Where to stay in Croatia
 

Hi there.
I was looking some guidance. I am planning a holiday for 4 adults in September to Croatia for 2 weeks. We usually like to rent a villa in 2 different areas so we can see as much of the country as possible. We tend to hire a car and have in the past picked up and dropped off at different airports so that we can travel through the region. We like quiet, relaxing vacations with beautiful scenery and prefer to have at least one of the villas close to the sea. We love to live among the locals for at least part of our holiday and do not like to stay in busy touristy places. We like to visit the cities or more popular areas as part of a day trip.
I have read a lot about Croatia and every region sounds perfect to me. So I would really appreciate if you could give me some of your views. I know everyone has personal choices but based on what we generally look for in a holiday as outlined above I would welcome some ideas from those of you who have visited or perhaps even live there.
Really looking forward to your responses thank you.

It really just depends on where you can fly in and out of--you can throw a dart and find what you are looking for. It is hard to go wrong. It really just depends on if you do actually want to be close to the most popular (for a reason) towns.
Will this be early September or late September? Early September can still be beach weather, but in late September I would focus on the mainland.
It sounds like you would definitely like Istria.

Dificult to answer.
On the one hand we have the coastal stretch between Umago (close to the Italian border) and Gruda (close to the Montenegrinian border) with it's 1000 scenic Islands, a very touristy area, marked by about half a millenium of common History with Venice;
on the other hand we find the Slavonian plains along the Drava river, absolutely untouristy and marked by a long common History with Hungary.
(and between them Bosnia- Hercegovina which belonged to Turkey until the 19th century).
Neither in the one nor in the other area, only 1 base would allow you to "see as much of the country as possible".

In only 2 weeks, I wouldn't visit all the areas of the country. In September, I would choose Southern Dalmacia, because of the climate (a bit warmer, less rain).

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
I have been looking at flights and around the first week in September is looking good.
I had thought of Istria and northern Dalmatia but would like temperatures to be in the mid 20s. Do you think it would be cooler than that or wet there at this time of year?

I do think you'll like Croatia given your preferences.

I looked at www.weatherbase.com for average temps in that part of Croatia. Highs are about 23, lows 17, not much rain. Will that work for you?

I would be fine with that but I think our friends would prefer it a little warmer. I will talk to them.I just like it warm and dry. Is there any particular part of Istria or N. Dalmatia anyone would recommend to stay ie inland or coastal?

Still impossible to answer, but for warmer weather I would concentrate on the south. How much driving do you want to do each day? You have to identify the places you want to see in order to select a base.

I think your conclusion that "every region sounds perfect" is right on target!

I must admit that I don't like day-trips that take more than an hour or so each way, and so I did not think that Croatia lent itself well to a "base" location strategy. (Istria may be an exception.) So I think it depends on your definition of what constitutes a reasonable day-trip and what YOU most want to see and experience. You might want to pull out a map and plot out some times to help you decide what works for you.

Enjoy!

we were in Dubrovnik and Zagreb in September/October and it was lovely sunny weather-lots of swimming at Dubrovnik.

We based in Rovinj and did daytrips to Istrian hilltowns and Pula. Anywhere on Croatia I'd rather stay on the beautiful coast. Rovinj is big enough and has enough restaurants for a base.

Southern Dalmacia is a bit warmer and a bit drier.
For really warm and dry weather in September, one has to go to the Eastern Mediterranean.

Thanks everyone. I think at present I am swayed by the warmer weather in the south and we will plan a visit to Istria again perhaps early summer as I really do want to go there. Mimar I will be looking for your advice then as I had thought of Rovinj as a base and had read quite a bit about it!
Anyway for now I am going to look at villas in the region of Trogir. From here we can visit Plitvice Np, Krka Np,Split and Zadar, and possibly Hvar.
For a second week I am planning on somewhere outside Dubrovnik as a base to see the city, Korcula and Montenegro although I have no specific area in mind as yet for here.
Any further suggestions would be greatly appreciated as this all still very much in the planning stages. When we have a more concrete schedule we will book flights villas etc. so all contributions would be warmly received.

Mostar is a very interesting trip not to far from Split or Dubrovnik, but I think it is much better with an overnight stop than as a day trip from either. Maybe you could do it in between your two rentals.

Good idea. I had read other reviews of Mostar but wasn't quiet sure if we could do it justice as a day trip. I might try to extend our trip by a few extra days so we could stop off on our journey between rentals. This would give us much more flexibility and time to enjoy places.

I must admit that the Plitvice Lakes are far enough from Trogir that I'm not sure a day trip makes sense -- it would be close to 3 hours each way, I think! But if that works for you, go for it! I have to admit that I thought the Plitvice Lakes the single most stunning thing in all of Croatia, so it is worth fitting in if at all possible. When planning that day, keep in mind that part of what makes these lakes so spectacular is that each is a different color because they have unique microbiota. To see that, you have to get some distance into the park and do it as a SINGLE loop of 6 hours or more so you can get well into the park. Of course, it that's not possible, you can do shorter walks there and see some wonderful things.

