CordeliaCH

Nannibray, you have planned a fabulous trip. I have a bit of trip envy, actually! Since you asked, do go to Montenegro (Kotor in particular). It is well worth the day trip. I can understand being nervous about driving, although the drive was fairly flat and easy. The only time we were nervous at all was going from Kotor to the ferry to cross the Bay and head back to DBV. The road gets really narrow by the lake in places and we had to take it pretty slow. We had no problems at the border, though. You will treasure this day trip whether you self-drive or take an excursion.

nannibray

Tracy!!
I'm so glad you mentioned Villa Adriatica!! I had read your post about it in another post (actually it was a post my daughter had followed for her Croatia trip in 2007 that you had posted and Betsy thought that would be the PERFECT place to stay) They stayed at the Hilton free using points. Lucky them!!

HOWEVER On trip advisor there were some complaints about the beds in room # 1 in particular.. I like room # 1. Did you stay in that room? How were the beds?? They are so crucial for me to sleep well. I don't mind that they are 2 twins with a 6 inch space (board) between but ...were they really that awful? And noisy?

Also the kitchen.. people posted that the drain did not work, but would it be possible to prepare a "continental style breakfast, ie. toast, cereal and coffee??
Did they have a coffee pot?? I can picture DH and I every evening having our wine of the terrace before dinner and also coffee there each morning.

I saw your pictures and the view is to die for!! AND... the location is convenient and perfect.

I am primarily considering Villa Adriatica or Villa Ragusa which is actually IN the Old TOWN.

Have you read the reviews on Trip Advisor about Villa Adriatica? There are 4 and 5 stars. Do you agree with what people said?
Villa Ragusa gets ALL 5 star ratings from Trip Advisor but it doesn't have that MARVELOUS VIEW and also no kitchen privileges.

Thanks for taking an interest in my trip!

Cordeila: I think I will "rethink" going to Montenegro - I don't want to get home and regret not going! If we do Montenegro, we will have to schedule another day for Dub. (I had reduced our stay there to only 3 nights) so we could sneak in 1 day on Korcula.
(We will also have 2 nights on Hvar)
Is dropping the day on Korcula in favor of a Montenegro trip a FAIR TRADE??

tcreath

nannibray,

Hmmm...I honestly don't remember the bed being uncomfortable at all. I am not too picky, but know where you are coming from because our final night in Japan last year was a nightmare because the matress was rock hard and super uncomfortable. I don't remember the bed having a wooden slab in the middle or squeeking, so I'm wondering if perhaps they replaced the bed since I've been there?

I also did not use the kitchen facilities. We aren't really coffee drinkers and my love of pastries meant that most mornings we went to a bakery. There was one just a few doors down from Villa Adriatica that had a pretty nice selection of goodies. If you are concerned about the drain problems, maybe you could e-mail and ask them if it has been fixed.

We had absolutely no problems with noise, but because it was November the town was very, very quiet. We were the only ones staying in Villa Adriatica during the duration of our stay, so we had the balcony to ourselves. Considering how close it is to town, I thought it was very quiet. I'm not sure if the reviewer on Tripadvisor was referring to town noises or noises from the next room over.

Overall we were super happy with our stay there and always talk of going back to Dubrovnik and staying there. But as it's been almost two years, I don't want to make any false promises. The location is superb, so in my opinion it would be worth asking about your concerns before making your decision. If I recall, they were pretty quick at responding to me.

One other suggest; if you choose to stay there definitely arrange to have someone pick you up at the airport. There was no sign for Villa Adriatica anywhere, and a big nondescript brown door hides the courtyard and entrance, so I really don't know how we would have found it if we had not been dropped off directly at the door.

I'm not sure if you seen my trip report, but I wrote it right after we got back so it probably has better details. I topped it for you, but here is the link as well: http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...amp;dirtyBit=1.

Let me know if you have any more questions. Good luck and happy planning!

