Isolana
Isolana at dusk: a pale stone house with a lit pool among holm oak and olive trees on the island of Pag
Residence — Novalja

A house of pale stone on the island of Pag.

Vidasovi Stani

Where the shepherds were

Before there was a house there were stani: low stone shelters where the Vidas family sat out the weather with their sheep.

This is the northern edge of Pag, and for centuries it was a place of work. Flocks on stony ground. Vines on whatever soil would hold them. Gardens kept close to the walls.

None of it was for the people who made it. The wine and the produce crossed the channel to Rab, to the nobility on the other side of the water. The Vidases were not aristocrats. They were the ones who supplied them, and there is a particular dignity in being the one who actually makes the thing.

Isolana stands on the same ground and keeps the same quiet work. Sheep still graze around it. The way down to the sea is still the old sheep path. Two ruined houses stand a little way off, and we have left them exactly as we found them.

What the land once gave to others, it now gives to the people who stay.

The old sheep path between dry-stone walls
The sheep path
A small rocky cove at the end of the path
The cove
EX PASTORIBVS DOMVSFrom shepherds, a house.
Sunset over the channel from above: the white house among oak woods, islands on the horizon
The House

One block of stone

The architecture is intentionally quiet: a single sculptural volume in pale limestone, closer to a small castle than to a villa.

It says very little about itself. It leaves the talking to the place: the oaks, the light, the long view down through the trees to the water.

  • The poolA long rectangle of still water at the edge of the terrace, facing the trees and the sea beyond them.
  • The living roomA wall of glass that slides fully away. Indoors and out become one room.
  • The kitchenA long island, wooden stools, shelves made for cooking together and staying at the table.
  • The courtyardWalled in stone and shaded for most of the day. Built for long lunches.
The stone facade, covered terrace and pool at dusk
The covered terrace in daylight: a long teak table, palm shade, the pool beyond

Made to be lived in, quietly

Pale stone, oak, linen, terracotta. Nothing is there to impress you; everything is there to be used. The house is warm in the way a house is when it was built to be kept, not shown.

Light moves around the courtyard all day, and by evening the stone has gone the colour of honey.

Rooms

Inside, by degrees

Open living, a kitchen for company, rooms that stay cool and still. Tap any photograph to see it larger.

The living room: blue sofa, jute rug and the open kitchen beyond
Living room
A bedroom with a sliding door to its own walled courtyard
Bedroom
The kitchen in oak and steel, opening to the terrace
Kitchen
A bedroom in linen and oak with a terracotta armchair
Bedroom
The walled courtyard with a stone barbecue and a long table
Courtyard
A bathroom with a freestanding bath and terracotta tiles
Bathroom
Double basins against terracotta tile and a mirror
Bathroom
A powder room with an oak vanity and a river-stone basin
Powder room
The terrace table laid for dinner at dusk, the pool and a pink sky beyond
Days at Isolana

The island, arranged

The house is the point. But the island and the sea around it are generous, and we arrange whatever you ask for, quietly, with people we know.

01

Island days by boat

Rab lies just across the channel, where the wine of this land once went. We plan a day to it, or to the quieter islands beyond: coves for swimming, a long lunch at anchor, home in the last light.

Enquire
02

Boats, with or without a skipper

From the harbour at Novalja. Take the helm yourself with the right licence, or hand it to someone who knows the water. Tell us the day; we arrange the rest.

Enquire
03

The chef at your table

A personal chef cooks in the house kitchen or on the terrace. Lamb of the island, fish from the morning boats, salt from the Pag pans. Dinner is built around what is good that day.

Enquire
04

Massage, at the house

A therapist comes to you: in the shade of the courtyard, beside the pool, or in your room. An unhurried hour, with nowhere to be afterwards.

Enquire
05

The sheep path to the sea

A short walk down the old path between dry-stone walls to a rocky cove. We can pack a basket and leave it for you at the water.

Enquire
06

Wine of the land

The Vidases made wine for Rab. We keep that line going with a small selection of Pag and island wines, chosen for the house and set out before you arrive.

Enquire

Everything is arranged on request, and nothing is added to your stay unless you ask for it.

The Island

A rural district, as the Romans called it

Pag takes its name from the Latin pagus: a rural district. It was never a flattering word, only an accurate one.

This is a long, bare, wind-cut island, and almost everything it is known for comes from the ground. Salt from the sea. Oil from wild olives. Lamb that tastes of the herbs it grazed. To the north, where Isolana sits, the stone gives way to old oak and olive woods and the land falls quietly to the channel.

The upper terrace with the oak woods and the sea beyond the rail

Salt of Pag

Paška sol carries EU protected geographical indication status, granted in 2019. The island’s salt pans appear in chronicles as far back as the 10th century.

The wild olives of Lun

On the north of the island, around 80,000 wild olive trees grow across about 400 hectares. Some of them are extraordinarily old.

A Roman aqueduct

In Novalja, a first-century aqueduct runs for roughly 1.2 kilometres beneath the town. Its entrance is in the Town Museum.

The house from the air, among oak and olive woods, the sea behind
Getting here

Back from the coast road

The house sits among holm oak and olive, a short drive from the town and harbour of Novalja.

By road
About three hours from Zagreb, and roughly an hour and a quarter from Zadar. Via the Pag bridge, or by ferry from Prizna to Žigljen.
By air
Zadar is the nearest airport. We can arrange a transfer or a car.
Address
Vidasovi stani 37a, 53291 Novalja, Croatia
Stay

Reserve your dates

Choose your dates to see availability and rates, and book directly with us. No middlemen, no commission.

Online booking opens here soon. Until then, write to us with your dates and we will reply personally.

Write to stay@isolana.com

Find us

Vidasovi stani 37a
53291 Novalja, Croatia
Open in Maps

Good to know

A few answers

How do I book?

Choose your dates above, or in the Reserve section, to see availability and book directly. If you would rather talk it through first, write to stay@isolana.com and we will reply personally.

Can you arrange boats, a chef or a massage?

Yes. Island days, boat hire with or without a skipper, a personal chef and massages at the house are all arranged on request. Tell us what you would like, and when, and we will take care of it.

Where exactly is the house?

At Vidasovi stani 37a, on the northern side of the island of Pag, near Novalja. We send full directions and arrival details with every confirmed reservation.

Can you help with transfers from the airport?

Yes. We can arrange a driver or a car from Zadar, or from further afield. Mention it when you write.

Reserve