I agree with Vttraveler -- Mostar is especially nice after day-trippers leave.

Sibenik is another place you might consider visiting from Trogir.

Thankyou kja I didn't realise Plitvice was as far as that from Trogir maybe I should look at somewhere that would be a little closer for a base as I really want to go there. Any suggestions? What about Zadar?(Bearing in mind the other areas I would like to try to see). We don't mind a long journey to our second villa.

Until you make a list and map it all out, you are literally throwing darts. How about assign each member of your group one area to plan a stay around (Istria/Zadar area/Split area/Dubrovnik area)? Then vote on everyone's two favorites.
I like staying in one place, but distances in Croatia are often such than you need to move around more than you might otherwise wish to--that is, if you want to sight see. If you want to just chill, then just about anywhere will do.

I think staying overnight in Plitvice is the best way to see the lakes -- JMO.

For travel times / distances, consult viamichelin.com

Yes. I'm going to have a chat with our friends and see what our priorities are and as I said earlier see if we can squeeze in a few extra days so we can maybe stopover as we travel to and from our villas. But thanks to everyone for their input so far as I have never used a forum before this has been really helpful.

You might find this resources helpful: http://croatia.hr/en-GB/Homepage

Probably you would like some of the Croatian islands like Rab. Croatian islands are not as inaccessible as some imagine (a car-ferry from land to Island Rab for example takes 20 minutes/ca.20 Eur), and outside the town of Rab, there are not very densely-populated regions with great sandy beaches, promenades, restaurants. Going to Plitvice Lakes, North Dalmatian towns (Zadar, Sibenik) is also not hard as they are relatively close (few hours drive).

Interesting! Getting to Rab Town was NOT very easy when I went (2009) -- maybe it has become more assessible since. It IS worth seeing IMO. :-)

Hi :)
It mostly depends on the means of transport and travel route. Did you go by car? Since July 2012 the car-ferry port on land has been changed from "Jablanac" to another location in "Stinica", which is now more convenient and the lines are not so long as I remember them being. Actually there is no single line but cars are parked on a large multiline lot until ferry arrives so you don't have to be anymore in the dreadful slow moving queue on the summer heat. Ferries also are more frequent now so they run about every 40 minutes in the season. Less frequently out of season. Glad you like the island once you got there though :)
Cheers

Oh, that sounds MUCH better than when I was there, Marinero! Yes, I went by car through Jablanac. Fortunately, it wasn't too hot on either of the days I waited -- and waited, and waited! -- in those LONG lines. And yes, I thoroughly enjoyed Rab and thought it well worth every one of those moments. :-)

Hello. You might think about flying into Zagreb. You could stay in Zagreb one or two nights to see the capital city. The pick up a car and drive to Plitvice (which you should not miss). One night there and then finally head to your base on the coast...possibly Trogir as it gives you easy access to Split and Sibenik, but still removed from the bigger cities. After several days there, I would drive to the Dubrovnik area. My preference is to stay in Cavtat. It has "water taxi" access to Dubrovnik without the hassle of a car there. From Cavtat, you can explore the surrounding Kanavle region which is touting its agri-tourismo locations, the Peljasac region for wine and a day trip to Mostar is possible. It's a long day (about 3 hours each way) but it is doable. When you are ready to go home, Cavtat is very near to the Dubrovnik airport. Some more ideas for you. Have a great time!!!

Hello,
Trogir is certainly beautiful, although you may find more villa options in Primosten or Sibenik (Primosten is about 30 min by car from Trogir). From Primosten/Sibenik you can do easy day trips to Split (1hr) Zadar (1hr 15 min)and the beautiful waterfalls/lake of Krka National Park (less than an hour). We were in this area last May and are returning this May after spending 3 days in Dubrovnik and 5 days in Komarna. The area is beautiful, with lots of historic sites, numerous restaurants and cafes and small pebbly beaches. The people are incredibly friendly, and costs are very reasonable. We enjoy similar tastes (assimilate with the locals, visit rather than stay in the more popular/tourist areas, and explore by day trips via rental car) The scenery of this area is beautiful with lots of sea options for villas/apartments. We are returning to a beautiful apartment directly on the water in Sparadici (between Primosten and Sibenik. Enjoy your holiday!
Mike

Thanks Pasjakanac for your suggestion but Zagreb is the only airport that doesn't have a direct flight for us. I do like the idea of Cavtat and use the water taxi to access Dubrovnik but then again everyone's suggestions sound good and there is too much choice!! I am getting so much useful information on this forum.
Mike thanks for your input I will look at property in Sibonik And Primosten. Have you found that there are more apartments than villas in Croatia for rent? I am finding there seems to be a greater selection of apartments on offer but we do prefer our own space.
Anyhow I am making progress as I have definitely decided on central and southern Croatia for this trip and keep the northern region for a second vacation.
I will concentrate on looking at properties next in the suggested areas in these regions and if anyone has any ideas on villas I would really welcome them.