nancymorya

Dubrovnik, one of Croatia’s most breathtaking cities, is located just southwest of Sarajevo. Banje, Dubrovnik‘s public beach, is the home of East West Beach Club. There are beautiful churches, like St. Blaine, the patron saint of Dubrovnik.

hdogan

*Just* southwest? It's about 4 hours' drive over local roads in not-so-good condition... It may be close on a map, but...

linglingfool

Post just seemed strange. Generally, one does not enthusiastically explain where a country is to others he is urgently seeking advice from and presumably have been there, and it seems odd that he is still hesitant after so many of his friends recommended it.

(Unless, of course, he works for a Croatian tourism board and wants to have everyone's enthusiastic replies pop up on a "should I travel to Croatia" web search.)

Kettering Northants QC

Language in the OPs post is also a bit clunky and seems like it may have gone through an auto translator not what I would spect from someone named James Walker, then again they could just have autocorrect activated on their IPad

hdogan

No, noone from the Tourist Board would ever place Croatia on the Balkans, or Eastern Europe We're kind of sensitive to that

dhammer53

Here's our itn:

Dubrovnik 3 days and 3 nights.

Ferry to Korcula for 2 days and 2 nights
Ferry from Korcula to Hvar for 2 and 2.
Ferry from Hvar to Split for 3 and 3.

Fly from Split to Zagreb ($70 USD).
Depart to US.

The above looks simple, but the planning process to get to this points was . I certainly had to work at this vacation. The ferry schedules are a killer to figure out. The are several different lines providing service. This isn't like the Staten Island ferry in NY that offers frequent service. I'm talking about 2 boats a week in some instances. I had to figure out our schedule, then re-figure it. In some cases I could have taken a car ie DUB/SPU (Split), but that would have meant backtracking. As it stands now, we're always headed in a northerly direction. FYI, the boat between DUB and KOR can take 2.5 - 4 hours, depending on the ferry line, and day you pick. Oye.

I'm happy with the plan. I'll get back to you post 4 July with the trial and errors.

dh

mad_atta

Hi dhammer53, I'm hoping I can benefit from your exhaustive work on researching ferry scheules I assumed there would be many ferries between Split and Hvar - is that not the case? Any particular resource you would recommend in researching this?

Thanks!

dhammer53

http://www.croatiaferries.com/forum/

http://www.croatiatraveller.com/Tran...sinCroatia.htm

http://www.croatiaferries.com/ferry-prices/

The good news is that this run has good/frequent service. All you have to decide is which city on the island you want to visit.

Stari Grad and Hvar(town) are the 2 most popular.

dh

mad_atta

Thanks, very much appreciated. ^

Hope you enjoy Croatia. How soon will you be there?

dhammer53

When we flew into DUB, you're immediately taken with its beauty. The US$6.00 bus ride from the airport is pretty spectacular too.

dhammer53

We loved Croatia. For an off the radar screen place, it's coming up fast.

Here's our itn:

We flew into Dubrovnik, then took the airport shuttle to Old Town. Super easy. We spent 3 days and 3 nights visiting. We managed to fit in a day trip to Montenegro. In retrospect, it wasn't necessary. From Dubrovnik, we took the ferry (you can take the bus too) to Korcula, where we spent 2 days and 2 nights. If Hawaii has Kauai (where Hawaiians go on vacation), Korcula must be the same. A small laid back and relaxed island. You can stroll around the Old Town wall in 20 - 25 minutes. It's much smaller than Dubrovnik.

From Korcula, we took the ferry to Hvar, where we spent 2 days and 2 nights. Somewhere along the line, I made the wise decision to relax and smell the roses. We could have done an overnight just to see each island, but it would have been a mistake. Funny thing is that Korcula and Hvar might have deserved a third night! There's more to do than meets the eye, but you have to get there to figure that out. We also went to the BIER Winery and tasted G R K. It's a grape. The USD $3.50 tasting fee was waved since we purchased 2 of these bottles + a sweetie. We popped one of the G R K wines, along with fresh bread and cheese on our terrace. The winery is located in Lumbarda, on Korcula Island. Take a taxi 100kn or ~$19 USD from Korcula town to the winery, then walk 15 minutes to the 'beach' area. If you go, you'll pass a restaurant that sits waterside called More. There is a bus shuttle back to town. I think the last one leaves at 1900. Otherwise, take a taxi.

If Korcula is the place to relax, as one ferry mate said, Hvar is the place to see and be seen. Plenty of yachts as you arrive. If you're single and 30 something, Hvar is the place to see and be seen. Now I'm no beach goer (waste of time), we spent the best part of a day just hanging out at a very low key beach with few people to keep us company. We took a water taxi for 60KN roundtrip (~USD $10.75 or Euro 7.91) to Pakleni Islands, from 'downtown' Hvar. There are restaurants there to keep you filled up ( food and drinks). Make the time to go. FYI, lots of boats offering 1 hour tours of the islands. We opted to stay at the beach all day for half the cost.

If you look at a map, we were headed north. Dubrovnik, Korcula, Hvar, and then a ferry to Split (civilization). We spent 3 days and 3 nights at the Le Meridien (Starwood). It's out of the hustle and bustle of the city, but they offer a shuttle bus that you have to pay for. Great property. If you have status, expect a room overlooking the sea and the yachts that are parked at the pier.

We did a full day trip to Plitvice National Park from Split. Oh my!!

We flew home from Split. Our trip was 12 days, and do I wish we had another week to see the Istria region and Slovenia (mentioned above).

I posted photos on Facebook, and I never got such an emotional response from FB friends. They're all planning a trip to Croatia. It's so beautiful, and the people are friendly. They also speak English, unlike other European countries where you may get a hard time.

Have a question... ask away.

Dan

stimpy

Thanks Dan. I'm thinking of popping over there next month. May I ask where you stayed in Korcula and Hvar? Hotel, apartment? AirBnb?

GUWonder

I liked the Croatian island of Lopud. Easily reached from Dubrovnik and one of the better sand beaches around Croatia. It's sort of sleepy too, if that is what you seek. Cavtat was sort of charming too.

hdogan

+1 for Lopud

dhammer53

We used the Rick Steves Guidebook in Hvar old town and really scored for 70 euro. The room was more like a extra large 1 bedroom suite. The bathroom was 4*. They'll meet you at the ferry dock. From there it's a 5 minute walk to the apartment. www.hvar-apartments-center.com [email protected]

We had a choice of 3 apartments, and took the one on the 2nd floor (US second floor). The other choices were street level, and all the way upstairs. All have an outdoor deck to have evening wine and cheese.

On Korcula we used AirBnb. Call Edita Pecotic
+385 99 686 3717

Her place is a 5 minute walk away from the ferry, where she'll meet you. A very nice apartment with shower in the heart of Old Town. Korcula is a small Island. I would imagine it's where Croatians go on vacation vs the very cool/happening/see and be seen Hvar. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/70783?e...e-699104f62ed0
You can read my review. If I recall, the price was ~USD$68 in June. Probably more in peak season.

dh