![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vickygooden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/dsc01260-1.jpg?resize=1072%2C718\")
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To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided upon a\u00a0weeks trip to Croatia<\/strong>. We have been asked many \u00a0times as to why we chose this\u00a0destination and in all honesty, it’s not that clear. My parents had had little\u00a0experience of Split and Dubrovnik as part of a European cruise a few years back\u00a0and had always said that it was worth a look knowing that I love quaint, The first big decision was whether to do Split or Dubrovnik<\/strong>. My folks\u00a0fell in love with Dubrovnik (“the streets are so clean and shiny”) but after\u00a0some research we decided that we might be able to soak up a bigger variety of\u00a0Croatian culture and beauty (beyond said clean streets) if we stuck to the\u00a0Western Coastal areas around Split.<\/p>\n An initial ‘must have’ on the list had been a trip to the Plitvice National Park\u00a0<\/strong>lakes. However, given that we were only going to be in Croatia for a week, it\u00a0was going to work out as quite a chunk of travelling time to get there and back.\u00a0So that was struck off the list as we discovered another National Park called\u00a0Krka<\/strong> that had fab reviews and was a fraction of the distance away. We also – Airline:<\/strong> Wizz Air (more on them later) All set! Right? No…<\/p>\n A slight chink in the plan came when we MISSED OUR OUTBOUND FLIGHT. Yep.\u00a0Mortifying. Ever missed a flight? You feel like an idiot. You watch other\u00a0blissful couples, excited youngsters, families and more embarrassingly the\u00a0elderly leisurely check in and be on their merry way whilst you are standing at\u00a0the Wizz Air information desk flustering over what other flight you can get Now, not that you are going to make this mistake but a word of warning just\u00a0incase. Flights to Croatia are currently\u00a0 not that regular. At time of writing\u00a0this, flights from all London airports are once daily and in the early morning.\u00a0We therefore couldn’t get a flight later that day. Or the next day (fully\u00a0booked). Old Wizz Air desk lady simply sat there shaking her scrunchie clad head “Help, we’ve missed our flight!”<\/strong><\/em> Long story short. \u00a3800 later we were rebooked, retaining our 7 night break but\u00a0with the order of the holiday turned on it’s head.<\/p>\n New itinerary:<\/p>\n – Fly to Split and immediately transfer to Hvar to redeem our original booking\u00a0at The Podstine hotel. Take 2<\/strong> SPLIT<\/strong><\/p>\n Split really is rather lovely, from it’s markets to how clean it is (ok mum and\u00a0dad, I get your ‘clean streets’ comment now). But what grabbed me most was the\u00a0buildings. From the higgledy piggldly brickwork to their shutters. Old battered\u00a0wooden shutters. Gorgeous. I desperately want to be peaking out from them and\u00a0not peering out through double glazed glass\u00a0 back home. How unromantic. We\u00a0wandered, I bought cheap flip flops and kicked off the Converse and we settled\u00a0on a little port side restaurant for a quick bite and drink.<\/p>\n People watching is a favourite pastime and Croatia is a great place for this as\u00a0it caters to all sorts. The young party goers most notably from America and\u00a0<\/span>Australia, the older Velcro sandal wearers of South Africa and the tall\u00a0<\/span>beautiful Scandinavians that saunter past with their flat tums and perfectly\u00a0<\/span>blonde locks. People slow down, there’s no fast pace urgency at all. They lick\u00a0<\/span>their dripping ice creams, sit on the port edge watching the water and the\u00a0<\/span>comings and goings of boats and simply absorb their charming surroundings.<\/span><\/p>\n HVAR; The Podstine, the sea, good restaurants and boat hiring…<\/strong> Tip: even though the weather is very hot, if you sit outside on the ferry, pop a\u00a0little sweater on as the breeze is rather chilly.<\/p>\n 1 hour and 45 mins later, we arrive in Hvar and as we disembark the ferry we’re\u00a0greeted by our transfer driver who picks up us and another more elderly couple.