Recently back from Croatia
 

We returned October 10th and had a wonderful time. Thanks to Deborah, Grasshopper, Mark and the others who offered information and suggestions on this site. I will try my hand at a trip report:

Day 1 Arrived in Split about 1:30 p.m. It took us four plane changes to get there, and I had a huge headache by the time we got to the hotel. We started with "guess we are getting too old for this -- maybe its time to start taking cruises, etc." However, I took two Excedrin Extra Strength, closed my eyes for 30 minutes and was ready to go. We stayed at Hotel Park and loved it. Nice hotel, great location, wonderful breakfast. We walked from the hotel, along the water to the old town. Walked around, taking it all in, stopped for a Croatian beer along the water front. Walked around a little more, and decided to have an early dinner. We wound up having salad, pizza and the worst wine I have ever had. I was having trouble staying awake through dinner, so we walked back to the hotel and called it a night.

Day 2 We had a 1/2 day tour arranged prior to our trip, and the guide was at the hotel at 9 a.m. His name is Boris Vujicic with Dubrovnik Travel, and he was excellent. He took us into places in the Diocletian Palace that we probably would not have found on our own. The tour lasted about 4 hours. After that we took the bus to Trogir. This is about a 30 min. ride each way. It was easy to do and very enjoyable. Glad we went.

Day 3 We took the bus from Split to Dubrovnik. This is a beautiful drive with spectacular views. Arrived in Dubrovnik about 3 p.m., and our transfer, which had been arranged prior to leaving the U.S., was not there. We took a taxi to the Hotel Argentina. This hotel is very impressive. The location is good, the staff was friendly and helpful, the breakfast was fantastic. We had a lovely ocean view from our room. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel. After we got settled, we took a walk into the old town. Just looked around, stopped for a glass of Croatian wine -- It was better than the first glass we had, but not much. We had dinner at the Jadran, which someone on this site recommended. We had the lamb platter for two, which was served with vegetables. It was very good. We were a little shy about the wine by this time, but the waiter recommended their white house wine, and it was one of the better wines we had in Croatia. Good meal and I would recommend this restaurant.

Day 4 Once again we had a private 1/2 day tour which was arranged before we left home. This guide was also excellent and we enjoyed this tour. We spent a little time with her after the tour - had coffee and went to the market with her. On her way home she dropped us off in Lapad. This is a lovely area that seems to be mostly residential with upscale shopping areas, cafes and quite a few hotels. We enjoyed walking around and seeing it, but would not want to stay this far out. We returned to town via the public bus. It was easy to do. As we were leaving our hotel to go into town for dinner, it started raining, so we decided to eat at the hotel. My husband enjoyed his meal (veal) but I was not pleased with mine (tuna). I thought the tuna was seriously overcooked. The dinning room is lovely, and the service excellent.

Day 5 We took an excursion with Atlas Tours, who has a tour desk in the lobby of the hotel, to Medjugorje. This took all day and was interesting. We had a nice dinner at Lokrum on Siroka St. in Dubrovnik. My husband had fish and I had shrimp. Food was very good; wine was OK.

Day 6 We stayed in Dubrovnik all day. We walked the walls and it was very interesting. This is a must do. We had dinner in another restaurant I can't remember. We both had fish. Very good. After dinner there was a concert on the steps of the Church of St. Blaise in Loggia Square. We were able to get a table at an outside cafe and enjoy the music. It was delightful.

Day 7 We took another Atlas Tours all day excursion. This time to Montenegro. This was very interesting and made three stops. If you want to get an idea of what the surrounding areas are like, I would recommend this excursion. We had dinner at Ragusa 2. It was very good. I had a seafood pasta and wish I had gone back the next night to have it again.

Day 8 Last day in Dubrovnik. We took a boat to Cavtat. This was delightful. Cavtat is beautiful and certainly worth a visit. We met a British couple who were staying in Cavtat rather than Dubrovnik. This would not be my choice. Cavtat is lovely, but there is not much to do, and I am glad we stayed in Dubrovnik. We took the bus back to Dubrovnik. Had dinner in an Italian restaurant (can't remember the name). It was good, but I ordered the seafood pasta and thought it was better at Ragusa 2.

