Maud Truchi, Founder & CEO, Maslina Resort

When we started Maslina Resort, the goal was to create a luxury property that remained authentic to its surroundings while being environmentally responsible. Croatia has extraordinary natural beauty, yet luxury hospitality can sometimes feel disconnected from the landscape. I wanted to create a destination inspired by its environment, where high-end service and design exist in harmony with nature rather than in contrast to it.

From the very beginning, we focused on creating architecture that feels seamlessly embedded in the landscape. Respect for the location guided every decision, from the materials we chose to the way the buildings interact with the surrounding pine forest, as well as our appreciation for local culture. At the same time, it was essential to offer the level of comfort, service and attention to detail expected of a world-class luxury resort.

Maslina’s success ultimately comes from a clear and consistent philosophy — Mindful Luxury. It is a form of high-end hospitality defined by respect for nature and a deep sense of place. Every aspect of the resort, from its architecture to its culinary philosophy, reflects that approach.

Our guests come because they are looking for meaning in their travels. They value our respect for Hvar’s natural environment, the genuine warmth of our team, and the way everything here — the design, service and setting — feels aligned. They appreciate that we are committed to sustainability and mindful of our impact on the local community and landscape.

Maslina is a Mindful Luxury resort, which means that every experience is intentional, personal, and tied to its surroundings. We sit quietly in Maslinica Bay, surrounded by pine forest and olive groves, just a few minutes from the 2,400-year-old town of Stari Grad. Our 50 rooms and suites and three private villas camouflage into the landscape rather than dominate it.

Our Pharomatiq Wellness concept takes inspiration from Hvar’s reputation as a healing island, which dates back to 1868. The spa uses organic herbs and essential oils grown locally, embracing a garden-to-skin approach. Guests can experience signature body treatments, traditional massage techniques and mindfulness practices, but also high-end Biologique Recherche know-how, all surrounded by native pines and aromatic herbs.

Dining is another cornerstone of our experience. At Terra Restaurant, we honor the UNESCO-listed Mediterranean Diet while giving it a modern interpretation. Ingredients come from our own 7,000-square-meter organic garden and island producers that harvest from the UNESCO-protected Stari Grad Plain. This is part of our earth-to-plate philosophy. 

Then there is our little treasure, A•Bay, a laid-back beachside bar perfect for our homemade cocktails and light Mediterranean plates, with its privatized wooden platforms on the sea and beach that all offer a stunning view of the peninsula.

We also like to engage guests through meaningful experiences — olive oil and wine tastings, discovering the island’s secrets through local storytelling, exploring the island’s uninhabited bays, cocktail hours with our team at A•Bay and an array of children’s programs that teach local traditions. These are not large or orchestrated activities, but genuine moments that allow us to connect with our guests and are crafted specifically for them. They’re the kind of experiences that make a stay memorable.

We believe we have helped shape a new direction in the market by demonstrating that true luxury is not defined by excess, but by a meaningful connection to a place. At Maslina, luxury lies in the natural surroundings, carefully selected materials, privacy, emotional connection and service that is both mindful and intuitive.

Our philosophy shows that high-end hospitality can coexist with sustainability and environmental responsibility. Rather than separating luxury from nature, we have created a destination where the two complement each other, from architecture that blends into the landscape to experiences that celebrate Hvar’s culture, ingredients and traditions, all within the comfort and expectations of a luxurious property. 

This approach has resonated strongly with both guests and the wider industry. In fact, Maslina has consecutively received recognition as Best Croatian Hotel and Best Sustainable Tourism Business in Croatia, affirming that thoughtful hospitality and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

Our goal has always been to inspire, both our guests and the industry, to see that luxury can be both exceptional and responsible.

Our guests come from all over the world, but they share a common mindset rather than a demographic. They seek authenticity, privacy and a sense of place— an experience they won’t find elsewhere.

Our strongest markets remain the United States and the United Kingdom, followed by the Benelux countries, France and Germany. We’re also seeing growing interest from Switzerland and the Scandinavian region, where travelers resonate strongly with our sustainable vision and natural design.

