kja

I love Split -- I found it dynamic and energetic and lively and vibrant. It has a few extraordinary sites, including (of course) Diocletian's Palace and Cathedral, along with a gorgeous waterfront, one of my favorite markets anywhere, lots of delightful public squares dating from Roman times through medieval ages to modern eras, and several interesting museums.

Tiny Trogir has some of the best stone carvings anywhere in the world, particularly in its cathedral. But it is TINY. And likely (but not necessarily!) more expensive than Split. I enjoyed Trogir and was glad I had a half day there, but I, personally, would stay in Split and visit Trogir. They are only about 1/2 hour apart, though, so their call, and neither choice would be a bad one IMO.

I loved Dubrovnik, so its hard for me to say it ... but I'd skip it this trip, since they already have flights out of Zagreb. They might want to hold off on Dubrovnik until they can also see Korcula and Kotor and maybe Mostar or any of the other delights of that part of the world.

That, and the Plitvice Lakes truly are magnificent!

The Little Green Bay looks sweet, but it must be rather new? I see only 1 review on TA and only 7 on booking.com More importantly, I trust you realize that it is some distance from Hvar Town? Depends on what they want to do and whether they would have a car or not, as it doesn't look like it would be convenient for public transportation on the island of Hvar. I could be wrong....

Andrew

I didn't love Split. I found Trogir more charming for sure, but it is tiny and explored quickly. Split, even though I personally didn't find it that appealing, is more substantial and more important - and more of a "real city" than a tourist trap. I guess I'd choose Split if I had more interest in history and exploring; I'd choose Trogir if I wanted to relax and chill.

It's still possible to do both Dubrovnik and Plitvice if they really want to. I'd rate both of them above Split (or Trogir), so I'd minimize my time in Split/Trogir probably to one night to allow for the other two places as well as Hvar. Just my opinion; your son will have to decide whether Split is the kind of place he'd love or not, from reading more about it. If they want to relax and not move around so much, I'd probably skip Dubrovnik, because that would save a few hours of traveling, assuming their only flight choice is into Split / out of Zagreb.

vanne49

Your help has been invaluable. I said that I was not going to be so involved in the planning of this trip, but...they are both so involved with everything else right now, I don t want this to be ignored. When my daughter gets married, we will start planning from the day she gets engaged��
The original plan was Costa Rica, but with Zika and the new misses working at the CDC, it became a no go. I think that Croatia is a great substitute, but unknown to us and way more planning.
I did not realize that Little Green Bay was so far away from the city. I thought that Hvar was a pedestrian island, no cars. I do know that LGB has a boat. I need to get more info from them regarding transportation and surrounding area. I did not find many nicer hotels on Hvar that would be special for a honeymoon, very mixed reviews.

rialtogrl

It is kind of hard to figure out exactly where Little Green Bay is. It certainly looks pretty but they would be kind of stuck out there with no car. They could always bring a car over to the island with them.

There are a couple of parts to Hvar Town - the resort side in the west and center of town and the more residential east side. If its resort living they are after, they might like the hotel Amphora (its pretty Vegas-y) or the hotel Adriatic in the center of town. Hotel Adratic has a nice bar at the top, but anyone can utilize it. The walk to the Amphora from the center is really pretty and just past the Amphora is the fabulous Hula Bar. They can rent chairs and just hang out on the rocks or go to the Sunset party.

They could also choose to stay in apartments on the east side, and be staying with Croatians and giving their kuna to Croatians, which is what I like to do. I have recommended the Apartments Komazin many many times here. They are not glitzy or glamorous but they are comfortable and the apartments have views. Its a real neighborhood, no Vegas feeling here whatsoever. The apartments are run by a great guy who will take good care of them - Andro. http://croatia-hvar-apartments.com/
The only problem is he may already be booked up for your dates.
To walk to the Hula bar from Andro's place is one mile. To walk to town, about 1/2 a mile along the sea.

