Camping in Porec
Submitted by: Ida from Sweden, currently living in Ireland
Visited: June 2005
Organised: Organised it myself, via internet travel forums and information sites. (eg lonely planet thorn tree, reseforum.se)
Type of accommodation: Camping Pomer in Istra, Croatia

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 5
How would you rate the accommodation? 4 you have to like adventure
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
We arrived in Venice at 10am with Ryan air from London Stansted airport. Got the bus from the airport into Venice and spent the day walking around the old romantic parts of this famous and absolutely amazing city! in the afternoon we cought the bus to the ferry base, where we got on a ferry to Pula in Croatia. It only takes just over 3 hours on the ferry and when we arrived in Pula we had a hotel booked near the city. It had been a long day and we deserved a nice romantic dinner (candle-lit and a bottle of red wine) before we went to bed. The next few days we spent looking around this amazing city and spending some time on the fabulous pebble beach in Pula. There are plently of buses, which is the preferable way to travel in Croatia, to both north and south destinations from Pula. We got the bus to porec, which is an old city smaller than Pula but also with ancient history. After another few days we got on the bus to Trieste in Italy, spent a day there and then made our way back to London with a direct flight from Trieste airport. We had just over a weeks holiday, spent time in 2 cities in Istra in Croatia - both city travelling and enjoying the beach. We also got a full day in Venice and a full day in Trieste, Italy. Our holiday was well planned, we booked all our flights with Ryain Air on the internet during sales, 100euro each return (ryanair.com). we booked the ferry tickets on the internet as well, www.aferryto.com, around 40-45euro each way each. Some of the nights in Croatia we spent in hotel rooms but few also brought a tent and stayed a few nights in campsites close to the beach. For us this cheap holiday was adventure in combination with city-sightseeing and the fantastic food in Croatia was a bonus!

Would you go again? Yes! I will go again to croatia, hopefully I will be able to spend some more time in other parts of the country.
Submitted 11th February 2006

Holiday in Croatia
Submitted by: Ivan & Marty Musar, Calgary

Comments:
We were lucky enough to holiday in Croatia last May (2005). Plitvice National Park was sensational. We enjoyed every minute of our tour - you would think that one lake and one water fall would be much the same as the next - but at Plitvice its an ever changing natural wonder. From one trail to another - you just never get enough of the splendor and the fresh air. The walk makes you feel invigorated. We will definitely be returning.

Our trip lead us to a beautiful little town called Tucepi, about a twenty minute drive from Makarska. We had arrived without reserving accommodation, but being May meant that would not pose a problem. We walked along the marina and were guided to a very nice apartment by one of the restaurant owners. We checked in immediately - the place was clean, large, with good beds and a small kitchen - we paid EU 30 per night. As it happens the owner was an English teacher at the local college, so we were able to communicate with her and her family very well. Our balcony overlooked the beach and the marina, with a gorgeous view of the Adriatic and the islands. We spent the first evening walking and eating fresh sea food. We ended up drinking some fine Croatian wine and listening to some of the most beautiful local music on our balcony until late into the night. The next day was spent touring the Makarka Riviera which was fabulous. The water was warm enough to swim in so we did. We sampled more local fare that evening. We were a little surprised at the higher prices charged for food in the restaurants, but economically things are still a little unsettled after the war. But we were sorry to have to leave the following morning, but promised ourselves a return trip in 2006 (September this time). We got some good recommendations from the locals on where to go next time - try the islands they said. So we will definitely do that.
Submitted December 28th 2005

Istria
Submitted by: P Jones

Comments:
Just wanted to pass on my experience of my recent first trip to Croatia - had a fabulous time, by the way, and would love to go back.

I did the RyanAir to Trieste journey and would throughly recommend it. We arrived on time about 2pm-ish and because the bus from Trieste to Rovinj was due to leave at 4pm we took a taxi from the airport to the bus station. It cost us 53 euros, so I'd recommend anyone else doing that trip to see if they could get the bus. We took the bus on the way back between the bus station and airport - it cost 5 euros for both of us. Quite a difference!

The bus journey from Trieste to Rovinj was fine and punctual - and very cheap at 9 euros each one way. Lovely scenery as well.

