Concierge.com's insider take:

The first thing you see when you disembark on Hvar island are the wicker lounge chairs and plush pillows on the patio of this harbor-front hotel, so prominent a landmark that it doesn't even get a street address. The newer Adriana hotel across the way gets all the buzz, while the quieter Riva attracts a clientele that is just as savvy, but decidedly less scene-obsessed. Completely renovated in 2006, Riva's 54 small but well-designed rooms are decorated with vibrant touches of deep red and polished wood accents, plus images of Brigitte Bardot, Anita Ekberg, and other great sex symbols of the past. The hotel is a couple of doors down from the bustling Carpe Diem club, and the clientele here is similarly young and beautiful. You can't beat Riva's embankment bar for relaxing with a cocktail at sunset; the view is just as stunning 12 hours later when you sip coffee a few feet from the yachts and catamarans.