<\/p>\n Now as it’s dark, we don’t get to see much of the scenery…but we can tell that\u00a0we are climbing high as our ears pop and by the way we can make out the lights\u00a0down below of little villages and towns. The smell hits us too…Croatia is\u00a0known as a fragrant destination and Hvar really represents this. It’s a mix of\u00a0spice and lavender with the latter having been a key export of Hvar for years.\u00a0The island is dotted with fields and fields of the crop and on your trip you’ll\u00a0notice Market stalls full of lavender wrappings and gifts for tourists.<\/p>\n 45 mins later we arrive at The Podstine<\/strong> hotel (which our driver tells us is much\u00a0nicer than Hotel Croatia where the elderly couple in our minibus were just\u00a0dropped off at!)<\/p>\n As it’s gone 11pm, the bar is shut so as we make our way to our room, we hope\u00a0for a minibar.<\/p>\n The decor of the hotel overall is fine. Dated, but fine. However, I\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0help but think that it would really benefit from a nice whitewash on the walls\u00a0to neutralise and brighten it up. I also have general issues with red carpets\u00a0too (don’t ask!) and these run throughout the halls where the bedrooms are.<\/p>\n Our bedroom was compact with conflicting wallpaper on different walls, we had\u00a0two single beds pushed together and 1 pillow each. These are not complaints by\u00a0any means, just observations. You won’t be spending your time in the bedrooms\u00a0anyway with all that Hvar has to offer outside. But if you are expecting\u00a0exquisite luxury, a room at The Podstine is not for you.\u00a0 Doors open up to a\u00a0little balcony and we have aircon and a minibar – hoorah! Incidentally, after a\u00a0word with reception, we got more pillows and a double mattress topper and sheet\u00a0fitted.<\/p>\n We awake on our first full day on Hvar and the first thing we check is our view\u00a0from the room as we have no idea what the sea is like etc. It looks bright\u00a0<\/span>turquoise which is always a good sign. The sun is shining, its deliciously hot\u00a0<\/span>and we go down for brekkie.<\/span><\/p>\n Buffet breakfast food at The Podstine: hams, cheeses, fruit, granola, cereals,\u00a0scrambled eggs, yoghurts, toast, bacon and sausages.<\/p>\n Steps from the breakfast restaurant lead you down to a few outdoor split level\u00a0areas of the hotel; an alfresco restaurant area, a cocktail bar, a PADI scuba\u00a0diving centre, and 3 staggered\u00a0\u00a0 levels of sun beds and beanbags in amongst pine\u00a0trees for shade that overlook the sea. The hotel also features a little secluded\u00a0pool, a gym, a gorgeous smelling spa and whirlpools.<\/p>\n The sea<\/strong>: wow. It is crystal clear as hoped. It’s calm and clean and has a rocky\u00a0bed. There’s no sand here, ladders step you into the waters and although the\u00a0cold of the sea is an initial shock (mainly because of your body temperature\u00a0from the sun!) once you’re in, bobbing around, taking in the moment, all is\u00a0perfect in the world.<\/p>\n Definitely hire a snorkel from the PADI centre.\u00a0 There are an abundance of\u00a0little fishes to spy on.<\/p>\n Highlights of Hvar:<\/strong><\/p>\n – Hiring a little boat<\/strong> for the day, organised at the Podstine reception.\u00a0 Its a\u00a0must and really cheap to do. We sailed our way around the Pakleni islands\u00a0opposite our hotel and moored for lunch at a lovely restaurant called Zori on\u00a0the island of Palmizana. SONY DSC<\/p><\/div>\n ON TO TROGIR<\/strong> Trogir is a yet another quaint little destination. It’s a bit peculiar in\u00a0formation, with the heart of Trogir being a small islet laying between the\u00a0<\/span>gentle hills on the mainland and the coast of the Island of Ciovo. As we find\u00a0<\/span>our hotel, <\/span>The Princess Derossi<\/strong> through an archway off a busy sidewalk, husband\u00a0<\/span>and I look at each other and giggle as this is what we call ‘cranky’, in a good\u00a0<\/span>way. You find yourself in a little courtyard with some tables and chairs laden\u00a0<\/span>with red check table cloths and look above you to see bedsheets and towels all\u00a0<\/span>drying on washing lines hung between the hotel’s windows. Cute. The receptionist\u00a0<\/span>is smiley and welcoming and shows us to our room on the second floor. Word of\u00a0<\/span>warning: no lifts.