Watched the TV series? Now you can rent the Conversations with Friends Croatian villa

During the pandemic, many of us relished the armchair escapism of Normal People, the TV adaptation of the Sally Rooney novel. Now that we can actually escape to sunnier climes, why not rent the dreamy Croatian villa used in the latest Rooney adaptation, Conversations with Friends?

Located on the island of Hvar, St George’s Court provides an idyllic setting for the holiday episodes of CWF, in which the love quadrangle formed by best friends Frances and Bobbi and older married couple Melissa and Nick decamps from Dublin to Croatia.

St George’s Court is actually a farmhouse-style estate comprising four houses (as well as a swimming pool and tennis court) and can accommodate a total of 13 people, with weekly rates ranging from €3,900 to €6,900. The estate, which nestles among fields of lavender and rosemary, extends over 30,000sq m so there are plenty of spots to retreat to, should your meaningful-but-melancholic conversations with friends ever grow tedious.

Ivo Drinković, whose family owns St George’s Court, says there is always a lot of interest in this property and it books up every season. However, as of writing, there are still a few dates free for this summer. Information on booking this property, and other similar villas managed by the Drinković family, can be found on myhvar.net.

Can we finally say goodbye to shaming women for letting their hair go grey?

---

100 great restaurants and places to eat around Ireland this summer

---

Robert De Niro’s raging at Trump outside courthouse was an extraordinary moment in American public life

---

Midlands-North-West: Battle for final seat could end with a small party making a breakthrough

---

Of course, as any self-respecting Rooneyphile will know, the holiday scenes in the novel were actually set in Brittany, northern France. However, the producers of CWF wanted a distinctly different look to the Italian villa and landscape in Normal People, and it was felt that a villa in France might look too similar.

“We considered various places in Europe before settling on Croatia,” production designer Anna Rackard says. “A local scout found various options before we whittled it down to the St George villa. I had been to Croatia before and knew it was very beautiful and would be a different look to what they filmed in Normal People.”

“The St George villa was chosen for its unique texture, and the layout of the various buildings worked for the scenes,” Rackard adds. “A lot of the villas the scout found were modern, large, white, glassy buildings with infinity pools. The rustic texture of the St George villa felt more warm and romantic than a modern villa.”

Holidaymakers who rent the villa may find that it doesn’t look exactly as it appears on screen. This is because the production team made a lot of changes in preparation for filming, bringing in all their own furniture, lamps, artwork and tableware, as well as their own poolside furniture. They also made covers for the lounge chairs and the poolside beds.

Rackard notes that the villa is very remote, on the side of a mountain up a long dirt track, but the view from it is amazing. “It’s definitely a good place if you want to get away from it all!”

So then, the perfect getaway for a holiday with friends — just make sure to choose them carefully.