Tracy

nannibray

Again Tracy - THANKS!!
Just read with pleasure your trip report. Perfect. Thanks so much.
Have noted your private driver to Montenegro - Nilola Serkovic!
thanks for adding his e-mail address!
I will con tact him to see if he gets any other requests for the private tour to Montenegro on either of the 2 days we are in Dub. Perhaps he can arrange for us to share with another couple.
this would be ideal. My daughter and her hubby took an Atlas tour to Montenegro and said it was awful being on a BUS for 10 hours with only 4 hours off. they had to share with Russian language and English!
A private tour would be so much superior.

tcreath

Nikola was awesome! We really didn't want to take a tour, but at the time we went Croatia wasn't as touristed by Americans as it is now, and there was very little information on driving between the two countries, so we decided on the tour. I think that it was a blessing in disguise that the tour was cancelled!

By the way, I recalled someone saying that his email address has changed so I did a search and found it for you. This was posted by someone back in April, but hopefully it works. [email protected]

I hope everything is going well for you in Alton! I imagine the trees will be changing color soon. We used to drive along the river road up to Pierre Marquette park in the fall to admire the views and eat lunch in the lodge.

Tracy

nannibray

Thanks, Tracy - I should be SET!

nannibray

uaz04 - Michael - Yes! I would love some info on Istria.
We will stay 3 nights in Rovinj. Also would like to see your pictures.
In Istria - what are your favorite towns? Places to eat? Pretty drives?
Should we visit Piran enroute to Bled after our last night in Rovinj? or would that just be a repeat of what we see in Istria?
About the "vignette" sticker for the car for Slovenia - 35 euros seems STEAP. Can one get a sticker for a shorter time?? We will only be in Slovenia for 4 nights (5days).

Looking forward to your reply.
Mary Ann

nokomis

We drove all over both countries and had no problems. The roads are well marked and we had our trusty Michelin map to guide us. The roads in the Julianne Alps are beautiful but are very curvy.We loved it and stayed at a remote B&B in the mountains. All the food was grown on the farm that we ate. We barely used our GPS if at all.

nannibray

nokomis - Do you remember the name of the B&B in the Julian Alps? Was it expensive? We have planned 3 nights for Bled - planning on doing a trip through the J. Alps one day. Should we try to spent a night in the Alps instead of going back to Bled?/

I have checked on Kobarid - HOtel Hvala (Wow expensive)

Also checked on Bovec for accommodations - Pristava Lepena also pricy.

Was it by chance the Tourist Farm Pri Plajerju near Trenta? this is the budget option recommended by Rick Steves?

Did you like your place where you stayed?
nannibray

huddoshols

Hi Nannibray! Several weeks ago we were trying to get accomodation in the Julian Alps. We looked at a few,as they were all full. Our choice would have been Dobra Vila
www.dobra-vila-bovec.com Beautiful accomodation in Bovec,but alas they were full. We looked at Hotel Hvala in Kobarid and walked straight out. Very ordinary and large tour groups...not for us. We settled on Gostisce Jazbec about 5- 10 minutes drive from Kobarid. Lovely large rooms,a great breakfast plus a beautiful view on the terrace for your evening drink..plus easy parking.www.jazbecbec.si I think maybe 70 Euro double. We would stay there again. We also had dinner there,very good.

uaz04

About the vignette, it is not cheap but there is no alternative. Do ask at the rental agency, however, as the vignettes are affixed to the car and you might rent one that has already paid.

