BOŠKINAC – Eldorado for Pretentious Peacocks The road to Boškinac already signaled trouble – asphalted, narrow like a vein, dangerously designed so you cannot pass another vehicle. A quad almost crashed into my car, like an aggressive specter from the hotel itself. Everything felt overhyped, fake, sterile. The hotel – the island’s pride, flaunting a Michelin star that shines more like a cheap neon sign in a roadside motel. Surrounded by olive trees that serve only as stage props. Behind them – emptiness. We reached the tavern. My mother, 81 years old, climbed the countless steps with dignity. At the top, five waiters stood together. One said: “There’s no place for you.” The others laughed and behaved like teenagers loitering in front of a kiosk with beer cans – giggling, nudging each other, completely unprofessional. This is Boškinac: – a hotel with no respect for the elderly, – a place where the Michelin star shines above staff who mock frailty, – an Eldorado for pretentious guests who believe they’re elite because they eat among olive trees, – a false stage set of luxury with not a shred of soul, – a restaurant where every “star” is actually a stain of shame. When I confronted them, the laughter continued – empty, cold, echoing like cracking plastic. Another waiter tried to “apologize,” but without sincerity, as if they were on a school trip rather than working in a luxury hotel. I called the manager, Ivana. Her voice was juvenile, frivolous, chirpy – not the voice of someone who understands responsibility. She offered me coffee and cake as compensation. I replied: “It’s not about cake. It’s about dignity.” Boškinac is, in fact, a nest of illusions: – They haven’t built a proper staff in twenty years, – They haven’t learned what hospitality even means, – They have no respect, no empathy, – They only have a label, a star, a façade. A disgrace to the island. A disgrace to Michelin. An Eldorado for those who enjoy being dazzled by décor but have no idea what it means to truly look someone in the eye – or what it means to be human.
