CROATIA

Kristian and I travelled to the beautiful country of Croatia in June 2019 and w o w. This was our first trip abroad together and what a stunning country it is. We travelled around Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik.

SPLIT

We literally got off the plane, stumbled out of the airport and found a shuttle bus for around £4 each to the port. We actually had a broken suitcase which at the time wasn't too funny, but we made it into a funny situation and now I find it hilarious (sorry Tracey and Ben, who let us borrow their lovely suitcase).

We stayed in an Airbnb here, which was just super basic and central. They lady was so helpful and told us which buses to get to stunning beaches and KRKA National Park. For our first day, we just had a mooch and got some pizza, wine and beer down the Riva. We strolled around the stunning streets, trying to navigate our way around them, but soon realising that getting lost is more fun.

I have looked for the Airbnb we stayed in but can't find it, sorry! I have had a little look though and there are some new STUNNING ones on there.

Walking around the streets in Split could never get boring. Every turn you take, you see another stunning view. We mooched to Diocletian's Palace and I was super desperate to climb the Bell Tower, but sadly it was closed whilst we were there (just means we'll have to go again...)

As I mentioned earlier, our host from our Airbnb told us some buses to get, so we hopped on then just got off where we thought looked pretty (which was tricky because everywhere looked stunning). We found a little beach bar, got some drinks and watched the sunset.

Along the Riva there were sooooo many little stalls where you could book excursions. We actually really wanted a half day boat trip but sadly they are more money due to needing a faster boat, but we still really enjoyed our trip. 

Our favourite place for a quick breakfast was BOBIS, so we popped into there and sat eating our breakfast whilst looking at the boat we were about to get on for the day. 

Firstly we visited a shipwreck near Necujam where we snorkelled for a while. 

Next we had lunch on the boat as we travelled to the fisherman's village, Maslinica, which was so lovely. Obviously this was an occasion to get an ice-cream.

Finally, we visited the blue lagoon. I obviously had already seen how gorgeous the water was but this was another level. Stunning.

The boat journey back was glorious- seeing the city from another perspective was amazing.

I am such a shit blogger because our favourite restaurant with the best food and the best wine.... well, I can't actually remember what it was called. But if I'm completely honest I do believe that that is what Croatia was all about for us. Stumbling upon places and just walking around the streets until you find that perfect place made it all the more fun for us. I got a seafood pasta which is genuinely the best thing I have ever ever eaten. This sounds so silly, but the chips were the best chips ever and also the puddings... to die for.

Another thing we were told to have whilst in Croatia was the seafood. I am not the biggest fan of seafood to be honest, but we just had to try it and I actually quite enjoyed it.

I think my favourite thing to do in Split was to go to the Peristyle where buskers play music at night and the atmosphere is just buzzing (have a look on my Instagram story highlight to see just how perfect it is here! @chazigreen). 

On our walk back to the AirB&B, we spotted this lil cat perched on the cutest car!

Near where we stayed we spotted some steps and we wanted to see what was at the top so we mooched up and discovered a fabulous view.

KRKA National Park

We got a bus from Split to KRKA. All we did was go to the bus station on the day we got into Split and asked what buses they do and from there we just booked the earliest time possible on the day we had planned. KRKA was absolutely everything I imagined- beautiful. We went for a swim in the waterfalls (Skradinski Buk) but oh my goodness it was so difficult to swim because of how shallow the water is but then it was impossible to walk because of how slimy the rocks are... it was hilarious to be honest. As expected, it was super busy. We got the earliest bus we could, but when we got there, it was actually a little confusing where to go. You also have to pay to go in, which we hadn't actually expected- we definitely got a little lost here and it made us later than we wanted to be!

HVAR

We got a ferry from Split to Hvar. Again, this was super easy to book, we just went to the harbour in Split, went to the Jadrolinija ferry desk and booked for the next day. I would advise doing it as early as possible and just jotting down in your phone when your ferry is. I'm not really sure why we left it until the day before to be honest haha (it didn't play out as well from Hvar to Dubrovnik...)

We stepped off the ferry onto the most beautiful island, spotting stunning beaches within minutes of being here.

This was my favourite accommodation whist we were away- an Airbnb with the bed up a ladder. It was also the most perfect location. We found a beach "Pakonji Dol" which was a 5 minute walk from our Airbnb and oh my goodness it is beautiful!

