Croatian Dream coast

2008-07-18T06:08:00.001-07:00

Luxury Five-Star Hotels in Dubrovnik

Hotel Grand Villa Argentina read illustrated review Location:Ploce Four luxury villas plus a hotel and the full monty of fitness plus indoor and outdoor pools. The villas offer an unbeatable level of privacy for honeymooners.
Hotel Excelsior read illustrated review Location: Ploce With a casino and a renowned restaurant and a wellness centre, the Excelsior is a palace of pampering. It also has the best view of the Old Town from the hotel seafront terrace.
The Pucic Palace read illustrated review Location: Old Town In a traditional baroque building overlooking Dubrovnik's most beautiful square is this ultra swanky boutique hotel. The interior leans toward cutting edge contemporary design and one fabulous rooms has a view over Gundulic square.
Hotel Hilton Imperial read illustrated review Location: outside Old Town Visitors report kind, attentive service in this brilliant restoration of the 19th-century Hotel Imperial. Although there's no beach nearby, the indoor pool more than compensates and you're only 100m from Dubrovnik's historic center.
Hotel Dubrovnik Palace read illustrated review Location: Lapad In 2007, this deluxe resort won the prestigious World Travel Award (the Oscar of hotels) for the best spa resort hotel in Croatia.
Hotel Bellevue Location: Lapad Not only are there incredible views from every room but it's on the very edge of Lapad and a short walk to the Old Town.
Hotel More Location: Babin Kuk Brand-new and beautifully constructed, this classy hotel has 33 luxurious rooms and two suites, most of which have sweeping sea views.
Hotel Kazbek Location: Lapad The very latest addition to Dubrovnik's hotel scene, this extends the concept of "boutique hotel" to a new level. The 13 rooms are in a 16th-century castle.
Hotel Rixos Libertas Location: Lapad The revnovation seemed endless but now this 254-room establishment has finally opened and it is amazing. How would you like your own private terrace overlooking the Adriatic?

2008-07-18T04:27:00.001-07:00

Scuba Diving
in Croatia

Croatia’s Adriatic Sea is not only an attractive nautical destination, but it also draws many lovers of the underwater world. The clarity of its turquoise waters, the beauty of its depths, the variety of marine life and the fascinating shipwrecks hidden at the bottom of the sea, are all part of its appeal.

There are numerous diving centres and clubs along the coast of Croatia. They cater for the inexperienced diver as much as for the experienced and offer courses which are both accessible and affordable. They also hire equipment and offer excursions that are within easy reach. Check out our latest offer of Adriatic scuba diving cruises in Croatia in the cruiser BELUGA, for cave & wreck diving, plus courses.

For your safety and for the reputation of the industry, diving centres are strictly controlled by the Ministry for Maritime Affairs With a sea so beautiful as the Adriatic, it’s no surprise that a lot of the diving clubs have been around for decades and so are very knowledgeable of their areas, knowing the best and most interesting places to dive - and the safest.

Shipwrecks are relatively common on the Adriatic seabed and most, like the German U boat off the Istrian coast in the picture, date from the Second World War. Wrecks from antiquity are known but their whereabouts are usually kept secret and to discover new ones is quite rare - but you never know!

The Greek amphora shown in the picture were discovered recently at Jakirusa on the Makarska Riviera. It is important to report finds like this to the authorities (like the police) straight away so they can protect the site from pillagers. It is actually a criminal offence to remove objects of antiquity from the sea. If you can’t take the objects you find how nice it would be though to be the discoverer of them.

Owing to the unusual geology of the area, called karst, underwater caves are very common and some actually have rivers coming out of them. Some clubs include cave dives in their excursions although the deepest caves, some going down over 100 m, are reserved for only the very experienced divers. Diving in Croatia need not be so adventurous, nearly everywhere on the coast provides excellent diving with a minimum of risk.