We were not disappointed with Rovinj. In fact, I loved it there. But we had bad luck with the weather and hired a car from a local place in Rovinj called Ventura (on the harbour en route to Hotel Park) and it cost £32 per day for a three day hire agreement. One thing I wouldn't recommend is turning up in Rovinj in the evening without accomodation. there is a distinct lack of hotels in the town - we decided to drive back one night last week thinking there would be no problem finding a room out of season. Wrong. All the decent hotels and even the out-of-town rooms were booked, so we had to drive to Porec where we struck lucky with the Hotel Porec (which looked a bit grim from the outside, but the room was clean and one of the best we'd stayed in)

Another place I would recommend is the Villa Idila in Rakovic, close to Baderna. V clean and v friendly in a beautiful setting - it was quiet and rainy when we were there but I imagine in season it's a great place to stay. V tranquil.
Submitted September 26th 2005

Hotel Astarea, Mlini
Submitted by: Maurice from Hood
Visited: May 2005
Organised: Tour operator Holiday Options
Type of accommodation: Hotel Astarea

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 4
How would you rate the accommodation? 5
How would you rate your holiday overall? 4

Comments:
Good hotel, clean and tidy. Food a bit of a let down, but the a la carte is good quality and cheap, and if you pay via your room number they offer a 10% discount. Plenty of other places to eat. You can ask for egg/bacon or boiled egg for breakfast, this is not stated in any brochure. Local buses run from top of the road. Beware its a 16% incline hike to the top. You do not need to buy bus tickets as they take money. Excursions were expensive and made a long day. You need to ask the rep to explain exactly what/where/when details of any trip.

Would you go again? Possibly but not for the food!
Submitted May 19th 2005

Hotel Villa Adriatica, Supetar, Brac
Submitted by: Ben and Paula from London
Visited: June 2004
Organised: Tour operator Bond Tours
Type of accommodation: Hotel Villa Adriatica

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 5
How would you rate the accommodation? 5
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
We stayed in Hotel Villa Adriatica, Island Brac, for 5 nights. This small boutique hotel was fantastic, it was of a very high standard and the staff were very attentive. Enjoyed our time on the lovely pool and terrace sipping our favourite Sex on the Beach cocktail. One day we spent in Trogir and visited Diocletian Palace in Split. Another trip with a rent a car we made to the other side of the island to the village Bol. We completely enjoyed the atmosphere in Supetar.

Would you go again? Yes
Submitted March 26th 2005

Dalmatian Coast
Submitted by: Simon from Surrey
Visited: September 2004
Organised: Myself
Type of accommodation: Camping

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 4
How would you rate the accommodation? 3
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
When I mentioned to friends that we were going to Croatia I had a mixed reaction from 'Cool' to 'war zone'! The truth is it's Europe's jewel that still hasn't been rediscovered, but don't leave it too long. We took our car and caravan from England and travelled the Adriatic highway from Rijeka to Dubrovnik and back. The road is slow but the scenery is spectacular. We had two fabulous weeks staying three to four nights in different places. We stayed near Rijeka (Camping Preluk - good night halt on a former communist style site convenient to visit Krk), near the national park at Starigrad Plakencia (Camping Pinus basic but gorgeous location in an olive grove with great sea views good for visiting Zadar), Omis near Split (Camping Sirena - Stunning coastal views and a fabulous adjacent beach make this difficult to access for caravans worth the effort, a real blinder of a location!!), Mlini near Dubrovnik - Camping Kate - very friendly owner but get away from the road and it is very pleasant, spotless facilities and Mlini is fab with a nice beach and boats to Dubrovnik all within a few minutes walk from the site and nearby Cavtat is well worth a visit. Sibenik (Camping Antoni & Zante - in the village of Sparadici at the side of the highway between Sibenik and Primosten - set in the heart of a quiet waterfront village right on the waters edge, this really is a gem of a location and only 6 Euros a night in September!! Gorgeous views to the Kornati islands- owner Toni Sparada speaks perfect English and welcomes British caravanners any time www.dalmatianet.com/sparada.

