Croatia: Havar, Korcula, Dubrovnik or Split?
Jan 15th, 2002, 06:09 PM
#1
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Croatia: Havar, Korcula, Dubrovnik or Split?
Planning to vacation ( read: relax, sleep late, lay on the beach, quiet meals ) somewhere in Croatia after visiting Prague. I'm not interested in spending 2 days here then 3 days there - I want to stay in one place. I also want to have restaurants to go to (walk to) , a museum to visit, etc. I won 't be there during 'high season' ( July and August ) - either September or May, not sure yet. Any preferences by people who have visited Croatia?
Jan 16th, 2002, 05:47 AM
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Perhaps someone will chime in who has been to all four, but between Dubrovnik and Split, I would recommend Dubrovnik. We stayed in Split for a day and we had our fill but Dubrovnik we could have stayed in for a week.<BR><BR>We stayed at the Hotel Bellevue in Dubrovnik, we had a wonderful view of the Adriatic and were within walking distance of the Old Town. There was a small beach near the hotel, certainly not Caribbean in nature but I assume adequate for relaxing. The Old Town can be viewed within a day, from Dubrovnik you can take boat trips over to Cavtat, Lokrum and some other places that we didn't get to. Cavtat had some lovely waterside restaurants and the visit there was a relaxing way to spend a day. <BR><BR>You can also take a bus trip into Montenegro from Dubrovnik. We actually took a cab but were uncertain whether they were going to let us in without visas so a bus trip might be a safer bet. Montenegro was beautiful ad I'd highly recommend it as a day trip if you can rip yourself away from relaxing.<BR><BR>We went at the end of May before the crowds came and it was a great time to go. The water was too cold to swim in but that wasn't a big concern for us.
Jan 16th, 2002, 05:49 AM
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Mark--<BR>I found Hvar the most wonderful place to relax. You'll have to take a ferry over to the island (we had a car and took it on the ferry) and then drive to the village. Or without a car, you can get a boat right to the harbor. We stayed at the Palace Hotel, right on the harbor. It's an enchanting island to relax, wander around, and meet people. There are also plenty of good restaurants. Ferries are available at the harbor to take you to other islands, including one with a nude beach if you wish.
Jan 16th, 2002, 07:01 AM
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I've never been to Korcula, but I've been to Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split. All 3 places are wonderful and beautiful<BR><BR>Is this your first time to Croatia? How many days do you have?<BR><BR>Depending on what you are looking for I'm not sure which city to recommend. Going in May is kinda early to be laying out by the beach going in early September is a better option.<BR><BR>Hvar town on Hvar Island is where I'm assuming you are referring too when you ask about going to Hvar. The town is quite charming, quaint, old cobblestone roads. I'm not sure if there are any museums there, if there are, I didn't go.<BR><BR>Dubrovnik is wonderful, especially if this is your first time to Croatia. Plenty of restaurants, cafe's and beaches. There are the city walls, museums, etc.<BR><BR>If you are considering Split,you may want to stay in an area that is close to the center of town, but not in the center of town. Omis, Trogir are nice options - about 20 minute drive to the center of Split. Each has it's own tiny center too. Also, near Split is Makarska, Brela, Baska Voda - these places have FANASTIC beaches.<BR><BR>I would also recommend Zadar. Another cute, quaint town... many cafes, restaurants and beaches.<BR><BR>Nina
Jan 16th, 2002, 07:37 AM
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Thank you for all the information. <BR><BR>Nina - This will be my first time to Croatia. I'm hoping to have at least 5 (max 7) full days, excluding travel days. I'm leaning towards Dubrovnik mainly because it is my first time and there looks to be plenty to do in the surrounding area. One of my co-workers is from Korcula and praises its beauty. Defintely going in September. Hvar still intrigues me. <BR><BR>Once again, thanks for all the input. Anybody else?
Feb 9th, 2002, 10:48 AM
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Dubrovnik had beautiful weather in September. There is no beach, per se, but a beautiful coast with rocks. Some people were swimming but it was too cold for me. Wonderful mediterranean food and the old city is full of cafes and very lively at night with people out walking and chatting.