2008-07-18T04:13:00.000-07:00

Cruises along the Croatian Coast

including Dubrovnik,

Split, and Korcula

We offer several cruise options on the Croatian Coast and beyond:

For a cruise on a smaller ship able to call into the smaller ports see:
Croatian Coast and Adriatic Cruise
An 8-day cruise on MS Arion from Koper in Slovenia along the Dalmatian coast to the Croatia gems of Dubrovnik and Split, to Korcula, Zadar, Ploce, Zadar and to Kotor in Montenegro - weekly departures in April, May, June, early July, September.

Read what one of our customers wrote about the 2006 cruise

For cruises on larger ships from the major cruise lines, please see our Cruises Online website

The following places may be visited - please see detailed cruise itineraries

Zadar has fascinating historical sites and a remarkable collection of church art.

Split developed around the Roman Emperor Diocletian's Palace. A typical Mediterranean city, Split has a variety of attractions.

Medieval Korcula, one of Croatia's thousand islands and birthplace of Marco Polo, has rich architecture, natural beauty, and a relaxed pace of life.

Dubrovnik is 'the 'pearl of the Adriatic'. Enter the Pile Gate and walk the intricate web of streets and squares, down the Stradon and around the stone city walls.

From Ploce there is an optional excursion to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzogovina to see the famous 'Old Bridge' rebuilt after the recent war damage

Croatian Coast Alternatives

We have developed a range of 'gulet' type cruises on smaller vessels from various ports on the Croatian Coast

See Gulet Cruises

2008-07-18T04:00:00.001-07:00

Croatia's Sparkling Dalmatian Coast
Adriatic Waters, Forested Islands, and Medieval Villages

We quickened our pace as twilight descended, hurrying along the coastal pathway for our first views of the fabled town. Around a bend the panorama expanded; we gasped; slowed our pace; and then stopped frozen, taking in the scene. Hvar stood like a medieval maiden crowned with its castle-fort alit, its walls trailing like locks of hair down to the 13th-century town. Scores of fishing boats bobbed in the harbor as families and couples strolled along its marble promenade.

St. Stepjan's four-story bell tower beckoned us toward the central town square rimmed with cafes. Here local children excitedly scrambled in a pickup soccer game. We walked through the ancient town wall gate and got lost in the maze of cobbled alleyways that climbed up towards the castle. Three- and four-story stone houses and palaces towered above, many with inviting first floor shops or restaurants. Each lane brought new architectural surprises: sculptured porticos, ancient wooden doors, and bridges spanning the alleyways. We had entered a time warp to the middle ages.

Evening lights, Hvar town and harbor

Later that evening as we dined on tasty Mediterranean dishes at a harborside terrace restaurant, we agreed that the island town of Hvar had become our favorite among an incredible array of Dalmatian Coast discoveries. Images from two weeks of exploration filled our minds: crystalline-blue Adriatic waters, forested islands and rugged coastline, red-tiled towns and villages, and friendly Croatians.

Join us for a quick review of the highlights — "the Mediterranean, as it once was."

Sailing and Ferrying — Definitely Not the Adriatic Blues

Since we had only two weeks to get to know Croatia’s 200-mile long Dalmatian Coast, we focused on the southern half from medieval Dubrovnik north to ancient Split, a stretch particularly noted for warm waters, consistent sailing winds, and scores of beautifully wooded islands. Thanks to the invitation of some friends we started our explorations by sailing for a week aboard a chartered sloop from Dubrovnik. Sailing offered the opportunity to experience the beauty of the Adriatic Sea up close, including otherwise inaccessible island coves and villages. For our second week my wife and I took advantage of the convenient ferryboats that connect Dubrovnik to Split and the major islands, enabling an interesting itinerary of sites steeped in the region’s history. The sail/ferry combination proved to be an ideal mix.

Map of Croatia's Southern Dalmatian Coast (courtesy: Croatia-Infonet)

Maestral? Bora? Scirocco? We didn’t understand the terms until we experienced these sailing phenomena firsthand. The Adriatic’s maestral northwest thermal winds blew most summer afternoons; at 12-18 knots they provided ideal sailing. Although generally rare in summer, we experienced two days of sailing gusty northeast bora winds raging down from Croatia’s mountaintops. While light southern scirocco winds are also infrequent in late summer, we experienced these Saharan winds on our last day back to Dubrovnik, causing us to forego sailing and to motor into our destination. Ah well -- we weren’t going to complain about great sailing for five of our six days at sea.