The campsites in Croatia are a mix of former communist era sites which are large and characterless and new privately owned small sites with basic facilities which are often in spectacular locations with fabulous sea views but with basic facilities often still under construction. We have a new caravan with all our own facilities on board (shower, loo etc) so all we need is water and electricity so for us it was just perfect. I have never had a holiday where each site gave us such a different and spectacular sea view each time we stopped. We found Croatia to be very under commercialised, safe, and friendly....the only country I've been to where there is NO Mcdonalds or fast food! The scenery is spectacular and the Adriatic Highway is a very slow road but who cares when you have such a superb coastline to explore. Avoid mid July to mid August. We went late August to mid September, perfect weather and few tourists made it a pleasure. This really is a country to explore and we are planning to go back in 2005 again with our caravan. It is perfect for Caravan/Motorhome holidays, however I would NOT recommend taking a touring caravan with a body length exceeding 5 metres as the really nice campsites can be difficult to get in and out of. A twin axle touring caravan is definately not recommended! So if you have a touring caravan or Motorhome, go and explore this amazing coastline with it's spectacular views and crystal clear waters. It's not as cheap as you would imagine although it's not expensive, if you like brand name spirits then buy your gin, martini and whisky either on the Dover/Calais ferry or in Germany as you'll find imported things very expensive in Croatia. Also remember to keep your fuel tank topped up as there aren't many petrol stations.

Would you go again? We are planning to go and explore some of the islands with our caravan this summer...can't wait to go back!
Submitted March 8th 2005

Okrug Donjii - Ciovo
Submitted by: Georgy from England
Visited: July 2004
Organised: Myself
Type of accommodation: Private accommodation

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 5
How would you rate the accommodation? 5
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
The best holiday ever. Beautiful island, amazing scenery, lovely generous people and not too many horrid tourists. Trogir and Split are two of the most interesting a beautiful cities on earth. Ciovo is lovely and relaxed everyone is so kind and thoughtful. I had to most amazing time and the most amazing food, can't wait to come back asap

Would you go again? Absolutely
Submitted January 17th 2005

Lapad Peninsula, Dubrovnik
Submitted by: Barbara Snelling from Abergavenny, Wales
Email: barbara.snelling@ukonline.co.uk
Visited: September 15 - 29 2004
Organised: Myself
Type of accommodation: Rented an apartment, Apartment Gudelji

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 5
How would you rate the accommodation? 5
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
For me it was a return visit and it turned out to be every bit as enjoyable as my first visit with my daughter in 1981.

This time I flew with my husband with BA on their Gatwick-Dubrovnik flight - booked well in advance for £124 pp. Our spacious apartment, found and booked via the internet, cost 934 Euros for 2 weeks in September. It was spotlessly clean, very comfortable and with 1 Double and 2 single bedrooms plus two small bathrooms - (all photos exactly as the web site showed )- it provided excellent accommodation for us - an older couple accustomed to the space of our family home which now - all children flown - we have to ourselves.

Our hosts could not have been more friendly or helpful. The location, overlooking Lapad Bay and within easy walking distance of the beach, shops and at least 3 very good restaurants - the Eden, the Levanat and the Kompas Hotel AND a bus service - every 10 minutes into the Old Town - was perfect. Excursions by boat or coach are available with local departures, and car hire can also be arranged from the Eurocar office just down the road. Driving is a bit scary - tortuous roads along the coast combined with the driving styles of ..- think London, Paris, Athens, Rome.... but there is much to see within 50 miles in any direction N, S. or E.

This is not a sandy beach destination - they are mainly pebble, rocky and shingle and apart from a few hot spots in Dubrovnik Town there may not be much in the way of "night life" to attract young single people. But if you want beautiful scenery, a different culture and history and are prepared to learn and understand a bit about it AND to learn a bit of the Croatian language you will have a memorable holiday experience.

We are planning to return as soon as we can - even though we are now both 70+ years of age, the 70 steps up to the Apartment will not deter us - but anyone with serious mobility or cardio-vascular problems should bear that in mind when planning a holiday in the Dubrovnik area - there are very few places on the "flat".