Again, I have looked for the Airbnb we stayed in but can't find it, sorry! I have had a little look though and there are some new STUNNING ones on there though. 

The Fortress is a fabulous place to go for stunning views. You do have to pay to go into the main part which we didn't actually do, but you still have the most gorgeous views from up there and the walk was lovely. 

Again, I didn't get the name of another restaurant, surprise surprise. But we had a traditional Dalmatian meal called Pasticada which is stewed beef dish cooked in a special sauce and served with gnocchi... all up on a rooftop terrace.

Hvar was the best place to watch the boats go by. I swear I could have sat there for hours just watching them. Also the yachts were INSANE!!!! I think we did spend a couple of hours watching them and imagining the lives of some of the people who own them...

Hvar is somewhere I am desperate to go back to. I feel like we missed so much and it would make for a fabulous girly holiday or hen do. Here's some random photos around the island...

I'd love to go to Hvar for a couple of weeks and just go to a different beach every day. We visited a stunning beach called Pokonji Dol.

One thing I will mention about the ferries and transport... we were planning on getting an early ferry out of Hvar, but we didn't book it. We just turned up an hour before the ferry thinking we'd be OK getting a ticket, but it had sold out the evening before. Luckily, we could just get the ferry that night and we had such a lovely day in Hvar whilst we waited. But I just thought I'd mention this just in case anyone was wanting to get somewhere at a specific time. Oh, but it was SO CHEAP to store your luggage!!

DUBROVNIK

We were so worried about only having one day in Dubrovnik, after the fiasco with the ferry, but it actually worked out perfectly for us. Sadly, the cable car wasn't up and running whilst we were in Dubrovnik and we soon discovered that it wasn't exactly our sort of place. Don't get me wrong, it was BEAUTIFUL and so historical, but we just didn't find that there was that much to do there. Although, that being said, I did have a few things on my "to do list" for whilst we were there that we didn't get round to!

We got up nice and early, go on the bus and headed for the city walls. We mooched around the walls for a couple of hours, only stopping for pictures and a drink halfway. I got soooo many questions about how busy they were and what time is best to go. We got there as early as possible and it was super super busy, but we were there in June which I guess is peak season. Crowds don't really bother me too much so it was absolutely fine and I think it is so well known for being a busy touristy spot, so I guess you know what you're going to.

The old town was glorious, again the ice cream was insane and the atmosphere just always feels so lovely.

Game of Thrones is a massive deal in Dubrovnik and it's everywhere you turn, which for Kristian was fab. We visited the "Shame steps" and I obviously had to try this cocktail...

As the afternoon went on, we went and had a look at Fort Lovnjenac where lots of filming for GOT took place. I loved just sitting on the walls and looking at the sea.

For this evening we got dressed up and headed to Buza Beach Bar (again, have a little look at this on my Instagram story highlight @chazigreen), watched the boats and chatted. Then in the centre of the old town I had some lovely pasta whilst we chatted about our first time abroad together.

OTHER THINGS

Something that we would really love to do is hire a campervan or a car and go on a roadtrip around Croatia. I was so desperate to get to some places really early but it just wasn't possible using public transport. It also would have been really good to stop off in random places along the way and we didn't really have that freedom being tied down with time and the use of public transport being our only way. BUT this just means we'll have to go back... maybe with our OWN campervan....

I would advise this sort of thing with any country... basically we thought Croatia would be averagely priced, however we soon saw the pennies adding up. I personally think food is where your money goes quite quickly because you think you're on holiday so it's OK to eat out breakfast, dinner and tea. I would advise getting a picnicy dinner as much as possible. Don't get me wrong, the restaurants are some of the best restaurants I have ever eaten in, but if you are looking for ways to save money- pack bread, meats and cheeses for cheaper dinners. I think I thought everywhere would be as cheap as SE Asia.

Water stations are everywhere in Croatia and it's known to have extremely clean water. I took my metal water bottle and refilled it everywhere we went, so not only did I lower my plastic use, but my water stayed cooler for longer.

Please feel free to ask me ANY questions. As you can probably tell... I wasn't planning on Blogging this trip, so didn't write a lot of information down, but I am happy to try and help!

Love,