Adriatic Adventures
The more you travel, the less often you encounter a place that gets under your skin. The kind of experience you can't stop thinking about, and then the rest of your thoughts are spent on planning future trips back there. I felt that way with Iceland and Morocco. And now....I feel that way about Croatia.
My husband and I (and some friends) went to Croatia for a friend's wedding. It was the catalyst to go, but since it had been on my list of places to visit for years now, it was the perfect excuse to squeeze in some more vacation time and see some the country.
Here we are at the wedding:
The wedding was amazing, and as far as the rest of the trip goes--it is just too hard to pick out what the best part was. Everything was a favorite. Here are some highlights from the trip. Below, I included details about anything we recommend in case you are planning a trip to this beautiful country.
Dubrovnik was just simply magical. Need proof?
After Dubrovnik we headed north by ferry to the island of Hvar. I could have spent weeks on this island. Here's what our hotel looked out onto:
Our adventures during our time in Hvar included exploring some of the Pakleni (or Paklinski) islands-- including the island of Vis where Croatia's Blue Cave is--and the bay of Palmizana on the island of Pakleni Otoci. In between that, we swam in the beautiful clear waters of the Adriatic and checked out hidden coves along the island coast lines.
We also spent a day exploring Hvar on an off-road island tour--which took us to through olive groves, vineyards, lavender fields, the abandoned village Velo Grablje, the mountains and to the charming town of Vrboska.
I loved spending time in the old town and palace area of Split--it was both historical palace and big city all in one:
One of the our days in Split we ventured out to Plitvice National Lakes. No words can describe this beautiful place, and it is well worth the trip! Just make sure you go off season (the crowds can get out of control), and I recommend going in the fall. There is nothing like that aqua water combined with orange and yellow leaves!
And finally, Trogir was our last stop and it was a very special time for us because it was included so many of our favorite things about all the other places--it was small, historical, gorgeous, quaint, waterfront, and an island. AND it included one of my favorite travel experiences of all time: a day of renting scooters and exploring amazing, empty beaches!
No, I can't definitively say what the single best thing about this trip was. But I CAN definitively say that I will be back.
Hvala Croatia!
Details:
Except for our time in Trogir, all our travel including itinerary, hotels and tours were booked through Jayway Travel, and we highly recommend their services.
Dubrovnik: Hotel Excelsior.
Hvar: Hotel Adriana.
Split: Palace Judita Heritage Hotel
Trogir: XII Century Heritage Hotel
Contact me if you want more recommendations or have any questions!
