or end an evening on the estate — wood-panelled interiors, a small terrace open to the sunset, an intelligent cocktail list anchored on the wines and spirits of the region. The bar is a quietly perfect last stop after a yacht day or a vineyard tasting.

The winery — Plavac Mali, Pošip, and the Dingač cliffs

The Korta Katarina winery is the editorial spine of the estate. The Andersons restored six hectares of vineyards on the two most prestigious wine positions in Croatia — Dingač and Postup, the steep, sun-drenched south-facing cliffs of southern Pelješac that produce the country’s most serious red wines. All of Korta Katarina’s reds are Plavac Mali, the grape that is the genetic ancestor of Zinfandel and the king of the Pelješac peninsula. The estate’s signature red is a fifty-fifty blend of Dingač and Postup fruit — bold, structured, deeply tannic in youth, and remarkable with another five or ten years on it. The whites are built around Pošip, the indigenous Dalmatian white, with a small allocation of barrel-aged premium bottlings and a serious sparkling-Pošip programme. Korta Katarina wines have taken silver and bronze at the Decanter World Wine Awards.

The right way to engage with the winery is a private tasting in the cellar followed by a vineyard walk on the Dingač cliffs — it is a serious afternoon for travellers who care about wine. For travellers wanting more, the estate also runs a barrel-tasting in the cellar before service and arranges visits to the neighbouring family wineries of Pelješac (Grgich Hills’s Croatian project, Bartulović, Miloš) where introductions are warranted. Combine a winery day with a Mali Ston oyster lunch on the northern coast of the peninsula and it is one of the best wine days in the Mediterranean.

Motor Yacht Katharine

Korta Katarina’s most distinctive offering is also its most quietly extraordinary. M/Y Katharine is a 61.3-metre (201-foot) classic CRN superyacht in the golden-age tradition — graceful canoe stern, refined wood and brass interiors, a full crew, and accommodation for twelve guests across six staterooms. The yacht is available to estate guests on private day charters from the harbour at Orebić and on longer multi-day charters working the islands of southern Dalmatia.

A typical Katharine day from the estate: morning departure across the channel to the south coast of Korčula, lunch anchored off Lumbarda or the Pakleni islets, an afternoon swim in one of the southern coves, and a sunset run back to Orebić. Longer charters work west to Mljet and the Elaphiti islands, south to the protected coves below Dubrovnik, or north along the Pelješac coast and out to Vis and the Adriatic’s quieter outer islands. For travellers who want the full Dalmatian experience without leaving the rhythm of a private yacht — yacht days from a small, beautiful land base — Katharine is the strongest such pairing on the Adriatic.

Experiences at Korta Katarina

• Private cellar tasting and vineyard walk — the foundational afternoon at Korta Katarina. A guided tasting through the Plavac Mali, the Pošip, and the small-allocation reserves, followed by a walk on the Dingač cliffs above the sea.
• Yacht day on M/Y Katharine — a private charter day from Orebić to the Korčula coast, the Pakleni islets, or the Mljet national park, returning at sunset.
• Mali Ston oyster lunch — a half-day across the peninsula to the Mali Ston bay, oysters straight from the rafts, lunch at one of the family-run konobas on the bay.
• Korčula crossing — the twenty-minute Jadrolinija ferry from Orebić to the medieval walled town of Korčula. A morning of the old town, lunch on the harbour, and back to the estate by mid-afternoon.
• Pelješac wine day — a private tour with introductions to the neighbouring Pelješac producers; the right Pelješac wine day is one of the best days in Croatian travel.
• Dingač cliff walk — a guided morning walk along the precipitous south coast of the peninsula above the cliffs, returning to the estate for lunch.
• Spa day at Neptune — opening with Hotel Katarina in 2026, a full hammam-and-treatment programme in the new estate spa.

How to get to Korta Katarina

Korta Katarina is in Orebić, on the southern coast of the Pelješac peninsula, with a small private dock on the Adriatic. The most common arrival routes:

• Drive from Dubrovnik (DBV) — about two hours along the coastal road and across the Pelješac bridge. The most common arrival; private driver transfers handled by the estate.
• Drive from Split (SPU) — three to three-and-a-half hours along the coastal route, or slightly faster via the inland motorway and the Pelješac bridge.
• Catamaran from Korčula — twenty minutes by Jadrolinija ferry from Korčula town to Orebić, ideal for travellers combining the two destinations.
• Helicopter — direct from Dubrovnik or Split, landing on the peninsula or at a nearby helipad with a short transfer to the estate. Arranged by request.
• Private yacht arrival — guests cruising the Adriatic can arrive directly at the estate’s dock by tender.

For a fully concierge-managed Dalmatian week — Dubrovnik on arrival, Korta Katarina for the centre of the trip, Korčula by ferry, Mljet by yacht, and an onward leg to Split — see our Croatia travel guide and 7-day Croatia itinerary for routing context.

When to stay at Korta Katarina

Late May, June, and September are the strongest months — warm Adriatic, settled weather, vineyards green or in harvest, and the southern coast at its most peaceful. July and August are spectacular for swimming, yacht days, and the long Adriatic evenings, but they are the busiest weeks of the Croatian summer; book early. Late October is a particularly fine time at the estate — the harvest is in, the cellar is working at full pressure, and the property is at its most personal. The estate runs a winter programme as well; February and March are quiet, atmospheric, and a serious window for travellers prioritising the wines and the Andersons’ time on the property.

Frequently asked questions

Plan your Korta Katarina stay

Korta Katarina is the right anchor for a southern Dalmatian week — pair it with the Pelješac travel guide for the rest of the peninsula, the Korčula travel guide for the medieval walled town across the channel, and the Dubrovnik travel guide for the southern coast beyond. For yacht-supported Mljet days from the estate, see our Mljet travel guide. For a fully concierge-managed Korta Katarina stay — private transfers, vineyard introductions, M/Y Katharine days, and the right table at the Captain’s Terrace — see our concierge enquiries page. Personal introductions to the Andersons are available on request.