crosscheck

We're a family of four w/ two 20-something sons planning an 8-night vacation (not including international travel) for the last week of August before our younger son goes to Madrid for his semester abroad. We visit Europe often and want to go somewhere we haven't been before for culture, nature and much-needed relaxation. We think our son has to enter Spain from a non-Schengen country (Croatia qualifies), but are not certain about this. We're holding FF reservations to London but haven't yet booked other flights. After the family vacay, Mr. Crosscheck and I will be spending 10 additional days in Spain.

Originally we planned:
4 nights in Prague (where we're visiting a friend)
4 nights Hvar (fly to Split from Prague)

But...a friend's daughter just returned from Hvar and reported that it might be too much of a party scene for a family vacation - possibly awkward for our sons who like nightlife but won't want to stay out until 4am when they're traveling with us. We're now considering Dubrovnik instead, especially because the flights to Madrid are much cheaper from there.

On Hvar, we had been looking forward to medieval architecture and island relaxation - biking, hiking, boat tours, wine tour, etc. Is touristy Dubrovnik a mistake? Hotel recs there? Any other ideas? We want just one location for the four days, doesn't have to be a beach. Appreciate expert opinions.

kja

Hvar Town is extremely upscale, but has some beautiful architecture and is (I believe) a good base for hiking, biking, etc. I didn't stay in Hvar Town itself (too rich for my blood), but have never heard anyone say that it was off-putting because of the party scene. Maybe things have changed?

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Dubrovnik, but was fortunate to see it during shoulder season. From what I read and hear, it can get quite mobbed during August. And I could easily be wrong, but I don't think that Dubrovnik has the same options for hiking or biking that Hvar Town would have.

yorkshire

You need to work out the Schengen issue first, but there are 1000 islands--and I would pick any other than Hvar in August. The prices are high, the crowds are thick, and the nightclubs are probably quite active. In May, it was a laid back delight, but in August I would try somewhere else.
Korcula is nice.
In Dubrovnik, you have small islands offshore as well, but I would not want to be there in August either.

crosscheck

Thanks, everyone for your help/therapy. We ended up once again employing our usual vacation MO: letting our miles determine our destination. (See previous trip reports for gory details).

So we're now going to Prague and...Istanbul. We had been putting off Istanbul until we could visit he rest of Turkey, but when we found BA IST-MAD business awards on Iberia for 10k miles, the decision was easy. Works Schengen-wise and gives us a taste of the exotic, which we love.

We had a gut feeling that Croatia was wrong for us in August, especially because we haven't had a city trip in a while and our last few vacations were beachy. Plus the whole family can now stalk our son in Madrid for a day or two before we move on.

kja

Thanks for letting us know!

Istanbul if fascinating, and can easily take a full week just to scratch the surface. So do give some thought to your priorities so you can adjust your time accordingly.

Enjoy!

crosscheck

kja, you're absolutely right - wish we had more time for that portion of the trip. We're visiting our boys' former longtime babysitter in Prague. Haven't seen her since the kids were 10 and 13 and they're now 20 and 23. We thought of cutting out a day there to spend more time in Istanbul, but I think it would be a mistake. But I'm certain we'll return and also spend more time not only in Istanbul, but also the rest of Turkey.

And..If we find we can take off more time, Mr. Crosscheck and I are renting a place somewhere in Andalucia after the boys leave...That should somewhat take care of our slow travel fix.

kja

Andalusia in August? Now THAT is brave! Are you sure?!?

At least Istanbul has an international airport, so returning there is more doable than (say) getting to Hvar.

crosscheck

Will be September by the time we get there. We're not making plans yet for that part of the trip - waiting until I find out about work obligations. If unbearable, we can reconsider, but numerous festivals in Sevilla, Granada, Ronda, Jerez and Cadiz....all in early Sept. We're fortunate to live in Southern California where the weather is boringly ideal, so we don't mind a little heat or cold when we travel. I'm on a plane now, just left Portland where it was 96 degrees at 5pm!

crosscheck

I know I said I wasn't planning, but thinking of the Ferias Goyescas in Ronda...not the bullfight, just the pageantry.

crosscheck

Hi kja, Just wanted to update this to let you know we are going to Croatia after all. yorkshire, I now hope you're wrong about Hvar in August.