Day 9 We flew from Dubrovnik to Zagreb. This was an early flight - 7:30 a.m. and we arrived abt. 8:30 a.m. Our pre-arranged transfer was not there to pick us up. We were low on Kuna and had planned to get more in Zagreb but weren't worried since we had prepaid for the transfer. The ATM machine in the airport would not accept our cards (the only time this happened) and it was a national holiday and the airport bank was closed. We got a taxi and did not have enough Kuna to pay the fare, which was about $50. The cab driver was very nice about it and accepted US dollars. In Zagreb we stayed at the Palace Hotel. It was a big let down after the other two hotels, but it had enough old world charm to make it work, and the location was good and so was the breakfast. We had another pre-arranged tour that afternoon at 4 p.m. This was another great tour with another good guide. We had dinner that evening at a restaurant recommended by the guide. It was very good. If anyone is interested, I can look up the name of the restaurant.

Day 10 Last day. We visited the botanical gardens, which certainly would not be considered in the top botanical gardens. However, everything was nicely labeled and it was a pleasant walk. We visited the Ivan Mestrovic Museum, which was very interesting. We also visited St. Stephen's Cathedral and St. Mark's Church. Zagreb has many, many museums, so you could easily knock yourself out visiting museums. There are also quite a few lovely squares with gardens.

Day 11 Flew home!

It was a wonderful trip and I would love to return someday. If I were doing it over, I would eliminate the two days in Zagreb and spend time in Korcula and Hvar. I regret missing these two, but maybe next time. Our arrangements were made through Paul Laifer Tours, and our agent was Tomi, who is from Croatia. He took care of the airline reservations, hotels, transfers and the tours. We were pleased with his services.

Carroll, Thanks for the great report! Isn't the Argentina a great hotel? I think the view from the veranda at breakfast was worth the cost (not to mention the view from my balcony!) I'm glad you enjoyed the Montenegro excursion. It's a real eye opener. I'll have to take the Medjugorje (now that's a mouthful!) excursion.

Judi, are you reading this? Judi leaves in 2 weeks. :-)

Hi
I just read your report. Enjoyed it very much. We just got back from Croatia also the beginning of October.We stayed in Istria. Went to Porec and Rovinj. Are you American? We didn't come across Americans. Mostly German, Italian and English. We drove from Rovinj to Trogir, outside Split. Took over six hours. We decided to avoid cities while in Trogir and went back to Istria. Did you find the Croatians friendly? We did, when they found out we were Americans, they smiled and said they were glad to see Americans. I don't know about the wine in Split but in Istria, the red wine was wonderful. I'm glad to have read your posting because I want to go back to Split and Dubrovnik. Traveling is hard, we usually sleep most of our first day to help overcome jetlag. I'm 60 yrs old and look forward to other vacations.

Aeiger: Glad you also had a good trip. Yes, we found the people warm and friendly and our guides mentioned that they were anxious for Americans to start coming to Croatia again. They said there have been few since the war. We noticed mostly Germans, British, and Irish visitors. Also, on the day excursion we took to Montenegro, we were on a bus that was 1/2 Russian, about 1/4 English speaking and 1/4 undertermined. There was another bus that followed ours that was 100% German. Hope you visit Dubrovnik when you return; and if you do, go via the bus from Split to enjoy spectacular views.

Wow, so Carroll, when you were on your excursion, you must have had a guide who spoke Russian and English? On my Montenegro tour there was a full bus of English speakers (I think only 2 Americans) and on my Wine tour bus we had English, German and French. We listened to all the commentary three times!

I agree, very few Americans are going to Croatia.... which is a shame. Many people asked me "is it safe?!" Aeiger, I spent a week on the Istrian Pen. (Rovinj, Pula) and then took the ferry to Dubrovnik. I really liked Rovinj, but Dubrovnik blew me away. The view upon arriving by ferry was incredible. You must go back and be sure to see the southern parts!

I've never been to Croatia but I have heard that it is beautiful and all of you here reinforce that.

I have a couple of questions, how expensive is Croatia? Since I often travel alone, would you feel that it is safe for a woman alone? or would it be better to do an organized tour?

We just love Croatia, first went in 1967 and went back many times up until l976 when we emigrated to New Zealand. Finally returned 2 years ago and found people we had known 20/30 years previously, amazing. The people are so friendly, food plentiful and cheap, scenery spectacular. Drove down the entire coast from Slovenia to Dubrovnik, wonderful experience and not at all nerve racking, we found very few English speaking tourists, mostly Germans and Czechs. Went back again a few months ago and pleased to say more English speaking tourists around but didn't meant any Americans. We think the most scenic part is the Makarska Riveria just south of Split, small villages, lots of B & B's. Can't wait to return.