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Mar 5th, 2002, 09:26 AM
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I would like to hear more about the area from Koper to Zadar. We are going to be sailing this region for about 10 days the first part of May. We will be staying aboard most nights and sailing about half of the day. We want to visit islands and beaches....is it going to be too cold? Side trip on land are also possible we will be going from marina to marina....
Mar 5th, 2002, 10:30 AM
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I'm finding these posts interesting. A couple of years ago we wanted to go to Dubrovnik and I pictured staying in some small hotel within the old city. I love the feel of an old city and wanted to wander at night among restaurants and cafes. But all my research led me to believe that there were no such places there. We didn't go, because I didn't really want to stay outside the city somewhere at a resort type hotel. Was I wrong? Are there some small hotels right in the city, or at least as Kris suggests, within walking distance?
Mar 5th, 2002, 12:51 PM
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It has been a long time since we last visited the Dalmantian Coast. In fact it was Yugoslavia then. If you would like to find out background information about the area look up "Black Lamb..Green Falcon" by Rebecca West. It was probably the best guide book we had even though it was 25 years old when we made our visits. In the light of the recent history in the area the book is super background. Be prepared it is more than 1000 pages.
Mar 5th, 2002, 02:32 PM
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Hey Mark: I haven't been to the Islands, but I'd definitely weigh in for Dubrovnik over Split. We stayed at the Hotel Excelsior, which was just great (although pricey by Croatian standards). The city itself is lovely, the people were friendly, the water clear and the food delicious. We loved it. I do hear the Islands are amazing too. Split was something of a disappointment in comparison to Dubrovnik, although interesting in its own way. Have a great time.
Mar 5th, 2002, 04:03 PM
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I have tentative reservations at the Hotel Excelsior. I'm hoping to take a ferry trip or two to various islands, specifically Korocula. <BR><BR>Ken - Can you remember any specific restaurants in Dubrovnik? Obviously the seafood will be fresh. Did you try any of the Croatian red wines? I also hear there is a Croatian "champagne" (sparkling wine).
Mar 6th, 2002, 05:56 AM
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Patrick, try this link to see the hotel options in Dubrovnik<BR><BR>http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/english/hotels/hotels_list/hotels_list.html<BR><BR>It appears that there is a hotel closer than the one we stayed at which is the Imperial but I don't believe that there are any hotels actually in the old town although it might be possible to get a private room in the old town. There also appears to be some on the other side of the old town that look to be about 10 minutes away (the Excelsior being one of them). The old town is actually quite small, I think having hotels directly in it would ruin the charm.<BR><BR>The Hotel Bellevue isn't a big resort hotel, probably only 20-30 rooms. We liked it because of the proximity to the old town (10-15 minute walk)and the view of the Adriatic. We did wander around at night in the old town, never felt unsafe.
Mar 6th, 2002, 06:52 AM
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Mark, there is a whole cobblestone street with just restaurants - outside seating in the old town.<BR><BR>If you are on the main street called the "Stradun" in Dubrovnik you will see little walkways branching off to the right and left. The side where it is just a staircase is where you want to go. Go up the staircase (any of them will do) and the next street over is the street with all the restaurants. I've been to several restaurants there and everything was delicious. Especially the seafood. Bon Apetit! or in Croatian "Dobar tek"<BR>Nina
Mar 6th, 2002, 01:05 PM
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Hey Mark. Good call on the Excelsior; I think you'll enjoy it. As to restaurants, I'm afraid I don't particularly remember any names. Maybe "Marco Polo?" I seem to recall that was a place where I had great grilled lobster. Anyway, there are tons of places in the Old City, and you can just sort of wander down from the Excelsior and see what looks good. Generally, we didn't go wrong anywhere. I had grilled calamari and mangold (some kind of spinach) the first night and had to force myself to try something different, it was so good. Awesome seafood. We did have some pretty decent red wine in Croatia, and some better whites. I'd definitely drink the local stuff. I can't say it was spectacular, but living near Wine Country in California we're probably pretty spoiled. We spent 4 months traveling the world last year, and Dubrovnik ended up right at the top of the list. So I hope you'll have a great time. Enjoy!! (By the way, Zagreb is a surprisingly cool city too. If you have to route through there on your way, I'd probably encourage an overnight. Kind of like a combination of Prague before it was commercialized and Paris. Ciao, K