<\/span><\/p>\n We unpack and go for a wander.<\/p>\n Through enchanting, winding cobbled streets we come across a fourteenth century\u00a0cathedral which is rather astonishing. So well preserved and expertly carved.\u00a0Round another corner we find a busy square with a classical band playing. We\u00a0grab an ice-cream and head to the port. Another stretch of waterside restaurants\u00a0and bars awaits us, we choose a bar and sit back with a mojito.<\/p>\n At the end of the islet, is the impressive Trogir castle. Worth a visit.<\/p>\n Although our time in Split was short, I really would recommend a stay in Trogir\u00a0over Split.<\/p>\n We hadn’t really done our restaurant research for Trogir and just opted to\u00a0stumble upon ‘nice looking’ ones for the 2 nights we were there. Whilst the food\u00a0on every menu in Croatia is pretty similar (Dalmatia cured ham anyone?) you\u00a0don’t come here for the food and unless you’re a total foodie you’ll easily get\u00a0by. By day you’re guaranteed a fresh thin crispy pizza cooked in a clay oven. By\u00a0night meats, pastas, seafood and salads are on offer. I recommend reading up on\u00a0the restaurants to head to in advance though as we had in Hvar to guarantee\u00a0satisfied taste buds.<\/p>\n All in all, Trogir captivated me. Smiles all round.<\/p>\n KRKA NATIONAL PARK<\/strong> Again, a private drive awaits us and our driver is a delightful local man ready\u00a0to talk us through life in Croatia. One thing we learn is that their tax rate is\u00a0around 28%, wow.<\/p>\n The trip to Krka is around an hour from Trogir but it whizzes by as we meander\u00a0up and down the beautiful scenic route. As we leave the car and lovely driver\u00a0man, we are free to do what we want for the next 2 hours.<\/p>\n The sun is blazing once more and as we have arrived fairly early, the park is\u00a0not that busy. We have a feeling that will change!<\/p>\n Walking down the numerous steep steps at Krka in the scorching heat is enough to\u00a0make anybody a little parched and clammy but there’s no better reward than\u00a0hearing the thunderous sound of falling water before turning a corner and seeing\u00a0the magnificent sight of the falls.<\/p>\n Water cascades down into more crystal clear waters where people are swimming and\u00a0bathing. We can’t wait to have a go.<\/p>\n We perch ourselves on a clear rocky patch by the water and take it in turns to\u00a0have a swim. I was a little overwhelmed to be honest, by the sounds and the\u00a0feelings of being in such gorgeous natural waters. Swimming against the force of After our time in the water it was time to lay in the sun with another ice-cream\u00a0before returning to our lovely driver man, driving home and catching a little\u00a0snooze on the backseat.<\/p>\n A real must- see.<\/p>\n THE LAST DAY; OKRUG BEACH<\/strong> There are a couple of nearby beaches but a 15 minute sail away from Trogir. We\u00a0chose Okrug for no particular reason, jumped on the little taxi and away we\u00a0went.<\/p>\n It’s not the most exquisite of beaches, is fairly narrow and a step away from a\u00a0road. But for one final relax and for the sake of a couple of hours it’s heaven\u00a0<\/span>compared to the stresses back home. It has a lot of beach refreshment huts for<\/span>drinks and is full of locals making the most of it on their weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n FAREWELL CROATIA AND THE 5 HOUR DELAY<\/strong> I look at my iPad battery, 30% remaining. Great. And there’s only so much Fifty\u00a0Shades of Grey you can take in one sitting. I’m screwed. Excuse the pun.<\/p>\n I spend some dosh in the duty free, I go back every hour to douse myself in the\u00a0body moisturiser testers and I claim my free complimentary sandwich.<\/p>\n Despite this slightly bitter ending (that the Wizz Air pilot later blames on the\u00a0Olympics even though it’s early July!) our love affair with Croatia holds\u00a0strong.<\/p>\n In short, Croatia is whatever you want it to be – good for clubbing and\u00a0partying, for families with babies, for doughy eyed couples and for the older\u00a0generation. With their velcro sandals.