Lovely photos, brought back such great memories. We were in Croatia and Bosnia in July and your photos of Dubrovnik are very similar to the ones we took, the shiny paving stones I remember well as I nearly slipped a couple of times. We only spent a day in Dubrovnik but are hoping to go back to spend some more time there and see other parts.
Great you had a lovely holiday
Was going to put this screed in a Resort Report but that didn't seem quite suitable . . . [To answer my own question about car hire, we got the impression that it was uniformly expensive.]
In September we went on a 2-centre holiday on the Dalmation coast, arranged entirely on the internet. The starting point was getting flights from Stansted to Split for £99 each and the rest was arranged around that. You could say that we paid the price in the end because just before we went, we were informed that the return flight had been cancelled; the best alternative we were offered (& accepted) was from Dubrovnik to Gatwick, a day later!
I did a lot of research into where to visit and decided on the Makarska Riviera, not too far from Split. Taking into account other expenses I didn't think we could afford any of the hotels, which started at 3 star, so eventually decided to look at the 'private accommodation' which is the nearest you can get there to B&B (as far as I can see). The landlords let out anything from one to half a dozen apartments that have been created within their own property. We saw one that offered breakfast but most were purely self-catering, not that I had any intention of doing much of that.
There were plenty of web sites listing this kind of accommodation and the ones I used were really good, with several photos of each place, ie apartment, and a very useful list of the distance to all the key places, eg the nearest beach, supermarket, restaurant, airport, bus stop, etc, and listing all the amenities of the accommodation. In Dalmatia, low season, prices ranged from £18 per night to £23 per night, and all could be booked online.
We had a week each at 2 different apartments and 2 single nights on arrival and departure near to the airports. All 4 apartments were excellent - clean, modern and very spacious. You could have lived permanently in the one we had in Dubrovnik and that was only £20 per night.
The first night we stayed in Trogir, near Split airport. We looked at car hire prices versus public transport and decided on the latter. There were buses running up and down the coastal road every half hour, and fares were cheap. We got a bus from Trogir to Drvenik, our first resort, for about £6 each + 60p for luggage; the journey took about 2 hours.
We could see that the Dalmation coast is located on a fairly narrow strip of coastal plain, with the backdrop of the Biokovo mountains rearing up close by, all the way down the coast between Split and Dubrovnik and possibly further. Luckily for tourism these mountains are to the north, otherwise you'd never seen the sun at all. A certain amount of cloud does tend to hover around them in September, in fact there was a thunderstorm when we arrived which cleared gradually over the following day.
Drvenik is a very small town with a ferry port. Our studio apartment was right 'on' the beach. Well OK there was a small road in between. We had no difficulty finding enough restaurants to eat in every night. If it had been in peak season there would have been still more, and even a nightclub. We were in the hub of the town's commercial activity, and it was a very attractive area.
It was a great pleasure relaxing in such peaceful and uncrowded surroundings, with trees and flowering shrubs and crystal-clear water. Everything was extremely clean; everywhere you looked there were beautiful views. There was a good (concrete) coastal footpath that goes a long way in both directions, even to neighbouring resorts.
The beach was pebbly and I'm ashamed to say we were both too chicken to go into the sea past our ankles, though quite a few people did.
We went for a walk in the foothills between the town and the mountain, which was again a lovely and unspoilt natural area. We also visited Makarska itself, a much larger resort, for a change.
We didn't come across any other English people and not many locals spoke English - but after a while we found out that some spoke French, so I had to dust off my O-level conversation skills.
After a week we were preparing to transfer to our 2nd resort - Jelsa, on the island of Hvar. I had picked this as good-weather insurance, as its main claim to fame is having the most hours of sunshine of the whole Croatian coast. We found out that public transport to our resort on Hvar (Jelsa) was extremely infrequent - the bus went over on the ferry just twice a week and drove all the way up the island and off the other end, on another ferry. As Jelsa was up the far end of the island, we had to bring our travel plans forward a day to fit in with the buses.