Chartered sloop quayside at Slano

At the helm, upwind sailing

The week’s sailing was accompanied by anchorages in beautiful fishing village coves, each with one or more great restaurants: Slano and Kobas on the mainland, Lopud Island’s village of Lopud, Mljet Island’s harbors of Okuklja and Polace, and Korcula Island’s harbor town of Lumbarda. After a day’s sail we’d hike and sightsee or swim and lounge. A major highlight on Mljet Island was a trip by shuttle from Polace harbor to scenic Mljet National Park for a mountain bike tour around its salt-water lake, Veliko Jezero, with its tidal flow Soline Canal and a 12th-century Benedictine monastery islet.

Lopud's castle-fort

Kobas resident shows off lobster catch

Another of the week’s highlights was a side trip from Lumbarda by taxi to medieval Korcula. The walled and towered pedestrian village dating to the 1400s encompassed a small hilly north-facing peninsula with both western and eastern harbors. The crowning attraction was St. Mark’s Cathedral at the central square. A network of twenty crosshatched alleys emanated outward from the single street that divided the village. One of our best meals was enjoyed at a terrace restaurant just inside the village’s southern gate tower where we had the good fortune of being serenaded by a local girls singing chorus.

Walled village of Korcula

As for ferrying, what could be better than a comfortable 250-foot four-decker boat cutting through the Adriatic at 20 knots with lounges, salons, and outdoor terraces? Ferries connect Dubrovnik and Split to all of the nearby major islands, including the four largest: Brac, Hvar, Korcula, and Mljet. Peppered with historic villages, harbor coves, forests, olive groves and vineyards, this quartet ranks with the Mediterranean’s most attractive isles. We ferried from Dubrovnik to Hvar Island where we stayed at a small hotel on serene Podstine Cove neighboring to Hvar Town, our Dalmatian favorite. Another ferry trip took us north to alluring Split on the mainland.

Dubrovnik

There couldn’t have been a better place to start our explorations of Dalmatia than the walled town that’s been coined the Adriatic’s "Crown Jewel." We entered Dubrovnik through Pile Gate and were bowled over by the wide marbled pedestrian boulevard, Placa, and the spouting 15th-century Onofrio Fountain. The remarkable Pieta sculpture above the nearby Franciscan monastery invited us to explore further into the complex to find its cloister and pharmacy dating from the 1300s. The far eastern end of the boulevard expanded into Luza square bordered by entrancing Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque structures such as the clock tower, Sponza Palace, St. Blaise’s Church, the Rector’s Palace, and Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin.

Dubrovnik's walls roofs, and harbor

When we hiked a circumnavigation of the town’s incredible walls Dubrovnik’s beauty and significance really struck home. There was no overlooking the warring history when we were atop the huge walls measuring up to 60 feet thick and 80 feet high. First built in the 1200s as protection against the Venetians and other marauders, the walls and towers were enhanced in the 1400s against the Turks and again in the 1600s against the Austro-Hungarians. The circumnavigation provided unforgettably impressive views of the bordering Adriatic Sea and the town’s tiled roofs and boat-packed harbor.

The Heart of Dalmatia — Split, Solona, Trogir

Peristyle entrance court, Diocletian's Palace, Split

Split, the second largest city in Croatia, boasted a beautiful palm-lined harbor and a treasured old town dating back to Roman times. The emperor Diocletian built a huge retirement palace here around 300 AD. The Roman walls, imperial quarters, and mausoleum survived to this day, intermingled with medieval homes, alleyways, and churches juxtaposed with the original Roman structures. It’s no wonder that UNESCO has named the palace a World Heritage Site. We most admired the Peristyle’s marbled Roman imperial entrance court and its bordering 12th-century St. Dominus Cathedral built with Romanesque columns, altars, and sculptures within the octagonal structure of Diocletian’s mausoleum.

