Philip

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge. Little background: group of 4-5 of us; very active 60ish crowd; one is semi-pro photographer; we all love wine, good food and beautiful scenery. Price always plays a minor role but location and surroundings more important. We all love Italy but have always heard about beautiful Croatia. Hours looking at ocean and surroundings while drinking good wine with good friends is the ideal evening. Probably go 3 or 4 week of September (2013). The photographer will be up early taking pictures. Rental car would be OK. The logistics are very confusing ~ cars vs boats. Here is what I am thinking at this point:

Flights from Texas: probably Delta using frequent flyer miles. I don’t see that Delta has any connections into Croatia but could use miles to get to convenient location (say Rome) and take flights over to Croatia. Any suggestions or experience?

Day One: Dubrovnik and stay Hotel Excelsior. Will be jet lagged so walk around and have generally an easier day.
Day Two: Take day tour to Montenegro (Budva). Is organized tour best thing to do? If so, any recommendations for higher end tour.
Day Three: Finish touring Dubrovnik area
Day Four: Head towards Karcola and stay Marko Polo Hotel. Best transportation from Dubrovnik to Karcola ~ car rental; boat?
Day Five: Enjoy Karcola and relax
Day Six: Head towards Hvar and stay Amfora or Hotel Park Hvar. Any suggestions on nicest hotel that has best views and location. Once again ~ best way from Karcola to Hvar
Day Seven: Hvar and relax
Day Eight: Hvar to Split and stay Hotel Luxe. Tour town
Day Nine: Fly back to Texas

Thanks for suggestions.

partmtn

Sounds like a nice trip! We spent our anniversary exploring Croatia last summer and really loved bouncing around and seeing all the terrific sights. We only made it as far south as Trogir (tiny awesome old fortified town 20km from Split) so I can't help you on much of the logistics but I definitely can recommend this wonderful little private beach on Ciovo, it's called Lagunina Beach Club. Daily membership is cheap (I think 20kuna for men and 10 for women, so around $2-4) and the beach is sparkling clean and beautiful, with a great spot to relax by the bar, rent a daybed or sit around on a swing or comfy chairs and play games (yes, they have games available for free). It's a bit tricky to find, down a dirt road in the middle of the countryside, but locals can point you in the right direction if you can't find directions online.

Have a wonderful trip!

partmtn

Oh . . . search for 'konoba duga' to find directions to the beach.

Grassshopper

You will LOVE Dubrovnik and it definitely has the WOW factor. I stayed at Villa Argentina, next door to the Excelsior. It was in 2003 so no doubt the Excelsior has been remodeled by now. As of 2003 I would prefer the Argentina.

I recommend the Atlas tour of Montenegro. Leave the crazy driving to the professional and just enjoy. There are two tours. Mine included Kotor (excellent), a drive over the mountains(stunning and a little scary), Centje (the capital)and Budva. It was a long but interesting day. Well worth it. Another Atlas tour I took was the Peljasec Peninsula Wine tasting tour. It's a half day tour and really fun.

In Dubrovnik, of course you will want to walk the wall. Be sure to be at the front of the wall in the late afternoon and go to Buza Bar. It hangs on the front of the walls, overlooking the sea and will be one of your highlights!

I would take a ferry to Korcula. You can take it from Dubrovnik to Korcula and then again from Korcula to Hvar and finally from Hvar to Split.

Have a wonderful time!

Delaine

Check out MaiTai Tom's trip report on this forum. He has an excellent trip report which included Dubrovnik.

If you love Italy, you should love Croatia too. I took a small ship cruise of Croatia last September and thought it was amazing -- somewhat like a melding of Italy and the Czech Republic. I went to the places you will visit (Kotor in Montenegro, though, not Budva) plus Rovinj(!!), Pula and Sibenik.

When you walk the wall in Dubrovnik, go as early as possible. It gets really hot and becomes more crowded. There is little to no shade either, although there are a few places you can stop for a cold drink. However, the views are worth it.

Be sure and walk through the side streets that head towards the walls; they are picturesque and much less crowded than the Stradun.

Buza is nice (there are 2 different Buza bars, and "buza" means "hole," as in through a hole in the wall), but the word has got out. When I went in the afternoon, it was packed! Maybe it would be less crowded at night.

Korcula was one of my favorite places. There are some nice views from the top of the Revelin Tower, an easy climb. I had delicious pizza at a pizzeria on the shaded sea-side promenade, near the end toward the Tower, Pizzeria Tedeschi.