The ferry left Drvenik a convenient hundred yards from our apartment and took half an hour to get to Hvar The bus took over 2 hours to get from the ferryport at Sucuraj to Jelsa. The route was almost entirely over/through jagged rocky outcrops, at dusk. It was difficult to imagine there was anywhere flat enough to build a small village, let alone a town, and we were pleased we hadn't hired a car for this part of the holiday, as we'd considered, as it was a hair-raising ride! But we only paid about £2.50 for the ferry and bus-ride together.
Having arrived a day early in Jelsa, we stayed in a hotel overnight. This was not easily found and as it was already quite late, we unwillingly paid £60 for a room that would have been barely acceptable in a youth hostel. It was called the Fontana, in case you want to avoid it. The room we had would have been easily accessible to a crow, and there were no lifts.
In the morning we trundled off with our suitcases having got directions to our next accommodation. Again, there was a concrete path going round the coast. We were to become very well acquainted with this path. Our next apartment, about a mile out of town, was massive - the landlord had given us the larger of the two because no-one else was booked in.
Like many of the island population, he made his own wine in almost commercial quantities, in his garage. This trend could be seen in the hardware stores, where instead of all the gardening equipment you normally see in England, they had brewing equipment, in very large sizes! We're not talking demijohns here but several-gallon barrels, and grape presses. He also made grappa. We were offered generous quantities of these products, I'm afraid the grappa was as rough as any other 'moonshine' but we drank the wine every day.
When we had a chance to see the town in daylight, it was great; quite sizeable and very attractive. Like most towns we saw, it was built round a harbour on an inlet, with an array of small boats and yachts of varying impressiveness. Boats are used as normal transport there instead of cars in many cases; we saw people coming out of bars and getting into small boats to go home. I can quite understand the advantage of this, having experienced the roads. Everything is hilly so just from walking around you get fairly fit! The coastal paths, which are a godsend, are reasonably flat and manageable by bike.
The landlord kept bicycles for his 'guests' and with some trepidation we took up the offer. It was less of a nuisance than at home as you didn't need to lock them up. We cycled every day, round the coastal path, to neighbouring villages (eg Vrboska) and beaches, and even to a town 5 miles away (Stari Grad). As on the mainland, there weren't any sandy beaches around; not that I miss sand but it means you preferably need to wear shoes into the water because the rocks are so sharp. Despite that, we actually made it into the sea; we were convinced it was warmer there than in Drvenik! We usually walked into town in the evening for dinner (past the dreaded Fontana) and there was plenty of choice.
The neighbourhood we were staying in seemed quite up-market and a lot of the houses were holiday homes. from which the owners had already departed. Our landlord lived the other half of the year in Zagreb; his wife had already gone back. This was a drawback because it was she who spoke the English and he only spoke French and German.
We thought Hvar was really beautiful and would certainly go there (or other parts of Croatia) again. (This is quite a turn-around from what we were thinking on the bus-ride up the spine of the island!) The beauty of the coastal views, with its trees and bougainvillea, the smell of pine and rosemary and eucalyptus (I think) and the lack of fast food outlets or other commercial ugliness, and of crowds, all made it a perfect late summer destination. The newer buildings, even modest homes, were also much more attractive than in many over-developed Mediterranean resorts.
Better mention the food - over 2 weeks you can't help but notice that there is a 'national menu' which appears in almost every restaurant, to the extent that you hardly need see the menu to order. (Not the only country to have this system and in Greece, eg, the menu is much smaller!) However we had nicely-cooked, generous meals and hardly needed more than one course. We paid between £25 and £40 for dinner for 2 people including, eg, 2 beers and half a litre of table wine - the lower end of the range being for 1 course and the upper, for 2. We would have eaten more fish but it was almost the same price as in England. I did have some though, and especially when it was fresh, eg squid - was wonderful, a completely different experience from the frozen. We encountered one French-run restaurant, and the owner said she was closing permanently at the end of the week because her menu wasn't what people wanted. It had a variety of international dishes, a little bit pricier than average, but no-one was interested. But we would recommend the Napoleon, where we ate twice, for its good food and lovely surroundings - middle of price range. And really nice waiters, who did speak a little English.