Other sites near Split equally warranted exploration. We stayed for several day just outside the medieval walled village of Trogir, 20 kilometers from Split, and spent relaxing days wandering its narrow streets, enjoying its cafes, and making side trips to nearby Split and the huge Roman ruins of Solona.

While Dubrovnik made for a perfect start to our Dalmatian sojourn, Split and area made for a perfect ending. We won’t wait long before returning to Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast — “the Mediterranean as it once was.”

2008-07-18T03:40:00.002-07:00

Valamar Hotel & Resort

I don’t know about you but I rely a lot more on pictures than I do on prose when choosing a hotel. One person’s “modern” is another person”s “bland”. The hotel I find quaint you might find old-fashioned. Maybe because of the internet, I would find it nearly unthinkable to book a hotel now without examining a series of pictures.

But even pictures can lie, as anyone skilled in Photoshop knows. Videos are the latest thing and, on that score, Valamar hotels is leading the way. Croatia’s largest hotel chain Valamar Hotel & Resorts now has videos on its website of all 38 hotels, apartment villages and campsites. It’s a great idea and well-executed. Each video runs about two minutes and covers everything from check-in at the hotel reception to drinks at the bar, meals in the restaurant, available activities and, of course, the rooms. It’s amazing how much hotel atmosphere can be conveyed in a short video.

Take Porec, for example, known for its UNESCO-protected Euphrasian Basilica. Valamar Hotels and Resorts runs nine hotels and six apartment villages and in and around town apart from the all-inclusive Valamar Club Tamaris for active families. If you need to know the difference between staying at the four-star Valamar Diamant and the three-star Valamar Luna Active Resort, a few minutes watching the hotel videos will make it all clear.

Leaving Porec and travelling down the Croatian coast there are Valamar hotels in Rabac, Krk Island and, finally four hotels in Dubrovnik. The Argosy and Tirena are good-value three-star hotels; the Dubrovnik President is a splendid four-star establishment and the Valamar Club Dubrovnik is there for active families. Which to choose? Start with the videos at www.valamar.com

Valamar Club Tamaris

Hotel Dubrovnik President

2008-07-18T03:40:00.001-07:00

Jadrolinija Ferries

Every trip to Croatia I learn something new and, I hope, useful to others. I’ve always known that Jadrolinija ups their prices for the June to September ferries but it never really hit home because I usually travel to Croatia off-season.

Naturally I expected to pay a healthy price to cross the Adriatic (from Ancona to Zadar) and to take the overnight coastal ferry–the Marco Polo– from Korcula to Rijeka. I took an inside cabin with private facilities for both legs and was extremely comfortable. I highly recommend taking a cabin on the coastal ferry even if your journey is only during the day; the lounge areas and lobby of the Marco Polo can be quite noisy and it’s hard to find a place to stretch out. Cabin passengers have their own little lounge area. Nice!

Getting back to prices, I discovered that taking a car onto a ferry to the islands is so expensive that it can be a much better deal to rent a car for a day while you’re on the island. The only time it makes economic sense to ferry out your car is if you’re staying a few days. But if you do need to rent a car upon arrival, make sure it’s not a Sunday when many local travel agencies that rent cars are closed.

2008-07-18T02:49:00.001-07:00

Croatia’s Islands: More on the way?

You’d think that with 1185 islands, Croatia would have enough. Well no. It turns out that subtle subterranean shifts are slowly–very, very slowly–producing more Adriatic islands. It’s all about plates. Tectonic plates. According to an article in the New Scientist, geologists have found that the Eurasian and African plates are creeping ever closer together. As the Adriatic sea sits atop the African plate, its seabed is getting squeezed which will cause new islands to pop up. But not that soon. If all proceeds as expected, Italy will edge ever closer to Croatia and in about 50 to 70 million years all of the islands will get smushed together in one landmass. No more Adriatic sea! No more sailing the Croatian islands! This would be very bad for tourism. And what would the new landmass be called? Croitalia? Italy and Croatia have a long and frazzled history squabbling over the Adriatic coast. Their most recent quarrel is over Croatia’s implementation of a protected fishing zone to keep out Italian fishing boats. One can only imagine the fireworks when there’s a whole new landmass to claim. At least there’s a long time to think it over. See more about Croatian islands.