Byrd

We loved Hotel Excelsior when we stayed there in May 2009. It is right on the water, and our room had a great private terrace.

The hotel is maybe five minutes's walk from the city walls, so a perfect location.

We, of course, followed MaiTaiTom's advice and absolutely loved the Buza Bar. (My Facebook photo was made at the Buza Bar.)

We also enjoyed two days in Montenegro, staying at the Queen of Montenegro hotel near Budva. We took a bus tour to Kotor and thereabout.

I absolutely agree with everyone that you will love Croatia!

Byrd

Mimar

It does seem like boat is the best form of transportation for you. But out of the high season -- July and August -- ferries don't run nearly so often. The catamaran from Dubrovnik does not stop at Korcula from September through the winter. The Jadrolineja coastal ferry only runs on Thursday and Sunday. Otherwise you can take a bus or drive. The bus accesses Korcula by a small ferry from Orebic on the Peljesac peninsula. You can take a car this way also.

The catamaran from Korcula to Hvar and Split still runs in September. But you can't take a car on this, and I doubt there's any place to drop a car on Korcula. You'd have to take it back to the mainland, Dubrovnik or farther up the coast.

So unless you can travel on Sunday or Thursday, it's best to take the bus from Dubrovnik to Korcula.

Or, with a car, you could take the ferry back to Orebic and drive up to Drvenik or Split, catch a ferry there to Hvar.

There are excellent web sites for Korcula and Hvar, www.korculainfo.com and www.hvarinfo.com respectively.

Except in high season, the Dalmatian coast and islands can be a bit of a challenge to get around. But the reward is a beautiful place less trampled by the tourist hordes. (Exception is Dubrovnik, which is still very popular with cruise ships in the shoulder seasons.)

Rastaguytoday

Here's a tour that I've looked up for my mother.

http://www.odysseys-unlimited.com/to...earls-dalmatia

It might give you some ideas about where to go and stay.

Check out Venere for some hotels. See the reviews on this website. http://www.venere.com/hotels/croatia/

kja

As Mimar indicates, you'll need to do some research on ferry options and make sure you can get from place to place. If the connections don't work, you can probably find alternative destinations - it is a beautiful part of the world!

To visit Montenegro, I rented a car for a day from Dubrovnik, and I enjoyed the freedom it gave me. By my primary goal was to see Kotor and the Bay of Kotor, not Budva.

If I am correct in thinking that you are referring to Korcula, then check to see if the Moresca is still being performed during the time that you'll be in the area. I found it quite entertaining!

Hope that helps!

Philip

THANKS THANKS...............

Sounds like 3rd week of September is good time to visit BUT MUST TAKE into account reduced ferries between islands (we fly business/first with Delta points so think Sept will work better than say July August). Based on your comments, will plan itinerary so we can depart from Dubrovnik to Korcula on a Thursday or Sunday.

MIMAR thanks for letting me know that a ferry runs between Korcula Hvar and Split. Can you give me a website or the name of the ferry company? Would love to see departure/arrival times.

Am I wrong in thinking we would probably enjoy Croatia more if we can arrange transport via ferries as opposed to rental cars?

Looking forward Montenegro. Will modify to see Kotor. AND have wine/beer at Buza. Anticipation is almost as good as realization (well maybe not). I REALLY appreciate each comment. We will make it work.

Mimar

Here's that schedule: www.krilo.hr/en/sailing_schedule.html.

We definitely enjoyed taking the boat, though the Jadrolineja coastal ferry from Dubrovnik made for a more relaxing voyage than the catamaran from Korcula to Split.

And we really liked Korcula. It's got a laid-back, down-to-earth vibe that reminds me of Hawaii. The simple life, very relaxing.

bobthenavigator

You will love Croatia---we did. Here are some images--note the Kotor pics---a special place.

http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3882

rialtogrl

hi Philip
If you want to just chill at the pool or beach and walk around Hvar town for a couple of days you won't need a car - but if you want to go to other parts of the island, you'd need a car. I was just there and didn't stay at the hotel Amfora, but I passed by it a lot (on my way to the Hula Hula Bar) and I even went in once to see what it was like. It is... kind of Vegasy. The views are awesome and the pool and grounds are nice, but it totally reminded me of an old school Vegas hotel. It is about a 10-15 minute walk from the center of Hvar Town. I stayed in a place on the other side, in apartments Komazin - wonderful owners, great price, but a bit of a longer walk to town.