I should go to Croatia before it gets more crowded - it's a jewel!
In September we went on a 2-centre holiday on the Dalmation coast, arranged entirely on the internet. The starting point was getting flights from Stansted to Split for £99 each and the rest was arranged around that. You could say that we paid the price in the end because just before we went, we were informed that the return flight had been cancelled; the best alternative we were offered (& accepted) was from Dubrovnik to Gatwick, a day later!
I did a lot of research into where to visit and decided on the Makarska Riviera, not too far from Split. Taking into account other expenses I didn't think we could afford any of the hotels, which started at 3 star, so eventually decided to look at the 'private accommodation' which is the nearest you can get there to B&B (as far as I can see). The landlords let out anything from one to half a dozen apartments that have been created within their own property. We saw one that offered breakfast but most were purely self-catering, not that I had any intention of doing much of that.
There were plenty of web sites listing this kind of accommodation and the ones I used were really good, with several photos of each place, ie apartment, and a very useful list of the distance to all the key places, eg the nearest beach, supermarket, restaurant, airport, bus stop, etc, and listing all the amenities of the accommodation. In Dalmatia, low season, prices ranged from £18 per night to £23 per night, and all could be booked online.
We had a week each at 2 different apartments and 2 single nights on arrival and departure near to the airports. All 4 apartments were excellent - clean, modern and very spacious. You could have lived permanently in the one we had in Dubrovnik and that was only £20 per night.
The first night we stayed in Trogir, near Split airport. We looked at car hire prices versus public transport and decided on the latter. There were buses running up and down the coastal road every half hour, and fares were cheap. We got a bus from Trogir to Drvenik, our first resort, for about £6 each + 60p for luggage; the journey took about 2 hours.
We could see that the Dalmation coast is located on a fairly narrow strip of coastal plain, with the backdrop of the Biokovo mountains rearing up close by, all the way down the coast between Split and Dubrovnik and possibly further. Luckily for tourism these mountains are to the north, otherwise you'd never seen the sun at all. A certain amount of cloud does tend to hover around them in September, in fact there was a thunderstorm when we arrived which cleared gradually over the following day.
Drvenik is a very small town with a ferry port. Our studio apartment was right 'on' the beach. Well OK there was a small road in between. We had no difficulty finding enough restaurants to eat in every night. If it had been in peak season there would have been still more, and even a nightclub. We were in the hub of the town's commercial activity, and it was a very attractive area.
It was a great pleasure relaxing in such peaceful and uncrowded surroundings, with trees and flowering shrubs and crystal-clear water. Everything was extremely clean; everywhere you looked there were beautiful views. There was a good (concrete) coastal footpath that goes a long way in both directions, even to neighbouring resorts.
The beach was pebbly and I'm ashamed to say we were both too chicken to go into the sea past our ankles, though quite a few people did.
We went for a walk in the foothills between the town and the mountain, which was again a lovely and unspoilt natural area. We also visited Makarska itself, a much larger resort, for a change.
We didn't come across any other English people and not many locals spoke English - but after a while we found out that some spoke French, so I had to dust off my O-level conversation skills.
After a week we were preparing to transfer to our 2nd resort - Jelsa, on the island of Hvar. I had picked this as good-weather insurance, as its main claim to fame is having the most hours of sunshine of the whole Croatian coast. We found out that public transport to our resort on Hvar (Jelsa) was extremely infrequent - the bus went over on the ferry just twice a week and drove all the way up the island and off the other end, on another ferry. As Jelsa was up the far end of the island, we had to bring our travel plans forward a day to fit in with the buses.