Would you go again? Definitely YES
Submitted November 8th 2004

Hotel Odisej, Mljet and Hotel Astarea, Mlini
Submitted by: Lisa from Scotland
Email: mellelisa@yahoo.com
Visited in: September 2003
Organised: Tour operator Holiday Options
Type of accommodation: Hotel Odisej, Mljet and Hotel Astarea, Mlini

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 5
How would you rate the accommodation? 4
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
We went early Sept after hearing so many good reports about Croatia and its unspoilt beauty. Our first stop was a week in Mljet which has a national park and lakes in the middle of the island. We stayed at Hotel Odisej which was very comfortable and had a room on the top with a balcony and an amazing view of the sunsets. Each day people arrive on sailing holidays and it is nice to watch people arrive. the island is actually quite big and we hired the tiniest car in the world to go around the island and me the most interesting man who had sailed all the way from Boston!

The food at the hotel was not the best for veggies but the meat was good apparently. The fish was also raved about although it does have a very rustic feel to it. There is a lovely restaurant just along the promenade from Odisej where you can pick your dinner from a large tank.

Plenty to do on the island and went mountain biking, canoeing, walking, boat trips. I found I was able to totally relax which is rare!

Second week was in Mlini in Astarea and for this week we hired a car relatively cheaply which was a good idea as it gave us the freedom we love to hit the road and explore! The hotel was nice and again the views were great. Food ok but canteen v busy although half board was excellent value so much so that you didn't mind going out somewhere else once in a while as you don't feel you are losing any money. The band on sat night was v cheesy though ;-)

From Mlini visited pretty Cavtat and Dubrovnik which we both loved. especially the walls where ladies sell hand made lace and the street of restaurants. Also the islands off Dubrovnik are v pretty and worth a visit.
Feeling adventurous we decided to head to Bosnia and see Sarajevo. Looking at the map it looked to be about 3 hours each way. Not so! Croatians don't seem to have adopted the European motorway system and getting anywhere is a long process although the scenery is wonderful. The drive to Bosnia took us through some stunning countryside and past some surly border guards. Sarajevo was interesting but sad to see the poverty. All in all the trip took us about 16 hours and we were exhausted but glad we did it!

Overall I loved this trip and would highly recommend it esp before it becomes too commercialised. The Croatians do not seem to be big in customer service like most of Europe but so long as you don't expect a lot you will be fine! Writing this now makes me want to go back asap!

Would you go again? Yes
Submitted November 5th 2004

Dubrovnik and Lopud Island
Submitted by: Glynis and Mike Harvey from Norfolk, UK
Email: glynhvy@hotmail.com
Visited in: September 2004
Organised: Myself, flight only with Holiday Options
Type of accommodation: Hotel Glavovic, Lopud

(Out of 5, best = 5)
How would you rate the town/city you stayed in? 5
How would you rate the accommodation? 5
How would you rate your holiday overall? 5

Comments:
The first five nights were spent in an apartment booked over the internet. We chose this one because they offered to collect us from the airport - great - it all worked perfectly.

The apartment was walking distance from the Old City of Dubrovnik and the owner was so friendly and helpful and the accommodation spotless.

On our first day we decided to take the ferry to the island of Lopud (40 minutes - £1 single ticket) There are no cars on the island and the locals meet you at the port with carts for your luggage. We walked along the promenade and decided this was where we were going to spend the majority of our holiday.

We booked in Hotel Glavovic which had recently opened and saw the room we would move to later in the week.

We spent the next few days exploring beautiful Dubrovnik before moving over to Lopud.

Getting around is so easy, by bus and boat.

The island of Lopud is only 40 minutes away from Dubrovnik by ferry so once we were settled in Lopud it was easy to pop into Dubrovnik for lunch. That's if you could tear yourselves away from Lopud. We did venture to the next island of Sipan (10 minutes by ferry) and, well, it was just so beautiful.

On Lopud we were invited to a private home in the hills to eat lamb cooked in a covered pot in coals, and drink their homemade wine - all organic and delicious.

The owner of Hotel Glavovic was able to help us with ideas for days out and made us feel very special. The family came to the quayside with our luggage as we left and they all waved us off.

We didn't want to come home and can't wait for 2005.

Would you go again? Definitely
Submitted November 2nd 2004