My husband and two children (ages 5 &amp; 4) will be going to Croatia for a week this April. We will be meeting my mother's family for the first time but my mother will not be able to go with us. Since we've never met, I do not want to be a burden on my family especially since we do not speak any Serbo-Croatian and they speak little English. We would like to find a nice hotel in Split to stay at which is about an hour's drive from the village where they live. We know we want to see their village, Dubrovnik, one of their national parks and one of their islands.<BR><BR>I would love any suggestions on hotels in Split and recommendations for a nice island day trip from Split. I would also love to hear about any other vacations / experiences anyone has had in Croatia.<BR><BR>Thanks.

Hi Theresa, <BR><BR>I visited Croatia last summer for a month and had an absolutely wonderful time. I didn't stay in a hotel in Split, so I can't help you there, but I was wondering if you really want to stay in Split...it was the place I liked the least(although Diocletan's Palace is well worth a look). Have you thought about staying in Trogir? It's a beautiful walled town quite close to Split, only about 20 minutes by public bus. You didn't say where your mother's village is, but if you want to stay in a larger city nearby, how about Sibenik? Smaller than Split, but much, much cleaner. It's north of Split, up the coast.<BR><BR>If you go to a park, I would go to Krka National Park--it's amazing. waterfalls, lakes, rivers, cliffs, hiking trails. For the island trip--Vis. It's just paradise there. <BR><BR>Cheers, Syrin

Theresa, I actually liked Split but wasn't so crazy about Trogir so to each their own. I can tell you not to stay at Hotel Bellevue. I was there one night and it was so rundown and hot with no a/c that I left to find another hotel. I would recommend hotel Park or Marjan. Park was probably nicer but a little further from the harbor(still just a ten minute walk). I stayed at Marjan which seemed plush compared to Bellevue.<BR>I also spent a couple nights on Hvar. It seems impossible to find a hotel there because it was summer time and tour groups(particularly German)book up everything in advance. So while there I rented a little &quot;apartment&quot;. After that I went to Dubrovnik and stayed at the Argentina.

Hi Theresa, We have spent many wonderful holidays in Croatia, the most recent in 2001. You might like to consider staying in the Makarska Riveria, an area about 1 hour south of Split. The scenery is spectacular, Makarska itself is a fair sized town with several hotels, would also recommend the villages of Tucepi and Podgora (my favourite). Hotel Aurora in Podgora has just reopened after major refurbishment, it has a swimming pool and is just steps from the beach. The islands of Hvar and Korcula are well worth visiting and of course Dubrovnik is not to be missed. Have a great holiday.

If you decide to stay in Split, look into visiting the Ivan Mestrovic Museum. I am not a big art person, but I loved this museum of his sculptures. Also don't miss his chapel further down the road. Both are very beautiful, unless you absolutely hate art.

Thanks for your wonderful ideas. My family lives in a village called Runovic (assuming I'm spelling it correctly...didn't confirm with my mom before writing this). I have one cousin and his family in Split and that is the main reason I chose that city. Perhaps we will plan to stay only a day or two there and try one of the other cities you have mentioned.<BR><BR>Thanks!