When people talk about the beauty of Dalmatia, they repeatedly return to Dalmatia's islands or coastal towns. However, the Dalmatian inland, which abounds in natural beauty - mountain massifs such as Kozjak, Mosor, Omiška Dinara, Biokovo, and Rilić, with its forests, rivers, national parks and nature parks - is neglected. And on top of all that, you can visit the many forts and other historical gems that are hidden on and among these mountain ranges.
Truth be told, the Dalmatian inland is missing the sea, but that doesn’t have to be a problem. You can enjoy the view of the mountains or forests and swim - in a pool.
If you go a little deeper into the Dalmatian hinterland, you will find expanses and mountains, a view of pastures with sheep and fantastic views of the surrounding islands. It’s all a matter of where you like to go for walks and, ultimately, live. Regardless of which of these areas you walk through, you’ll eventually want to return home to continue this pastoral fantasy.
And it can’t get any more idyllic than a house with a swimming pool to complete the atmosphere so you can have the best of both worlds, that of the mountainous region and the seaside, one that’s both active and relaxing.
You’re most likely wondering what you need a pool if you’re going to the Dalmatian inland. As we’ve hinted at so far, a pool gives you the option of going for a swim even when the sea is far off. If you've gone there with someone for whom a holiday (or a life) is unimaginable without a pool (or maybe you’re that person?), this is a fantastic compromise!
Also, houses in the Dalmatian hinterland go for much lower prices nowadays, be it if you're deciding to rent or to sell. This way, you can have a house all to yourself for a much lower price than you’d have to pay for it on any of the Dalmatian islands or in the coastal towns.
Besides, a swimming pool greatly increases the value of a house – as much as 20%! – in case you decide to sell it one day. And this is only in a couple of years’ time. Having a pool will also make it easier to rent out the house if you decide to go for that option.
And a pool in itself can bring so much fun and joy. Money invested in a pool returns tenfold in the form of more quality time spent with family and friends, in a more pleasant ambient that it offers, savings when it comes to summer vacations, and it can also have a positive effect on your physical health. And pool maintenance isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think!
Pool maintenance can be divided into three phases:
When preparing, it’s important to check the equipment, repair anything that might have gotten faulty, and thoroughly clean the equipment and the pool itself. Cleaning involves disinfecting the water (usually with chlorine).
In addition, water quality should be checked regularly (an optimum pH level is between 7.2 and 7.6), especially after it rains. Also, it's good to check whether algae or other microorganisms have accumulated somewhere since this can harm the water and the pool walls, but also your health. This is why the pool's floor and the surface are cleaned regularly. When cleaning, you should take care to regularly clean the pool filter (weekly for cardboard filters or annually for sand filters).
When pool season ends, it's important to give the pool a more thorough clean and check if all the equipment is OK before closing up the pool. If you’re not dismantling it, it’s best to keep the water inside to protect the ceramic tiles and pool walls from possible damage and to cover the pool with some kind of protection.
If you’re interested in this topic and want to know what could be waiting for you as the owner of a house with a pool, we’ve written an entire blog post on this topic about pool maintenance.
A house with a swimming pool has its advantages if you live (or spend your summer) in the Dalmatian inland. It offers the possibility of swimming whenever you feel like it, brings additional peace and entertainment, and is far more affordable than similar options on the coast.
The time (and money) you invest in the purchase or installation and maintenance of a pool always pays off, either monetarily from selling/renting the house or in the form of memories that the pool will bring you.