You can have Dubrovnik all to yourself, but you will have to get up early. Mexican blogger and photographer Frank Coronado recently visited Dubrovnik and proved that if you want to explore the historic Old City without the normal hustle and bustle of the midseason you need to do it at 7.30 in the morning.

Not only did he have the stone streets and monuments to himself but he also was pretty much all alone in the Adriatic Sea on the iconic Banje Beach. With the simple message of “Dubrovnik 7.30” on his Twitter account Coronado highlighted the beauty of early morning Dubrovnik.

Check out his “crack of dawn” gallery

Shawn Thomas is the host of the show 'Local flight'  that recently published an episode on Dubrovnik. It was published on Tastemade, a global community for food and travel lovers. In this show, the host travels around the world meeting mixologists and challenging them to create amazing cocktails using unique local ingredients.

In Dubrovnik, Shawn Thomas, joined by Marjan Lipanovic, a bartender in Culture Club Revelin, brings together a cocktail reminiscent of the sea that begins with a locally sourced oyster and includes an orange, sun-dried figs from a nearby market and salt from a 4,000-year-old salt mine. An interesting way to get to know Dubrovnik and its surroundings!

Funny enough, The Dubrovnik Times team was present during the filming in the Old City. We noticed the host and cameraman, but didn't have enough curiosity to ask what was happening (yes, that happens to journalists too). Just in case, we took some photos and finally now we know what is the story behind them! It took only two months... Better late than never!

The members of U2 have been a real hit this summer in Cavtat and Dubrovnik, but the greatest ''fan mania'' was made by Bono Vox, who came few days later than the others to Cavtat. Yesterday, he spent his day with family and friends on beautiful island of Korcula.

He was seen in the most crowded street in the old part of the town – Petar Kanavelic promenade where he decided to have a lunch at the restaurant ''Filippi''. There, in his warm and laid back style, he met the young staff and also took some photos. It seems like the famous singer can't get enough of our area, so we're sure we'll see him again.

Every weekend our resident "Style Guru" will be scanning the streets of Dubrovnik for the latest and greatest in fashion. 

“You can’t miss us; we are right on the river front.” Now that’s not a common sentence you hear when describing a restaurant in Dubrovnik, but this is no common restaurant.

Located on the banks of the Ombla River this “new kid on the restaurant block” not only has unique views but also nature’s air-conditioning. Bright and flowing, and no I am not describing the Ombla now, it has quickly forged itself on the Dubrovnik restaurant scene. Restaurant Bogo, or to give it its original name Konoba Bogo, is a breath of fresh air.

“And as you can see we have plenty of space to sit inside,” said the friendly waitress as she greeted me. I nodded my head in agreement, it was hard to argue with beauty of the high-ceilings, the wooden theme and the walls of windows, but my eyes were already wandering. Through the large windows I spotted a little piece of paradise. “Yes, it is very nice…would you mind if I had a look outside,” I answered.

Three things hit me as I walked out onto the terrace, a) it was much cooler than the rest of the city, b) I had never eaten with a view like this before and c) the olive trees that lined the terrace were stunning. “They are hundreds of years old,” came a voice from behind me. Ah, they had obviously seen that I was admiring their mini olive grove. “It must be nice sitting out here,” I changed the subject. Whether for a morning coffee, light lunch or romantic evening meal the terrace would have been my choice, and a different perspective on the Dubrovnik countryside.

Enough of the location I wanted to get done to the real business…show me the menu! I am definitely a fan of short menus. Those novel length menus which advertise a mind-boggling array of dishes just makes me feel one thing, nothing here is fresh. I only had one problem, where should the gastronomic adventure begin?

I would describe the menu as a fusion of traditional Mediterranean meals with a modern twist. Although that word “fusion” seems a bit tired now, so let’s just say – traditional values, modern ideas. They have a show-cooking kitchen and a grill that is larger than my apartment. Fish, meat, pasta, risotto…it might have been a short menu but it was also terribly tempting.

I plumped for a solid starter, Dalmatian smoked ham, cheese from oil, olives, cherry tomatoes…well you know the deal. The smoked ham immediately caught my eye, well rather my taste buds. The story that unfolded was an insight into the care and preparation that Bogo will soon be famous for. “We never slice the prosciutto with an electric slicer we only use hand sliced prosciutto,” commented the owner. I had to ask why! “Because the electric slicers produce heat when slicing which takes away some of the flavor from the prosciutto,” he explained. It seemed obvious, but also extremely meticulous. And the result was absolutely delicious.

And then there was the wine list, oh boy! “Don’t forget we also have a unique list of craft beers from tiny breweries,” added the waitress with a smile. This was going to be a long afternoon, but I am sure there were worse places to be on a sunny day in Dubrovnik. To slightly misquote Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Bogo, I will be back!”

Contact Info
Address – Konoba Bogo, Gorava 41, Dubrovnik
Phone – 00385 (0) 95 333 5335
Web - www.facebook.com/BoGoDUBROVNIK

The British have fallen in love with Zupa! Figures just in from the Zupa Tourist Board show that the number of British tourists in the Zupa region this year is an amazing 46 percent more than last year. In the first seven months of 2015 a grand total of 60,443 tourists visited Zupa, a borough adjoining Dubrovnik, which is an 8 percent increase over the same period from last year. The majority of these guests came from the UK, 7,383 in total.

One of the reasons for this jump in interest from the UK market is undoubtedly the opening of the Sheraton Hotel last year. A brand name that is recognised on the UK market has acted as a magnet for UK guests. After British tourists came guests from Croatia, France, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina and South Korea.

Of course with the opening of the Dubrovnik Sheraton Riviera comes the news that the largest increase in the number of overnight stays this year is in the hotel and resort sector, an impressive increase of 21 percent. Guests choosing to stay in private accommodation is at the same level as last year whilst visitors plumping for camp sites has dropped massively, an 80 percent decrease compared to 2015.

Ivanka Trump, American businesswoman, writer, former model and the daughter of Donald Trump, who is currently fighting hard to become USA president, has been around Dubrovnik for couple of days now. Yesterday, she shared an Instagram photo from the City Walls with Wendi Deng Murdoch, another American businesswoman, famous as the third wife of News Corporation chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch.

It seems like two businss oriented ladies decided to take some rest from their busy schedule, especially Ivanka, who has been involved in her father's campaign. In 15 hours, photo got over 26 thousand likes and mostly positive comments, one of which is: TWO powerful women that I adore the most!!

Croatia is certainly a celebrity magnet this summer. With U2 choosing Dubrovnik to celebrate a birthday, Hollywood actress Reese Witherspoon having fun with her girlfriends on the Adriatic coast, and that’s just in the past few days. And now more stars from the world of pop have “landed” in Croatia. Nicole Scherzinger, the former singer from The Pussycat Dolls is cruising the Adriatic with The Black Eyed Peas!

“My mind is forever blown away by the incredible places and opportunities I'm so blessed to go to and experience through my work,” commented Scherzinger on a photo she uploaded onto Instagram relaxing on the deck of a yacht.

She also posed for Instagram doing yoga on the deck as the sunset over a Croatian island, it seem that the former girlfriend of the Formula 1 ace Lewis Hamilton is having a great holiday in Croatia. Her bikini photos clearly reveal why she was voted by FHM magazine in the 100 sexiest women in 2014 and 2015. And with over 2.5 million followers on Instagram she will also help publicise Croatia as a vacation destination.

Finally she posed with her buddies from The Black Eyed Peas with the comment “Buddies for almost 20 years now,” a photo that quickly picked up almost 23,000 likes.