Lyb, I spent two weeks in Croatia in May/June and was alone. I never felt the least bit unsafe. I took buses and ferries. Take day excursions to connect with other travelers. Deborah just traveled to Croatia a few weeks ago on her own too. She had a great time. It is much less expensive than the rest of Europe, but I think it will soon catch up.

I am enjoying the report and comments too! I am planning to sail from Trogir to Dubrovnik next year. I booked a boat from moorings. It was good to hear you had a wonderful trip.

Take care, WT

Hi Carroll,
Posted this in the wrong spot. You can tell I haven't been using Fodors for a while. Anyhow, I really enjoyed your trip report and we're planning a trip to Croatia in April. Is there enough to see that time of year for a month visit?

Granny, I could enjoy Croatia for a month but, of course, that is a very individual thing. There was so much that we did not have time to see (Korcula, Hvar and many other islands, Plitvice Lakes, Sibenik, the castles and on and on). Of course, you could also take the ferry to Italy for a day or two. Yes, a month in Croatia in April would certainly work for me. I'm sure you will enjoy it.

Hi Carroll. Welcome home!! Glad you had a good time and that you thought the Hotel Park was nice. Did you make it to Bacvice Beach while in Split? Next time I go back, I want to enjoy some of the islands and Hvar. Sounds like you had some nice dinners too. How did you like the bus ride up the mountain in Montenegro? Wasn't that an interesting place? I hope to go back sometime soon.

For lyb: I was alone in Croatia and I had no problems at all. It is very safe and the Croatians are lovely people and very helpful. I wouldn't hesitate going back again on my own. If you go in the offseason, it would be a lot more reasonable. Avoid August when all the Italians and Europeans take their vacation.

Yes, we did enjoy Bacvice Beach; Hotel Park was located in that area and it is lovely. The Motenegro ride was quite an experience, and I am so glad we had a very good bus driver. The views were spectacular. Also, to answer the question about safety, I will reiterate what Deborah said. We felt very safe and did not experience any of the "gypsy" type pickpocket people. I think Coratia would be a good location for a woman traveling alone. Let us know if you decide to go.

What are prices like in Croatia? I'm guessing it is much cheaper than most of Western Europe. What was the average price for a room and for a meal?

Does anyone know if the water will be warm enough the end of June? We are planning a sailing trip and I don't want to do it if the water is too cold to swim. Thanks, WT

We were there from the middle of June this year and the water was warm enough to swim

WanderingTexan - here's an article from the Gaurdian about boating in Croatia

http://travel.guardian.co.uk/countri...059510,00.html

Carroll -
I sat at a restaurant having dinner next to St. Blaise during an accapella concert also - just wonderful. Glad to hear a favorable report about Split - next September I'll have to consider staying one night before going back to Hvar.

We went to Croatia in June 2001 and found it absolutely beautiful, safe, and easy to get around by bus and ferry. We never did rent a car. It was very inexpensive - although we stayed in rooms and apartments, not big hotels - never paying more than $30 a night (except in Zagreb), and often less. We're in our fifties, by the way. Yes, there's enough for a month there - go inland and see the Plitvice Lakes area, and the many islands, plus the northern part, which we didn't visit. And you could also go to Slovenia, which I've heard is beautiful. Its amazing how many people ask, is it safe? They're thinking of the war, which is long over. Finally, we also saw few Americans in June, and we liked that. It's a little hard to understand why Americans don't go there except for lack of knowledge of the area and misconception about safety. Glad you had a a great trip, Carroll. I haven't been visiting this site for a while or would have given you some ideas too.

Thank you for the info Francis. Marktynernyc, thanks for article. I am going to check it out right now!
WT

Croatia is one of those places that's long been on my wish list and I really hope to make it there in the next year or two...

Many thanks for your report which has excited me about the idea again.

I bookmarked the website for the Argentina (which I found after reading your description).

PS Hope you got reimbursed for the prearranged transfers that never turned up - though it's not just an issue of money but also convenience/ expectations. Did you find out what went wrong there?