An innovative new destination concept is taking shape on a private island off the coast of Croatia.

Untouched for ten years, but once known as ‘the island of youth’, Obonjan island is now being reimagined to introduce a summer-long fusion of art and culture, music and entertainment, food and wellbeing within a carefully curated creative programme that will grow and expand with each year of operation.

Eco-chic accommodation will sleep up to 800 guests at a time; world-class cuisine will be offered in beautiful surroundings across five different outlets; workshops by global thought leaders will take place in a custom-built Geodome; and a vast stone amphitheatre will play host to outstanding musicians and DJs.

At the same time a woodland wellbeing centre will offer an extensive programme of health and healing sessions; and a concierge team will be on hand to arrange excursions around the island and beyond.

Guests are invited to leave their day-to-day lives behind, indulge in island life and return invigorated.

The 136-acre pine and olive tree-covered island, located 6km off the coastal town of Šibenik, has been secured with a 45-year lease in a joint venture between the British event producers, Sound Channel, Croatian travel partners, Gratiosus and CMT, and newly formed Otok.

The team has enlisted development leaders from the Eden Project in Cornwall and Croatian architect, Una Barac of Scott Browning, to ensure the project is environmentally sensitive and low-impact in design whilst providing far-reaching benefits to the surrounding communities and ecology. 

“Obonjan is a beautiful island and the perfect canvas for us to create something very different that combines all the things we love: from live music and DJs, to great food and relaxation, to inspiring talks and workshops.

“We want to create an open environment that gives guests the opportunity to do as little or as much as they want, and ultimately leave feeling enriched,” said co-founder Dan Blackledge of Sound Channel.

Set among the trees and looking over the Adriatic Sea, Obonjan will offer accommodation options to suit all pockets.

From luxuriously appointed canvas tents with shared bathrooms, to safari-inspired wooden forest lodges with private bathrooms and air-conditioning, all bedrooms are decked out with beautiful furniture, quality linens, ambient lighting and custom-designed beds. 

A multitude of island venues will host a broad range of cultural experiences that allows guests to explore their interests and curate their own rhythm of experiences, dipping in as much or as little as they please.