The ferry left Drvenik a convenient hundred yards from our apartment and took half an hour to get to Hvar The bus took over 2 hours to get from the ferryport at Sucuraj to Jelsa. The route was almost entirely over/through jagged rocky outcrops, at dusk. It was difficult to imagine there was anywhere flat enough to build a small village, let alone a town, and we were pleased we hadn't hired a car for this part of the holiday, as we'd considered, as it was a hair-raising ride! But we only paid about £2.50 for the ferry and bus-ride together.
Having arrived a day early in Jelsa, we stayed in a hotel overnight. This was not easily found and as it was already quite late, we unwillingly paid £60 for a room that would have been barely acceptable in a youth hostel. It was called the Fontana, in case you want to avoid it. The room we had would have been easily accessible to a crow, and there were no lifts.
In the morning we trundled off with our suitcases having got directions to our next accommodation. Again, there was a concrete path going round the coast. We were to become very well acquainted with this path. Our next apartment, about a mile out of town, was massive - the landlord had given us the larger of the two because no-one else was booked in.
Like many of the island population, he made his own wine in almost commercial quantities, in his garage. This trend could be seen in the hardware stores, where instead of all the gardening equipment you normally see in England, they had brewing equipment, in very large sizes! We're not talking demijohns here but several-gallon barrels, and grape presses. He also made grappa. We were offered generous quantities of these products, I'm afraid the grappa was as rough as any other 'moonshine' but we drank the wine every day.
When we had a chance to see the town in daylight, it was great; quite sizeable and very attractive. Like most towns we saw, it was built round a harbour on an inlet, with an array of small boats and yachts of varying impressiveness. Boats are used as normal transport there instead of cars in many cases; we saw people coming out of bars and getting into small boats to go home. I can quite understand the advantage of this, having experienced the roads. Everything is hilly so just from walking around you get fairly fit! The coastal paths, which are a godsend, are reasonably flat and manageable by bike.
The landlord kept bicycles for his 'guests' and with some trepidation we took up the offer. It was less of a nuisance than at home as you didn't need to lock them up. We cycled every day, round the coastal path, to neighbouring villages (eg Vrboska) and beaches, and even to a town 5 miles away (Stari Grad). As on the mainland, there weren't any sandy beaches around; not that I miss sand but it means you preferably need to wear shoes into the water because the rocks are so sharp. Despite that, we actually made it into the sea; we were convinced it was warmer there than in Drvenik! We usually walked into town in the evening for dinner (past the dreaded Fontana) and there was plenty of choice.
The neighbourhood we were staying in seemed quite up-market and a lot of the houses were holiday homes. from which the owners had already departed. Our landlord lived the other half of the year in Zagreb; his wife had already gone back. This was a drawback because it was she who spoke the English and he only spoke French and German.
We thought Hvar was really beautiful and would certainly go there (or other parts of Croatia) again. (This is quite a turn-around from what we were thinking on the bus-ride up the spine of the island!) The beauty of the coastal views, with its trees and bougainvillea, the smell of pine and rosemary and eucalyptus (I think) and the lack of fast food outlets or other commercial ugliness, and of crowds, all made it a perfect late summer destination. The newer buildings, even modest homes, were also much more attractive than in many over-developed Mediterranean resorts.
Better mention the food - over 2 weeks you can't help but notice that there is a 'national menu' which appears in almost every restaurant, to the extent that you hardly need see the menu to order. (Not the only country to have this system and in Greece, eg, the menu is much smaller!) However we had nicely-cooked, generous meals and hardly needed more than one course. We paid between £25 and £40 for dinner for 2 people including, eg, 2 beers and half a litre of table wine - the lower end of the range being for 1 course and the upper, for 2. We would have eaten more fish but it was almost the same price as in England. I did have some though, and especially when it was fresh, eg squid - was wonderful, a completely different experience from the frozen. We encountered one French-run restaurant, and the owner said she was closing permanently at the end of the week because her menu wasn't what people wanted. It had a variety of international dishes, a little bit pricier than average, but no-one was interested. But we would recommend the Napoleon, where we ate twice, for its good food and lovely surroundings - middle of price range. And really nice waiters, who did speak a little English.