2008-07-18T02:48:00.001-07:00

Valamar Dubrovnik President

To me, one of the ultimate hotel luxuries is being able to fall asleep to the sound of waves on the shoreline. Air-conditioning is nice of course, but if I can leave the windows open and get a refreshing breeze while the sea’s rhythm lulls me to sleep, I’m in heaven. And I was in heaven at the four-star Dubrovnik President Hotel.

This venerable hotel was completely and totally overhauled from 2005 to 2006. The spacious rooms cleverly employ subdued whites and gentle pastels to create a halo of soft light. The decor is contemporary without being overdesigned. (You don’t need a manual to turn on the lights). Even better are the immense terraces that stretch out from each room to the sea which leave you with the feeling that you’re alone with the sea and the sky.

Unfortunately I was too busy to get toned up in the new Wellness Centre, but I did have time for a swim. The Dubrovnik President is known for having the best hotel beach in Dubrovnik. As it’s a private beach, it’s never too crowded plus it’s standards of cleanliness have merited Blue Flag recognition.

The Dubrovnik President is in the Babin Kuk part of Dubrovnik which means that you’re out of the tourist frenzy that swirls around Dubrovnik’s Old Town. A shuttle bus whisks you into town in no time and at the end of a hectic day, it’s nice to relax amid the comfort and elegance that comes with a four-star hotel. I particularly appreciated the live music in the hotel’s aperitif bar. I happened upon “Jazz Night” and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the group. And then, back in my room, it was just me, the moon and the waves.

2008-07-18T02:44:00.000-07:00

Hvar Adventure Tours

This week’s Telegraph, had a magnificent spread on travel to Croatia with sections devoted to where to stay, activites, and holiday planning. After wading through all the pages, I can say that their listings were certainly comprehensive; every single tour operator in the UK with a Croatia program this year appears to have been mentioned.

Missing was any mention of small, local operators that offer specialized knowledge at a reasonable price. Hvar Adventure is one of the more intriguing of the local agencies. The young group– Dean, Riccardo, Veselka, Damir and Josko–is based on Hvar Island and have eons of experience in hiking, trekking and sailing. From guided treks across Hvar’s lavender-scented interior to romantic sunset cruises, Hvar Adventure can help you experience the real Hvar Island, away from the well-beaten tourist track. Here’s a sampling of their 2008 program:

one week sailing school
two days, one day, half-day or sunset sailing cruises
Sea kayaking excursions from a half-day to a week
Hikes from one-day to a week
evening wine-tasting tour
a multi-activity week
a five-day short break with sailing, kayaking and hiking

2008-07-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

Krka Waterfalls National Park

Dalmatia’s answer to the splendid Plitvice Lakes National Park, the impressive network of lakes, rivers and falls of Krka National Park are easily accessible from the coastal cities of Zadar, Sibenik and Split. What’s not so easy is arranging a visit that takes you all through the park, as I found out.

Despite repeated requests to the Krka National Park office, I was unable to get a schedule of the boats that allow you to see the entire park. It’s complicated. There are hourly boats to Skradinski Buk from the park’s entry point at Skradin. But I wanted to go further! I wanted to go up the river to Roski Slap and the Franciscan Monastery on Visovac Island. No dice. There were only two other boats that day: one to Roski Slam at noon and one to Visovac Island at 4pm. Both left from Skradinski Buk.

As the National Park doesn’t post the schedules on their website, all I can suggest is that you get to the park no later than 10am if you want to see everything. And, even then, it’s not sure. I was given to understand that the boats only make the run if there are enough people which means that off-season you may not be able to make the run up the river at all. Still, the falls around Skradinski Buk are pretty great.