For various reasons, we have canceled Turkey and are now planning:

w/whole family:
4 nights Prague (airbnb loft)
3 nights Hvar (airbnb condo, away from the action)
1 night Split (day trip to Krka)
w/Mr. C:
7 nights road trip in Spain - TBD
5 nights Madrid

I realized I haven't had the luxury of planning a European trip in a long time because we go so often for work, usually stay for a long time, and have few choices. This has been daunting to plan/change because our parameters kept shifting and I've tried to use miles for all flights. I've also become an airbnb addict - hoping the places we rented are as nice as the photos. (At least they seem huge and authentic.)

Thanks again for all your Croatia help. Will report back.

kja

Could be good! How does transportation figure in? I'm not sure I see that you have left any time for it. ;-)

crosscheck

Transport doesn't seem so bad. No early flights - boys need to sleep in on vacays. Domestic flights are short. Catamarans can now be booked online, so no angst about that. Would like an extra day in Hvar, but friends who just went for the weekend from the UK said 3 days there are fine. We are on Smartwings, a budget airline, from Prague, so that could screw things up.

Here's a detailed itinerary including transport, which will probably change completely:

Days 1/2 LAX-LHR-PRG
Days 3/4/5 PRG (with day trip out of town to visit friends)
Day 6 travel day but mellow - 1.5 hr flight and 1 hour catamaran
Day 7/8 Bike/boat/hike/chill in Hvar
Day 9 Late morning boat to Split; go w/ driver to waterfalls in Krka. TA experts say park gets uncrowded at 3pm. Stay in Split.
Day 10 Game of Thrones tour in Split before evening flight to MAD
Day 11 Son #1 back to US, Son #2 to abroad program
Days 11-16 Train to Sevilla, rent car, epic road trip
Days 17-21 Train to Madrid (or drive?)
Day 22 - MAD-LAX

kja

That should be manageable!

I trust that you will post your plans for Spain separately, tagged for Spain, but just for now: with so very little time, you might not want to bother with a rental car. You can see a LOT by train and an occasional bus, and a car would be a decided obstacle in many of the places you are likely to try to visit. And if you haven't already booked your reservations for the Alhambra, do so NOW!!!

crosscheck

Thanks, kja. You're my personal Croatia consultant. I just booked a guesthouse in Split which has incredible customer service and will provide airport transfers, take us to lunch while we wait for the catamaran and store my son's large duffel (for his 4 months abroad) while we go to Hvar. Sorry we're not getting to Plitvice this time, but I think Krka (just a one hour trip from Split) will be better for the boys, who will want to swim.

I do think I might start a separate Spain thread. I think we'll definitely want the car because we're thinking of spending most of the time in a white village. Re: Alhambra - We want to remain flexible, so will probably do some sort of "skip the line" tour with a guide.

kja

The Krka National Park is lovely and sounds like a good choice given your constraints. It isn't a substitute for the Plitvice Lakes IMO, but might whet your appetite for seeing them on your next trip to the area.

I'll watch for your thread on Spain. In the meantime, note that (a) Ronda can be visited without a car (train from Granada or bus from Sevilla) and the white towns of the Poqueira Gorge can be visited by bus from Granada, (b) visiting the Alhambra at night is absolutely magical and definitely requires a reservation, and © much as I enjoyed the white villages I saw, I personally would not make them a higher priority than Granada, Cordoba, or Sevilla -- but maybe you have already been and/or expect to return...?

crosscheck

We love having a car (had one for the entire month the last time we were in Spain), but will check out buses once we figure out where we're going. Might end up driving back to Madrid. It's our first time in the south - I know it's the wrong time of year, but that's what everyone told us when we went to India in September and it turned out fine, with few tourists, awesome discounts and lovely nights.

I just checked night tours of Alhambra and September seems to be wide open, so as soon as I consult with Mr. C, I'll make a reservation. Is it changeable?

kja

"night tours of Alhambra ... Is it changeable?" I don't know, and will leave this and all other questions to your new post on your time in Spain. Please post the link to that thread here under YOUR name so anyone who only scans for OP entries will find it....