A message from the Marina's: come to Croatia and see the land from the sea:

Last available sailing boats for 2008 :

Periode 19 juli tot 26 juli (1 week)
Bavaria 32 (bj.2005) 2 cabines, 4+2 beden, rolgrootzeil Normaal 1.400,- euro NU 1.250 euro !!!

Periode 2 aug tot 9 aug (1 week)
Bavaria 33 (bj.2007) 2 cabines, 4+2 beden, rolgrootzeil Normaal 1.750,- euro NU 1.499 euro !!!

Periode 9 aug tot 16 aug (1 week)
Bavaria 30 (bj.2006) 2 cabines, 4+2 beden, rolgrootzeil Normaal 1.490,- euro NU 1.299 euro !!!

Periode 9 aug tot 16 aug (1 week)
Bavaria 33 (bj.2007) 2 cabines, 4+2 beden, rolgrootzeil Normaal 1.750,- euro NU 1.499 euro !!!

Periode 9 aug tot 16 aug (1 week)
Vektor 36 (bj.2007) 3 cabines, 6+2 beden, grootzeil Normaal 2.350,- euro NU 2.090 euro !!!

Bovengenoemde prijzen zijn inclusief: zeiljacht met standaard voorzieningen zoals een inventarislijst, bedlinnen, keukendoeken, water, 2 gasflessen, eindschoonmaak,
dinghy, bimini/buiskap, GPS, elektrische ankerlier. Optioneel: buitenboordmotor: 80 euro per week. Excl.Transitlog : 60 euro. (boordpapieren, verzekering etc)
Vraag naar uw mogelijkheden betreffende flottieljeplaatsen voor bovengenoemde zeiljachten!!

De allerlaatste flottielje-plaatsen voor 2008 :

Start 14 juni - 21 juni -28 juni (enkele plaatsen)
Start 5 juli (1 plaats)
Start 2 augustus (1 plaats)

De allerlaatste plaatsen meezeilvakantie voor 2008 :
12 juli tot 19 juli : 6 plaatsen (Bavaria 37, bj.2006)

2 augustus tot 9 augustus : 4 plaatsen (Bavaria 37, bj.2006)

2 augustus tot 16 augustus : 2 plaatsen (Bavaria 39, bj.2006)

Prijsoverzicht:
Deelname 1 persoon : 425 euro pp
Deelname 2 personen : 399 euro pp
Deelname 4 personen : 375 euro pp
Deelname 6 personen : 350 euro pp

Mid-2011 target date for Croatia's EU accession treaty

  AUGUSTIN PALOKAJ from waz.euobserver.com

Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union, a seemingly never-ending story, could finish in some eight months' time.

Under this scenario, the accession treaty would probably be signed at the end of the Hungarian EU Presidency, in mid-2011. Although the EU refrains from setting the date of accession for any new member, diplomatic sources from different EU countries confirmed to this website that the end of February/beginning of March next year was "the unofficial target date" to conclude the technical part of Croatia's accession talks. If this deadline is met, the accession treaty could be signed in June.

The European Commission declared last year that, provided Croatia meets the necessary criteria and benchmarks, accession talks could be concluded before the end of 2010. But this no longer looks realistic. Croatia has yet to open three more chapters, including the most challenging one (chapter 23) on the judiciary and fundamental rights. EU sources said that this part of the negotiations, known as "the chapter of chapters," can be opened at the end of this month. This would give Croatia until the beginning of next year to focus on meeting the "closing benchmarks," or requirements for successful conclusion of a negotiating chapter.

The Netherlands has blocked the opening of Chapter 23, arguing that Croatia did not fully comply with the requests by Serge Brammertz, Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). According to EU diplomats, the Netherlands has lifted its objections on the opening of the chapter, following the acceptance of its request to make full co-operation of Croatia with the ICTY a closing benchmark instead.

Croatia will most probably open two more chapters before the summer - on defense and foreign policy (previously blocked by Slovenia), and on competition.

But accession talks can still be affected by circumstances beyond Croatia's influence. One of them is Germany's push for changes to the EU's Lisbon Treaty to allow tougher sanctions against member states not respecting joint fiscal rules. If agreed, such modifications could be introduced and submitted for ratification together with Croatia's accession treaty. Croatia hopes this will not result in a further delay in joining the EU.