<\/p>\n OTHER BITS:<\/strong> To celebrate our first wedding anniversary, my husband and I decided upon a\u00a0weeks trip to Croatia. We have been asked many \u00a0times as to why we chose this\u00a0destination and in all honesty, it’s not that clear. My parents had had little\u00a0experience of Split and Dubrovnik as part of a European cruise a few years back\u00a0and had always said that it was worth a look knowing that I love quaint, picturesque places. Anyhow, before we knew it, I had ordered a second hand Rough\u00a0Guide book and my husband and I were thumbing through it over a hearty Sunday\u00a0lunch in our local pub one dreary afternoon, shortlisting places to go to in a 7 day visit. The first big decision was whether to do Split or Dubrovnik. My folks\u00a0fell in love with Dubrovnik (“the streets are so clean and shiny”) but after\u00a0some research we decided that we might be able to soak up a bigger variety of\u00a0Croatian culture and beauty (beyond said clean streets) if we stuck to the\u00a0Western Coastal areas around Split. An initial ‘must have’ on the list had been a trip to the Plitvice National Park\u00a0lakes. However, given that we were only going to be in Croatia for a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[256],"tags":[82,97,141,142,151,152,196,204,206,208,210],"class_list":["post-24","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-life-2","tag-croatia","tag-dubrovnik","tag-hvar","tag-hvar-town","tag-krka","tag-krka-national-park","tag-split","tag-tourism","tag-travel","tag-travel-review","tag-trogir","post_format-post-format-aside"],"yoast_head":"\n
\npicturesque places. Anyhow, before we knew it, I had ordered a second hand Rough\u00a0Guide book and my husband and I were thumbing through it over a hearty Sunday\u00a0lunch in our local pub one dreary afternoon, shortlisting places to go to in a 7
\nday visit.<\/p>\n
\nintended to stay on the island of Hvar<\/strong>. Armed with this list (Split, Krka and\u00a0Hvar) I googled for any specialist Croatian travel agents and discovered\u00a0Completely Croatia<\/strong>. Alison and Jane were our contacts and were only too pleased\u00a0to help advise on and shape our trip. I find putting trust in others fairly\u00a0difficult, not in an ‘I know best’ kind of way but just because you never really\u00a0know levels of others expectations and values when it comes to holidays. But\u00a0these ladies know Croatia, that was clear, so after many an email, this was our\u00a0finalised plan (including all transfers):<\/p>\n
\n– Arrive in Split and immediately transfer to Trogir for a 2 night stay.
\n– 1 day excursion to Krka National Park
\n– Day 3:<\/strong> Ferry to Hvar for a 5 night stay at the Podstine Hotel.
\n– Whilst on Hvar, our plan was to go to Brac (Bol) for the day to see ‘the
\nbeach’\u00a0 Zlatni Rat.
\n– Final day:<\/strong> early morning ferry back to mainland to fly home from Split.<\/p>\n
\non…whilst crying. Not good. It was an honest mistake (the husband’s to be\u00a0clear, although we’re still married so it wasn’t THAT bad). A simple timings\u00a0error. We arrived at the airport when our flight was taking off. Sickening.<\/p>\n
\nat my husband.<\/p>\n
\nAt around 7am on our departure day, we were sheepishly calling Completely\u00a0Croatia. ‘They are going to think we’re stupid\/they’re not going to understand\u00a0that the husband is usually ‘plastic-folder-man’ with all documents and timings\u00a0in absolute order\/they are going to judge us and have us down as terrible\u00a0travellers’. Oh the shame. Alison was cool and calm though (‘this hasn’t\u00a0happened to me in 6 years’) as she went through options whilst we sat at a\u00a0coffee shop at Luton airport. A nail biting taxi journey home ensued as we\u00a0awaited a revised itinerary….thoughts of ‘is this holiday actually going to\u00a0happen? Will we only get a 5 day break? What is this going to cost us?’ ran\u00a0through our ‘terrible traveller’ brains.<\/p>\n
\n– After 5 days on Hvar, ferry to Split and transfer to Trogir to stay at a new\u00a0hotel; The Palace Derossi for 2 nights with a trip to Krka on our penultimate\u00a0day.<\/p>\n
\nWe land in Split<\/strong>. It’s 37 degrees, bright sun. The airport is pretty small and\u00a0has to accommodate a lot of visitors from Scandinavia, the Uk, Germany etc. It\u00a0wont be long before it has to expand in size.\u00a0A short private transfer gets us to Split where we have a few hours to kill\u00a0before our ferry to Hvar leaves…<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vickygooden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/dsc010922.jpg?resize=1072%2C718\")
