It was a bit of a building site when we visited at the end of May this year, and we did (correctly!) doubt the scheduled original opening date of July 1st, but ACI have worked pretty hard and productively to finish off their first new marina in many years.
ACI marina “Veljko Barbieri” opened on 3rd August 2016 and is ready to take the pressure off the Dubrovnik region which is always in need of extra marina capacity. And to encourage berthholders it’s currently offering 30% off its normal rate for annual berths and a BOGOF [buy one get one free] offer on daily berths.
Not only is this the first new marina in a while for ACI but it’s the first to break with ACI’s traditional naming system. Rather than the expected ACI Marina Slano, it has been named in honour of the founder and innovator of the ACI Marina Chain – Veljko Barbieri.
Slano itself has plenty of room for this new 200 berth marina on the east side of the bay, just off the picture to the right in the image below. The expansive bay was previously dominated by Hotel Admiral, pictured, at the head of the bay, and will now have a more “balanced” look.
The marina will also bring some more varied life to this quiet resort town which suffered badly in the Homeland War and in an earthquake in 1996, although there are no longer any signs of these events.
As you would expect, the marina has modern facilities and equipment and the bay itself also offers some well equipped town moorings (pictured below - between the new marina and the hotel) , as well as an anchorage in Uvala Badija, also on the east side but further out towards the open sea.
The main picture shows the new lights and some of the marina pontoons – perhaps not an image that instantly grabs attention but we were trying to be kind to ACI by not showing too much of the building works. If you want to see some more glamourous shots of the finished product, link to the ACI Picture Gallery.
For more information on the marina, go to the dedicated section of the ACI website ACI Marina Veljko Barbieri Slano where, interestingly, ACI hedges its bets and adds Slano to the name!