Croatia applied for EU membership in spring 2003 and opened accession talks in October 2005. Even pessimists at the time did not predict that negotiations would last as long as they did. The European Commission insists Croatia has to be 100 percent prepared before it can become a member. They want to use the country as a good example for the other candidates from the Western Balkans.

Diplomats from different EU member states, even those who strongly support Croatia's membership, admit that the "lessons learned" by the EU in admitting the insufficiently prepared Bulgaria and Romania are a reason for the strictness in measuring Croatia's progress. This is why many predict any future enlargement process will be more difficult that the previous ones.

Seafront villa near Dubrovnik: boat mooring in front

location of the Seafront villa near Dubrovnik, in the bay of Slano

Our subscribers to the 'property pick of the week' newsletter (fill out your contact details to become a member here) received the information about this splendidly designed, well discounted property directly at the waterfront in Slano, near Dubrovnik. 

We have had information with the owner of the marina that is situated just next to the house. The owner of this marina, who has a great restaurant here as well, welcomes the future owner of the waterfront villa for sale. Any owner who wants to mooring for his (sailing)boat right next to this villa can get a place in this marina. 

Boats up to 15 mtr. are allowed and prices are half the price of the average marina in Croatia. Anybody who has been looking for property with a boat parking nearby will know that this is very hard to find.... making this Slano property (that got discounted from 690.000 to 380.000 EUR) an even more interesting opportunity.

We like to run into these kind of opportunities, and we like to go the extra mile to find out this kind of information. Feel free to contact us (info@middellandcroatia.com) for general inquiries or call our Amsterdam office +31 20 7725652 (9:00 - 21:00 CET).

the marina Ragusea next to the house

picture of Slano taken from the mountains behind the village

The recently renovated luxury 5*****star beachfront Hotel Admiral in Slano

Seafront villa in the beautiful bay of Slano, just 30km north of Dubrovnik and a 40minute drive from the airport.

Wonderful panoramic sea views from the terraces and living areas. In order to maximise the south-facing views this 180m2 property has been built “upside down” - with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms downstairs and then upstairs an open-plan kitchen/living room/dining room/TV room and guest toilet. The kitchen is fully fitted with all appliances. Air-conditioning /heating.

A covered upstairs balcony increases the usage of this area during hot and sunny days affording shade where needed. The villa is recently renovated and ready to move in.

The garden of approx 200m2 is well maintained with lighting and automatic sprinklers, barbeque, gates and parking. The terraces around the house are tiled with natural stone.

Outside the gates there is another 84m2 triangular plot (non-building land) in ownership in front of the house, just across the death end road, which can be transformed into an additional garden or boat/ trailer yard.

You can literally dive into the sea from your terrace. A great fish restaurant is around the corner and the village centre of Slano is open all year round.

The owner's initial asking price of this fabulous property was 690,000euro, but he is eager to do a quick sell and therefore deducted the price to 380.000euro

€ 380.000,-

Plitvice lakes national park in top 10 of Tripadvisor 'most beautiful parks in the world'

Read more about the Plitvice waterfalls or Plitvice lake here:

Croatia and Serbia to sign military cooperation agreement in June

Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac announced a visit to Croatia in June during which the two countries’ armies are expected to sign an agreement on defence cooperation.

"This is a historical agreement with which we will put an end to the dark past  that must not be forgotten, but from which we must learn how to better cooperate in the future, " Sutanovac told Serbian newspaper Nin.

He added that Croatia is the last country in the region with which Serbia is signing such an agreement, but that Croatia is also a country with war experiences with Serbia and which still traumatizes from the 90s when the Balkan wars were fought – more so than Serbia.

"Just the fact that I will visit Croatia in my position as the Minister of Defence shows that there is a desire from both sides to make things better," he said adding that after the agreement is signed,  the two armies will have a possibility to organize mutual exercises, trainings, educational exchanges, etc.

"Croatia has professionalized its army, has been participating in Partnership for Peace for a long time, and is a NATO member.  It is a country that participates in a large number of peace missions, and that is the future of the Serbian army as well," Sutanovac said.

apartment: 136 m² / EUR 260.000 / 60 mtr. from the sea on Ciovo South side / Distressed property!

In Rastica, south coast of the Ciovo Peninsula, we offer the opportunity to purchase an apartment as 'casco'. The apartments will be realized to your personal taste.

The asking prices are already interesting. However these prices are still highly negotiable! Mail us at info@middellandcroatia.com or call +31 (0)20 7725652 to receive the pdf brochure with all drawings.