I should go to Croatia before it gets more crowded - it's a jewel!
Interesting report!
I know what you mean about the "national menu" - I was expecting to try a few local dishes but most were simply cooked meals, e.g. grilled chicken, steaks, fish, etc. Good but not particularly exciting. The nicest meal I had was a fish stew, lots of fish and shellfish in a tomato and paprika type sauce - messy but delicious.
We also booked everything independantly. The only problem we have had, is that when we got home and got our credit card bill, it appears we have been charged twice for the car hire. We used a travel agency in Cavtat and paid with a manual credit card slip. The card company are investigating so I don't know at this stage if it was intentional or a genuine mistake - I suspect the latter.
I'd also go back to Croatia, probably further north next time as we like to explore and I feel like we've seen most of the southern area from Cavtat. Certainly worth a visit.
I know what you mean about the "national menu" - I was expecting to try a few local dishes but most were simply cooked meals, e.g. grilled chicken, steaks, fish, etc. Good but not particularly exciting. The nicest meal I had was a fish stew, lots of fish and shellfish in a tomato and paprika type sauce - messy but delicious.
We also booked everything independantly. The only problem we have had, is that when we got home and got our credit card bill, it appears we have been charged twice for the car hire. We used a travel agency in Cavtat and paid with a manual credit card slip. The card company are investigating so I don't know at this stage if it was intentional or a genuine mistake - I suspect the latter.
I'd also go back to Croatia, probably further north next time as we like to explore and I feel like we've seen most of the southern area from Cavtat. Certainly worth a visit.
Great report, Glad you enjoyed your holiday. Only place I had been that you went to was Trogair which we loved except for the busy bridge.
Lots of places in Croatia still to see and I agree you should see just now before the crowds descend.
Linda
Lots of places in Croatia still to see and I agree you should see just now before the crowds descend.
Linda
I have just found an operator where you can rent cars in Split and Dubrovnik.
Their prices are quite a bit below what I am used to pay.
Has anybody tried this company?
Their prices are quite a bit below what I am used to pay.
Has anybody tried this company?
Can anybody give any information on Croatia. And suggest areas/resorts. We are looking for a mainly beach based holiday with a few trips in somewhere not too commercial.
How about Trogir?
Dave
How about Trogir?
Dave
Hi Dave
I was in Croatia this year, was in Trogair which is a lovely place but not much of a beach. I am not a beach person but on our tour one of the place we stayed was Biograd Nu Moru which was very beachy one half of the place looked lovely but at night the front was closed to traffic and stalls and life was very much about, we can read about it on the sites that Pippy etc has put on.
We visited quite a few places in Croatia and did not find fault with any of the places.
If you need any more info please ask and I will try and answer.
Linda
I was in Croatia this year, was in Trogair which is a lovely place but not much of a beach. I am not a beach person but on our tour one of the place we stayed was Biograd Nu Moru which was very beachy one half of the place looked lovely but at night the front was closed to traffic and stalls and life was very much about, we can read about it on the sites that Pippy etc has put on.
We visited quite a few places in Croatia and did not find fault with any of the places.
If you need any more info please ask and I will try and answer.
Linda
Thanks, wonderful info. I will not be looking to book until after Xmas but this is definately food for thought.
I am very fond of South Dalmatia and suggest you have a look at the area between the Neretva Delta and Dubrovnik.
Where has the best beaches and a little something to see and do?
We like islands
Where do the 'beautiful people' go?
Dave
We like islands
Where do the 'beautiful people' go?
Dave
Hi all
We are having our honeymoon in croatia this July. We're not too sure exactly where to go, but we want somewhere fairly quiet, romantic, and a decent beach. Trogir maybe? Any ideas welcome.
Also, is it cheaper to book car hire in advance, or once you get there?