My own pics can be seen, somewhat randomly, at www.flickr.com/uaz04 . When I have friends or guests visit, we do a tour that would include both coast and inland. Istria's real strong points, in my opinion, are its physical or visual beauty, food and wine, warmth of its people, healthy environment and the feeling of peace one has there. I ordered these things from a visitor's perspective,remembering my own when I first went there. Most of what is best in Istria is to be experienced in two places equally - the coast as well as inland. Even though 'inland', or Istrian hilltop towns, are but a stone's throw from the sea - and sometimes in sight of it as in my village - the environment is quite different, especially with regards to cuisine. Have your seafood at the seaside, and have gnocci con tartufi or fusi con funghi, or peka inland. Many of the best places to eat are 'agrotourismes' - where, by law, everything they serve is grown or produced by their own farm.
Don't order a Coke there, but ask what is best on that given day. This time of year is best for truffles, certain mushrooms, wild game, winter soups, and Istrian soup. Istria soup? You'll love this one - it is not a 'soup'. Istrian cuisine is fresh and healthy, but not very sophisticated or complex. Istrian soup was probably 'invented' in hard times, I'm guessing here, during the Plague years, and is actually heated red wine, olive oil, fresh ground pepper, and with pieces of toast, grilled over a fire, dropped into it. Served always from the traditional Istria pitcher, called a Bukaleta, one eats/drinks it out of a glass and using a spoon for the toast. I know it sounds strange, but it is divine. Istrian potatoes are also among the best in the world, and for me best enjoyed in a dish called 'peka' - which is roasted meat, potatoes, and herbs cooked under the embers of the fire in a large 'peka' ["under a lid"].

I'm getting too hungry to continue on with food, so as for a short list of my favorite places to see - Coastal: You'll already be in Rovinj, which is lovely and where I put my kayak in, but the ampitheatre in Pula is one of the best along with other Roman sights [Dvigrad as well]. I like Porec and its Basilica for a walking tour, and sometimes Novigrad for a peaceful sunset. There is great seafood to be had, but remember there are also a lot of tourists at the coast. My own favorite places for seafood are off the beaten path a bit.
Inland, I love my view from Momjan [not just the sea but the Alps and Dolomites on clear days], and Momjan also has three of the best vinyards within walking distance, and a great local restaurant. As a tour, Groznjan - Zavrisje - Oprtalj - Motovun - Vrh - Sovinjak - Zrenj - Buzet - Hum - Roc...I love this area, and great food is found here. I also love to take people to the small chapel in Beram, for the frescos as well as the local food. My favorite restaurants for inland food are in Momjan [Rino's]and Zrenj [Pietrapelosa and Toncic], but I can name many more that are simple but spectacular.
For an upscale environment, there is Marino's in Kremenje, as well as San Rocco in Brtonigla [maybe Istria's most haute cuisine]. Of course, in the tourist areas, such as Rovinj, there are also very good upscale restaurants.
I happen to like Piran a lot, even though Portoroz is too upscale and too many casinos for my taste. I also like Isola, and I have a favorite restaurant there as well - Sidra.

As far as Piran or Isola looking too much like Rovinj, maybe so...but they do seem much different to me. Which brings up your other question - should you have a day in the J. Alps? It is indeed beautiful. But for me, my most lasting impressions from travel seem to be when I learn something special, maybe subtle insights, about the local cultures and always from the local people. So think about not driving too much and allowing yourselves to fall in love with a particular place [it can happen here], and keep in mind that weather can enhance or ruin your plans - and within your itinerary you could have beach weather or a snowstorm.
I just remembered when you are going to travel, so what I wrote above about fall/winter cuisine is not entirely applicable. I'll leave it there anyway, in case it informs anyone else. In April, and possible into May, it is the season for wild asparagus in northern Istria, as well as other types of mushrooms. If winter lingers into spring and the nights are cold, then do have the Istria soup.

michael

nannibray

Michael - Thank you for the informative blog! I have printed your response and will use it as a reference while in Istria. I am very anxious to visit this part of Croatia.
I viewed your photos - wonderful - thanks much!

huddoshols - Am noting you recommendation for the Julian Alps. I could see some pictures and the home (B&B) looks good. Hope weather permits a trip through the Alps for us.

Thanks to all who have posted and helped!
Nannibray