2008-07-18T02:40:00.002-07:00

Contemporary Art Pavillion on Lopud Island

Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Art Pavilion is traveling to the Island of Lopud, accompanied by the symposium “Patronage of Space”Your black horizon, a remarkable light installation by Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson, was commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary and inaugurated to great critical acclaim in June 2005 as an official project at the 51st Venice Biennale of Visual Arts. London-based architect David Adjaye was engaged to work in close collaboration with Eliasson and to conceive an environment in which art and architecture were from the outset considered as one, “an interlocking equation”. It is this relationship, one of engagement and response, and a constant revision of prescribed boundaries between disciplines, that T-B A21 aspires to encourage on a broad and courageous scale.

2008-07-18T02:40:00.001-07:00

Vis Island

Vis Island has always been one of my favourites and it didn’t disappoint me this time. Even as the rest of the coast is crowded with visitors, Vis remains relatively relaxed probably because it takes nearly 3 hours to get there by ferry from Split.

2008-07-18T02:39:00.002-07:00

Pansion Bebic, Lumbarda

I’ve known the Bebic family for years, ever since I first started writing Lonely Planet guides, so staying at the Pansion Bebic in Lumbarda was a kind of homecoming. But I think it’s kind of a homecoming for everyone that stays at their hospitable guesthouse. Just walking into their terrace-restaurant makes you feel at home. Their spacious dining terrace forms a center to the modern and comfortable apartments and rooms that make up this traditional pension. And, it signals the importance of meals to the “Bebic Experience”.

2008-07-18T02:39:00.001-07:00

Stari Grad, Hvar Island: A new UNESCO world heritage site

Go ahead clubbers. Party away in Hvar Town. True culture buffs now zero in on the Stari Grad Plain, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located outside Stari Grad town on Hvar Island, this new site makes seven World Heritage Sites in Croatia. The others are: Plitvice Lakes National Park, the Old Town of Dubrovnik, Trogir, Diocletian’s Palace, the Euphrasian Basilica and the Cathedral of St James.

2008-07-18T02:37:00.001-07:00

Cres Island: The Secret is Out

One of my very favorite of Croatia’s many idyllic islands is untamed Cres Island. It’s not hard to reach–there are regular ferries from Valbiska on the mainland–but it just feels so remote. Large patches of this long island (shaped like an exclamation point) are pastures, shrubs and pine forests but there are also some wonderful beaches, like Valun. For whatever reason, Cres has been under the radar and largely apart from the great tourist rush to Croatia.

2008-07-18T02:36:00.001-07:00

Another opening. . .another show

While everyone else was skiing, Croatia’s hoteliers have been busy, busy, busy renovating, restoring and rebuilding. The Hotel Meridien Lav has been perhaps the most exciting opening but there are others. For example, the luxurious Hotel Elaphusa in Bol on Brac Island has added a whole new conference hall centre to welcome business travellers. What with the Hotel Riu Borak and Riu Bonaca, there’s no shortage of places to stay on Brac Island.

2008-07-18T02:30:00.001-07:00

It’s no joke. It’s Caulerpa Racemosa, an invasive subterranean menace that has already devastated parts of the Mediterranean seabed, and is now threatening havoc in the Adriatic, including the incomparable Croatian islands. Picture a creeping green carpet of slime that replaces mollusks, coral, sea flora and everything else on the seabed.

“Who cares? I won’t see it!” If you were a fish, you’d care plenty. Some fish feed on the smaller marine life that will fade away under the algae; others require a sandy bottom to thrive, not a slimebed. So much for Croatia’s fishing business, not to mention Croatia’s scuba divers who prefer life and color underwater.

Croatia is not alone in facing this scourge. Italy, Montenegro and Italy have the same problem. That’s small comfort to the marine life around the Pakleni Islands, Mljet Island, Lokrum Island and, soon, other islands on the Dalmatian coast. Ecotourism anybody?

There are solutions. Posidonia seaweed acts as a natural barrier and there’s a variety of Australian snail that feasts on Caulerpa Racemosa. Bring ‘em on! More drastic methods include covering the algae with foil, which could have other undesirable consequences, or banning big cruiselines from anchoring in the Adriatic. The big anchors sink deep, disrupt the algae and let it spread further. A ban on cruise ships around Dubrovnik? Don’t hold your breath.