I would not go to Dubrovnik for just one day - but that is just me. The ferry takes a few hours to get down there. If they could spend a couple of nights then fly back to Zagreb, it would be worth it. There are plenty of honeymoon worthy restaurants in Dubrovnik.

I will be in Croatia next month. Maybe our paths will cross!

kja

Hvar Island is 42 miles long (I just checked), and includes several cities and towns in addition to Hvar Town, which is the place most people think of visiting when they think of visiting Hvar. I found Little Green Bay on google maps by leaving out the spaces between the words, and that site says that it's a little under 4 miles from Hvar Town, a walk that would, I think, involve going up and down some hills. And there are at least two different ferry ports on Hvar Island -- Hvar Town and Stari Grad, so knowing which one they need coming and going will be necessary. (There are, I believe, buses that connect the port in Stari Grad to Hvar Town, timed to work with the ferry schedule.)

I urge you to give rialtogrl's recommendations serious consideration -- she's never steered me wrong! And do consider the apartment option -- in Croatia, rooms and apartments are often an excellent alternative to hotels. And if Andro is already booked, maybe he would recommend something suitable? No reason I can think of not to ask!

Your son and future DIL are fortunate to have your help.

vanne49

I am fortunate to have all of your help!!

Here is the latest:

Fly into Split
2 nights in Split
(DIL researched the parks/lakes/waterfalls) and suggested Krka for less crowd and can swim
3 nights Hvar (they are leaning toward Littlle Green Bay because of the seclusion) that said we are looking into apartments as suggested in the quieter area
2 nights in Dubrovnik, take an early morning flight to Zagreb to connect with a flight to ATL via FRA
I am going to contact Croatia Airlines and see if there is a chance in changing the outbound flight from ZAG to DUB

Thoughts??
I always research and plan the family trips, but this one has been a challenge. My husband and I are planning to visit the Kringle markets in Germany this year...that trip is planned and booked��

rialtogrl

If they are going to stay at Little Green Bay I would urge them to get a car so that they can explore the island, unless all they want to do is lay on the beach. Maybe they are planning to get one anyway so they can go to Krka. There are several car ferries over to Hvar every day. They could even drive down to Dubrovnik and drop the car off there when they arrive.

I would not fly back to Zagreb from Dubrovnik on a separate ticket, for a flight home the same day. I would only do it on the same ticket. It sounds like it is a Lufthansa ticket. Give them a call, maybe they can just add the Dubrovnik segment to the existing ticket.

surfmom

We just got back from Dubrovnik and loved it. It does get crowded in the Old Town during the day... so we avoided that and headed out to the islands.

we:
- arrived mid-afternoon, swam on rocks outside Old Town and then took cable car to mountain to watch sunset
- spent the next day on a sailboat and sailed to Lopud and Silpan. Walked the city walls at dinnertime.
- spent the next day kayaking from Lopud to Silpan to the mainland. Then took an evening sunset sail.
- took a speedboat out for the morning and hit swimming spots and caves.
- flew out that afternoon.

I wished we had built in some more time in the Old Town to see more sights, but we loved our time on the water, swimming, and relaxing.

We had a great apartment and I would recommend it.

vanne49

OMG, I did not think of adding the flight on to the existing reservation,
absolutely the best idea!
What about renting scooters in Havr?
You have been so helpful, thank you!!!!!!

kja

That plan could suit very well!

Your DIL is right -- swimming is allowed at the Krka National Park, but not in the Plitvice Lakes. They could get there by bus to Skradin and then boat or walk (or boat one way, walk the other), but that could take a large chunk of a day. (I think the bus is about 1.5 hours each way, and then you have to walk or catch a boat and it takes time, too, and then there's the time for the park itself....) Renting a car might be a better option for them.

Make sure they know about the Buza Bar in Dubrovnik ;-) -- there are two, and the one I prefer is marked by a little sign for "cold drinks" by an entrance cut through the wall surrounding the city. They can google it....