There are ferries from Hvar to Split every day - I don't think you need to worry about that one (its more Korcula and Dubrovnik that are the pain) but with 5 people you could check out a private van instead of a ferry.

If you love wine, then you must check out the D'Vino wine bar in Dubrovnik. I liked the Buza Bar - I LOVED the D'Vino wine bar. Great staff, great owner, good wine by the glass, and a heck of a lot of fun. The website is not much, but at least it has the address (and it is right off the Stradun.)
http://www.dvino.net/

Hope this helps - happy planning.

Philip

Again, thanks for all the good information. I know I will love Croatia (you don't think Italy will get mad). Will use vans, cabs or personal tour guide if makes sense. New itinerary looks (today anyway) as follows:

Wednesday ~ Depart US for Dubrovnik
Thursday ~ arrive Dubrovnik and stay Hotel Excelsior. Relax, walk around and visit D'Vino wine and Buza Bar
Friday ~ take Montenegro Tour (that includes Bay of Kotor)
Saturday ~ see Dubrovnik
Sunday ~ Jadrolineja Coastal Ferry to Korcula and stay Marko Polo Hotel
Monday ~ see Korcula (again using cab, personal tour guide as makes sense)
Tuesday ~ take catamaran to Hvar and stay Adriana or Amfora Hotel (?). Don't want car so would Adriana be better location?
Wednesday ~ see Hvar (cab, tour guide, etc)
Thursday ~ catamaran to Split for day tour and stay Hotel Luxe
Friday ~ homeward bound......

Appreciate help with transportation information Dub to Kor to Hvar to Split. No problem moving days. My wife has 10 Cavaliers so she has said no more 2 week trips. I know we are missing northern part of country (which sounds wonderful). Hopefully next trip! Do y'all think this itinerary will give us a good appreciation for what makes Croatia obviously so special?

bobthenavigator

Look like fun to me!

rialtogrl

You can take a catamaran from Hvar Town to Split that departs at 7:45 AM - the company is Krilo Jet and here is the schedule (they also have the same boat from Korcula to Hvar at 6 AM.)
http://www.krilo.hr/en/sailing_schedule.html

You book your ticket the day before at the travel agency "Pelegrini" (nice people in here....)

I only had a drink at the Adriana and it was great up on their rooftop bar! Can't comment on the rooms, but it would be the easiest to walk to the early ferry of the two hotels. The Amfora I imagine has a shuttle that might take you all the way to the ferry, you might inquire with them about that. I had a fantastic meal around the corner from the Adriana at a place called Dalmatino.

The guy at the D'Vino wine bar does a winery tour (an all day one) that I think I would choose over a day trip to Montenegro... I wonder if anyone else can comment on the day trip, I didn't do it, but some people I talked to said it took forever to get there and back and they felt herded around even on a smallish bus.

Christina_Lyons

Wow factor - The Blue Grotto of Biševo is spectacular. Enjoy a day trip there from Komiža on the island of Vis. Komiža is also a good base for SCUBA (the guys at Issa Diving Center are amazing) and rock climbing. Konoba Bako offers one of the loveliest dining experiences I've ever enjoyed in years of going to Croatia.

I think Vis has followed other islands with its own wine trail and tour now.

I would also highly recommend Korčula, but never Hvar - or at least not the town of Hvar, when there are other lovely spots not crawling with tourists. I like Sučuraj on the Easternmost end of Hvar island.


I think Delta can get you as far as Milan or Rome. You could find another flight to Croatia or arrive by the fast (SNAV) ferry from Ancona or the overnight Jadrolinija boat to Split. There are ferry routes to Dubrovnik, but I'm unfamiliar with them.

oops, I see there's an update above

Christina_Lyons

and I see in the updated postings that there's no time for Vis/Komiža/Biševo, which is a real pity for the photographer in the group! No worries - you'll be back.

Christina_Lyons

p.s. Did you see Anthony Bourdain "No Reservations" in Croatia? It was one of his best - and a great advertisement for the country.

Snowflake25

If you have time a trip to Mostar, Bosnia is well worth it. We took a bus from Dubrovnik to Mostar and spent the night at the Villa Anri, getting an early start at seeing the sites in Mostar before the tour buses arrived. We were able to see everything and in the afternoon we caught a bus to Split. Trogir was a wonderful place to visit for the afternoon. We also loved the Elephite Island tour we did when we were in Dubrovnik.