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\nWe board the Jadrolinija ferry at 8.30pm to begin our stay on Hvar. It fills up\u00a0pretty quick with a real mix of people (and their cats and dogs!)\u00a0The trip is pretty smooth and as we depart Split we get a lovely view of the sun\u00a0making it’s way down over the crooked rooftops.<\/p>\n
\n– Hvar Town:<\/strong> a pleasant 20 minute waterside walk from The Podstine brings you\u00a0into Hvar Town with it’s gorgeous cobbled streets, port, restaurants and shops.\u00a0On your walk you will pass the Hula Hula bar which is a bustling party bar that\u00a0warms people up for the night ahead. Worth a stop. You’ll also pass the rather\u00a0impressive if a little daunting in size, Amfora hotel. It’s huge and boasts\u00a0quite a few pools.
\n– Restaurants in Hvar Town<\/strong>: Dalmatino is fabulous, down a little side street. We\u00a0had chataubriand which was melt in the mouth good.\u00a0\u00a0 Divino is also nice, we\u00a0went here for our anniversary dinner. Its up some steps port side so brilliant\u00a0for appreciating the comings and goings of some impressive yachts. Give Bounty a\u00a0miss. Bad service and food. On the walk from The Podstine to Hvar Town you will\u00a0also pass Bonj les Bains which looks nice in location and setting but received\u00a0some bad reviews from some fellow guests at The Podstine.
\n– Floating in the sea.<\/strong> Sounds simple hey? But there’s something about the sea\u00a0here that let’s you just float. With no effort at all. You lay back, your toes\u00a0pop out of the water and you stare up at the clear blue sky and can do for\u00a0however long you wish!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vickygooden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/dsc011171.jpg?resize=1072%2C718\")
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\nAfter our 5 nights on Hvar, it’s time to depart for Trogir. This time as it’s\u00a0during the day we climb on board the\u00a0 Jadrolinija Catamaran instead which shaves\u00a045 minutes off the ferry transfer time, getting us back to Split in one hour.\u00a0Again, as arranged by Completely Croatia, we are picked up by our driver and\u00a0make a 20 minute air conditioned drive to Trogir.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vickygooden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/dsc03300.jpg?resize=1072%2C804\")
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\nThe day before we leave for home is a moment I’d been waiting for, our trip to\u00a0the waterfalls of Krka National Park. My shower at home is the nearest I’ve been\u00a0to a waterfall before, expectations were high.<\/p>\n
\nthe water, making it to the floating barrier and hanging on to it just looking\u00a0at the waterfall. Not a care in the world.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vickygooden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/dsc01285.jpg?resize=1072%2C718\")
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\nOrdinarily the day you return home is reserved for hurried packing and\u00a0moodiness. But not this time! We’d packed the night before and seeing as our\u00a0flight home wasn’t until late afternoon, we set off to Trogir port around 9am\u00a0with our swimmers on underneath our clothes to catch a little boat taxi to a\u00a0nearby beach. Time to soak up the last of the rays and for one last swim.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vickygooden.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/dsc033751.jpg?resize=1072%2C804\")
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\nAs stated earlier, Split airport is small. Not an ideal place if delayed. And\u00a0delayed we were. Almost as if to get us back for missing our original flight,\u00a0our Wizz Air flight home is delayed by 5 hours.\u00a0 Holy moly.<\/p>\n
\nCurrency: Kuna
\nFood: Do your research to find the best restaurants. There’s no real signature\u00a0dish of Croatia but you can eat really well if you do your homework.
\nLove your tootsies: Invest in some of those ugly looking water feet things so\u00a0that you can easily walk on the rocky sea bed.
\nIce cream: Eat loads.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"