We are having our honeymoon in croatia this July. We're not too sure exactly where to go, but we want somewhere fairly quiet, romantic, and a decent beach. Trogir maybe? Any ideas welcome.
Also, is it cheaper to book car hire in advance, or once you get there?
Hi Gary
We went to Croatia and Bosnia last year in July. I thought both places were lovely not what I expected. Trogir was one of the places we stayed in but it was very busy especially during the day, the bridge was the busiest that I have ever seen but at night walking about looking at the water and the massive privately owned ships and walking the old town was lovely but I am not sure that it would be what you are looking for in a honeymoon. We are not beach people but a lot of people have said about the islands being lovely and beachy. We hired a car from here but did not compare prices.
I hope you find what you are looking for and that your wedding and honeymoon goes without a hitch.
Good Luck
Linda
We went to Croatia and Bosnia last year in July. I thought both places were lovely not what I expected. Trogir was one of the places we stayed in but it was very busy especially during the day, the bridge was the busiest that I have ever seen but at night walking about looking at the water and the massive privately owned ships and walking the old town was lovely but I am not sure that it would be what you are looking for in a honeymoon. We are not beach people but a lot of people have said about the islands being lovely and beachy. We hired a car from here but did not compare prices.
I hope you find what you are looking for and that your wedding and honeymoon goes without a hitch.
Good Luck
Linda
Hi Linda, thanks for the tips
I should mention that we want to stay somewhere quiet, but be near to somewhere lively for nights out, etc. I have looked at places to stay on the island of Ciovo, which is close to Trogir, but seems quieter and more relaxed.
Alternatively, I have been thinking about one of the larger islands....
I should mention that we want to stay somewhere quiet, but be near to somewhere lively for nights out, etc. I have looked at places to stay on the island of Ciovo, which is close to Trogir, but seems quieter and more relaxed.
Alternatively, I have been thinking about one of the larger islands....
Hi
we have booked to visit in July 06 and will be staying at Hotel Istra on Red Island.
Have we chosen well,is it peaceful,scenic and relaxing?
Can u lazy by the pool in peace and easily get a lounger?
How much is a taxi from Puyol airport to Rovinj?
How much is the water taxi to Red Island/Rovinj?
Any info appreciated?!!
Andy
ps Is it a similar resort to Brela,where we went last year!?
we have booked to visit in July 06 and will be staying at Hotel Istra on Red Island.
Have we chosen well,is it peaceful,scenic and relaxing?
Can u lazy by the pool in peace and easily get a lounger?
How much is a taxi from Puyol airport to Rovinj?
How much is the water taxi to Red Island/Rovinj?
Any info appreciated?!!
Andy
ps Is it a similar resort to Brela,where we went last year!?
-
Edited by
sputnikstokie
2006-04-03 17:39:50
Hi Maria and Bonnielassie, Guernsey Tom, etc
It was only now as I'm arranging this year's holiday, that I thought of looking on these boards again! Glad you all had a good time and thanks for sharing the photos, Maria - yes, they brought back memories. Cavtat certainly looked lovely, like so much of Dalmatia.
I'm off to France (again) this year but taking the car this time. All the best for your next holidays.
Jan
It was only now as I'm arranging this year's holiday, that I thought of looking on these boards again! Glad you all had a good time and thanks for sharing the photos, Maria - yes, they brought back memories. Cavtat certainly looked lovely, like so much of Dalmatia.
I'm off to France (again) this year but taking the car this time. All the best for your next holidays.
Jan
Hi all
just booked a holiday in Trogir for september (yes, I know it's early)
anyone been to trogir - what's it like - what's the weather like in september - any trips we should go on - hoe long would it take to get to Dubrovnik?
thanks
kev
just booked a holiday in Trogir for september (yes, I know it's early)
anyone been to trogir - what's it like - what's the weather like in september - any trips we should go on - hoe long would it take to get to Dubrovnik?
thanks
kev
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