You can purchase one apartment, or there is a possibility to invest in the whole building (purchase whole building), finish the apartments and sell the apartments at good prices. The current apartment designs, made by the owner, are not market wise and must be changed (turn 2 small apartments into 1 big apartment / replace the concrete fences on the balcony with glass, make open plan lofts, make a larger window in the bed room). With the adapted plan, these apartments will sell very well! Middelland has sold out a building exactly like this just 5 houses down the road, same distance from the sea. The current owner has not enough funds to finish the building. Good negotiations will create a good opportunity to an investor who wishes to make an interesting return in this time. In the meantime, Middelland is actively selling the appartments as parts.

For more information about this opportunity, please call Nick: +31 20 7725652

Location: on island Čiovo, Okrug Gornji, Rastića1, Hrvatska, Split, Trogir. Island is with bridge connected with Trogir to the mainland

Arrival: By car motorway Zagreb-Split entrance Prgomet thru Trogir and Okrug Gornji 18 km distance from motorway

By plane 8 km distance from international airport Split with direct flights to the major European cities

By ship daily ferries from Split to Bari and Rijeka

Climate: Mediterranean climate, Average annual temperature 12 C, averange 2.600 sunny hours, summer temperature of sea from 24 to 27 C.

Penthouse – III FLOOR Price 300.000 E Net: 106,8 m2 + 33,16 m2 balcony = 140 m2 + 2 Parking places Bruto: 170 m2 2.140 EUR/m2
II FLOOR Price 300.000 E Net: 106,8 m2 + 33,16 m2 balcony = 140 m2 + 2 Parking places Bruto: 170 m2 2.140 EUR/m2
I FLOOR Price 260.000 E Net: 106,8 m2 + 28,8 m2 balcony = 135,6 m2 + 2 Parking places Bruto: 165,7 m2 1.920 EUR/m2
HIGH GROUND FLOOR Price for „stan 1“ = 115.000 E Net: 53,4 m2 + 14,4 m2 balcony = 67,8 m2 Bruto: 82,85 m2 1.696 EUR/m2	HIGH GROUND FLOOR Price for „stan 2“ = 125.000 E Net: 53,4 m2 + 14,4 m2 balcony = 67,8 m2 Bruto: 82,85 m2 1.840 EUR/m2

Clubbing in Croatia

Extract from The Guardian www.guardian.co.uk

Garden Festival Zadar: 2 - 11 July

The 900-year-old Croatian walled city of Zadar is the place for dancing and summer sin this year. The Garden festival takes place between 'The Garden', a lounge club right on the walls of the city and on the beach of the Pinija Hotel, on a curving headland, partially hidden in trees, of Petrcane. The site itself is a mini paradise - a circular beachfront bar built into the sea with a large wooden terrace from which to watch the glorious sunsets. The heart of the action is Barbarellas, a seventies discotheque in the round that was built for the original advent of disco, but laid derelict for years until rescued by current owners Nick Colgan and Eddie O'Callaghan.

When Brittains club Electric Chair closed in January last year, there was much rumour and debate about what the founders, The Unabombers, would do next. Few could have anticipated that after 13 years of subterranean clubbing below the pavements of Manchester and an ethic that revolved around "a basement, a red light and a feeling", they would emerge into the sunshine and resurface on the beautiful Dalmatian coast of Croatia.

Breaking out of the basements has also allowed Electriks to showcase a hithero-hidden side of their music tastes. So, while they brought along longtime sparring partners like the house and disco Idjut Boys and the Balearic Aficionado, they also brought a bunch of psychedelic folk artists including Adem, King Creosote, Pictish Trail, Quiet Village and Liz Green. One of the highlights of the festival was a late night impromptu live acoustic set by John Stammers on the roof of the beach bar, which is about as far as you can get from the bass heavy sweaty basements The Unabombers grew up in.

The other highlight was the daily boat parties on the Argonaut - a couple of hundred salty old disco heads and electric souls setting sail every afternoon on the Adriatic for parties hosted by Lowlife, Homoelectric v Horsemeat Disco and Electric Chair v the Idjut Boys. Even Alfredo, the original Ibiza legend was forced to ponder if Adriatic is the new Balearic.

So, no basement, and the red light is now the sun dropping into the sea but, more importantly, the feeling remains intact.

Great music, beautiful people and unspoilt nature. Magical.