We’re also deepening our presence in Brazil and Mexico, working with top travel advisors who understand that their clients are looking for destinations that balance luxury with meaning. We are also aiming to target other continents in the future, such as Asia and the Gulf.

Growth for us is measured in quality partnerships that share our philosophy and guests who come back because they feel at home here.

Authenticity, truthfulness and trust are at the heart of how we operate. We attract people, whether guests or partners, who share our values.

We take an active role in the global travel community, attending high-end trade shows, B2B events and exclusive workshops where personal connection still matters. We are affiliated with Relais & Châteaux and luxury travel networks that align with our brand’s spirit.

We also host familiarization and press trips so that partners and media can experience Maslina firsthand. Once they see the property, meet the team and understand how we work, it becomes a natural partnership.

We build long-term relationships by being transparent, reliable and consistently delivering what we promise. That’s what builds credibility in luxury hospitality. It’s also important to mention that Maslina’s face travels around the world and shines through our team, many of whom have been together since the pre-opening. That alone inspires incredible trust and continuity in our resort.

Luxury must evolve from being about possession to being about purpose. The new standard should not only protect the environment and the community that sustains it, but also actively enhance them.

That means rethinking how hotels are built and operated — choosing materials and systems that reduce impact, moving toward more self-sustaining models and pushing closer to a “no impact” philosophy wherever possible. It also means removing unnecessary single-use elements such as plastics and paper, and replacing them with thoughtful, long-term solutions.

Equally important is working closely with local craftsmen, farmers and producers, and designing experiences that celebrate a destination rather than exploit it. By focusing on local products, culture and traditions, hospitality can create the kind of authenticity and sense of place that today’s travelers are truly seeking.

For me, sustainability also includes education. It’s about inspiring our teams, guests and partners to see that responsible choices can be elegant and even aspirational. When done thoughtfully, sustainability doesn’t limit luxury — it deepens it. True luxury is knowing that what you are enjoying has been created with care, integrity and respect for the place you are visiting.

Sustainability isn’t a separate initiative for us; it’s part of our DNA. It touches everything, from how we source materials to how we operate the hotel, decide on the amenities and interact with our local community.

We have a dedicated sustainability manager, detailed standard operating procedures and even a digital transformation officer to help us innovate. With them and our core management team, we provide ongoing team training to ensure our philosophy is lived daily. Education is a key part of this process. By helping our staff and guests better understand responsible choices, we hope those ideas travel far beyond the resort. When people return home with more awareness, they often share those values with their families and communities, creating a ripple effect that encourages more mindful tourism.

Receiving the National Award for Sustainable Tourism at Croatian Tourism Days was a milestone for us — the first award of its kind in Croatia. It recognized our commitment to four key pillars: preserving heritage through thoughtful architecture, maintaining responsible operations, supporting our community and planning for the future. It affirmed that sustainability is the foundation for long-term success in hospitality.

The new five-villa development is a natural continuation of Maslina’s vision. We’ve brought together a consortium of talented Croatian and international designers and architects — the same creative minds who shaped the resort’s identity — to ensure coherence in design and philosophy.

With these new villas, we wanted to push our sustainability concept even further, taking an additional step forward through the thoughtful evolution of materials and construction methods. Each villa combines traditional craftsmanship with sustainable engineering. We’re using curved cross-laminated timber (CLT) sourced from managed and organized forests in Austria. This is one of the most sustainable construction materials available. CLT allows for organic shapes that follow the contours of the land, rather than imposing on it. 

Equally important is our respect for the landscape already in place. Each villa is shaped by its terrain and carefully positioned to preserve the existing trees surrounding it, allowing the architecture to emerge gently from the environment.

The villas also feature green roofs that naturally regulate temperature, high strip windows that encourage natural airflow, and local stone foundations that connect them to the island’s geography. Each residence will have its own character, with distinct pool shapes, fireplaces, multifunctional spaces for wellness or gatherings and bathtubs placed to frame uninterrupted sea views. 

In every aspect of the project, we have remained true to our Mindful Luxury philosophy, ensuring that the expansion strengthens our connection to nature while delivering a high level of detail and quality, resulting in a type of luxury that is hard to find elsewhere.