Mads Mikkelsen — the Danish actor from Casino Royale, Another Round and Hannibal — spent a week in October on the Adriatic coast of Croatia, and he spent most of it with a racket in hand. From 7 to 13 October, Mikkelsen stayed in Makarska, travelling with his own tennis club and playing daily at the Teniski centar Makarska, run by Lukas Sport. His wife joined him on court too. The centre only posted a photo with the star on his final day, suggesting he got the low-key trip he was after.
What makes this more than a celebrity sighting is the venue itself. Makarska's tennis centre sits right by the sea and hosts the WTA Makarska Open, a professional women's tournament on the WTA 125 circuit. Players voted it the second-best organised WTA 125 event in the world — a strong endorsement for a town of roughly 14,000 people. That combination of legitimate sporting infrastructure and a coastal setting is exactly what drew a serious amateur player like Mikkelsen, and it's open to regular visitors as well.
The other takeaway is timing. Makarska's peak season runs June to August, when the pebble beaches under Mount Biokovo fill up fast. An October visit shows the town works in the shoulder season: daytime temperatures are still mild enough for tennis, hiking and time on the water, and the crowds and prices drop noticeably. Sports-focused travel — tennis camps, cycling, hiking in Biokovo Nature Park — is a growing part of Makarska's appeal outside summer.
For travellers, Makarska sits on the Dalmatian coast between Split and Dubrovnik, which makes it an easy add-on to a wider Croatian itinerary. Split airport is about an hour and a half away by road. The town has a long seaside promenade lined with cafes and restaurants, and the ferry port connects to the island of Brač, home to Zlatni Rat beach, just across the channel.
So if you've ever wanted to hit balls in the morning and swim in the Adriatic in the afternoon — without summer prices or summer queues — Makarska has quietly built the setup for it. And if it's good enough for a Bond villain's downtime, it can probably fill a week of your holiday.
Story via Croatia Week.
