kawh

My husband and I just got back from an amazing 4 weeks in Croatia and Italy. We just chuckle when people repeatedly say, "Oh, I heard that Croatia is so inexpensive!"

Uh, no. Who is putting this idea out there? We found our week in Italy to be as cheap, or possibly cheaper, than our time in Croatia.

Yes, you can rent a sobe and cut costs in many ways, but if you compare to the same in Italy-- or much of Europe-- it's about the same. And food is MORE expensive in Croatia, as a typical dish is simply that... veal, fish, whatever served alone. all side dishes are separate at most places.

That was our perception, at least. I'm thinking that perhaps it's cheaper if you stay at very high-end hotels... that maybe their 4-star hotel is less than elsewhere??

Anyone else find that Croatia is a fantastic destination but no budget bargain??
-k.

murphy89

Hi kawh,

I've been researching my upcoming trip to Croatia and though the exchange rate is much kinder to the Canadian dollar than in European Union countries - I am a bit discouraged by the seeming lack of budget accomodation <i>outside</i> of sobes. Did you stay in hotels? How did you find the price range? I am hoping its just that my guide is lacking....
If you did try private rooms - how did you find them generally - shared bathroom with the family or your own?

My biggest surprise so far is how much the bus costs. Not nearly as cheap as I expected. For me it still, works out to be cheaper than Italy though strictly because of the kuna.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Cheers,

Murphy

Laurie

We just returned from a visit to Dubrovnik and Trogir, Croatia in June 2007. We have also been to Italy 5 times in recent years.

We found Croatia to much less expensive than Italy. The food prices were especially a good value. For example: 2 nice size pizzas and 2 glasses of wine cost about $9.00 to $10.00.

Accomodations in Trogir in an apartment with a beautiful view were about 42 Euro per night.

Wine prices were very comparable to Italy and we thought it was just as good. Just my thoughts.. Laurie

mjs

We returned from Croatia last month and would agree that Croatia is not necessarily cheap. We stayed in four hotels and thought that the quality per star ratings was exagerated in comparison to most of western Europe but costs were similar. Four star hotels were like 3 stars etc. Sobes are certainly inexpensive at around E50/double from what we could tell in the tourist areas of Dalmatia but hotels were not cheap. The Four star hotels are not cheap either.
We found restaurant food costs were similar to US costs for similar quality with the proviso that everything tended to be ala carte.

kellyee21

I also was just in Croatia (Dubrovnik, Korcula) this July. I wouldn't call it cheap, especially Dubrovnik, but I still found it a lot less than Italy. We had a great apartment for 59E a night in Dubrovnik, and in Korcula it was 34E, although not quite as nice as the one in Dubrovnik. I thought the food was very reasonably priced. What did surprise me a bit was the price of the bus in Dubrovnik, 8kn if you buy at a kiosk and 10kn on the bus. Not that it is expensive but that is about what one pays to ride the metro in Paris. Admissions in Dubrovnik were also not cheap, 50kn for the wall, 35kn for several other sites. Much higher than was listed in my guidebook. So in summary, I think the food/lodgings are much less, while the rest is approaching Western Europe prices. Still a great value overall. Now if you want cheap, try Bosnia, we found the prices there to be at least half of those in Croatia.

hatmandude

to &quot;Laurie&quot;- my wife and 15 month old daughter are looking for a nice affordable place to stay in Trogir next month and your 42 euro /night apt. with a view sounded good- which one is it and can you provide conact info?

Laurie

Hi hatman,
Here is the link to the apartment we stayed in: http://www.trogir-online.com/kasalo/

It is 45 Euro per night now, but still a great value. We stayed in the yellow apartment. It was brand new and had a great view of Trogir! It is located on the island of Ciovo which is just across the bridge from Trogir. It was about a 5 minute walk. There is a small market very close by, where you can buy just about anything you would need.

The contact info is on the website. If you have any other questions about this apartment, I would be happy to help.

Laurie

kawh

Lauri &amp; Hatmandude...
hey! this is too weird. i am the original post on this string and my husband and i ALSO stayed at the kasalo apartment in trogir!! the very same (yellow) apartment, which my husband nicknamed the &quot;ikea suite.&quot;

it was just about the cheapest place we stayed in croatia... and also the cleanest and most roomy. (1 bedroom and a nice livingroom/kitchenette)

it is a tiny bit uphill from town (it was around 100 degrees when we were there, so each step seemed like a mile) but was really just a 5-10 minute walk from the heart of trogir. and the view was amazing. i had been meaning to recommend it, but you beat me to it, laurie. I will get it together to post our recommendations soon.
-k.

MarciaS

This is for Laurie - did you stay in the Karemendu apartments in Dubrovnik? We are staying there next month and I'm curious if you liked it. thanks in advance for your reply.