Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik

Visit Croatia Review: Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik, Zadar

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School summer holidays can mean only one thing – family summer holiday time! If you have young kids, you’ll know that a family-friendly resort can be an invaluable choice for a holiday; despite such resorts normally being packed to the rafters with excitable young children running around for what feels like 20 hours of the day, there’s normally so much to do for kids and adults alike. This year, I decided to holiday at the Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik, which is located in the hotel-heavy part of Borik in the North Dalmatian city of Zadar. Find out what I thought here.

A quick info bit before I start – The Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik is owned by Austrian hotel group Falkensteiner, which, as well as running a number of properties in the Zadar region (and a hotel on the island of Krk), owns some lovely-looking hotels in its home country, plus Italy (mostly northern Italy), Czechia, Slovakia and Serbia.

The “funimation” part of the hotel’s name is because there certainly is plenty of entertainment practically all day long! As I mention below – there was aqua aerobics in the pool to evening discos and live music, kids’ clubs to swimming lessons, a decent-sized games arcade and even a nighttime quiz! The hotel chain itself rates this property as five out of five for entertainment, which I wouldn’t disagree with.

Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik
The exterior of the Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik, as seen from the garden/pool area – at sunset!

A friendly arrival, and we get acquainted with our room

Our late in the day Ryanair flight got us to the hotel at around 9.45pm which meant that check-in was a breeze – there was no one else trying to do the same at that time of day! This was also no doubt because it was a Thursday, a very untraditional check-in day of the week. Had we been arriving on a Saturday or Sunday, the lobby would have undoubtedly been fuller.

Our late arrival meant we had missed dinner, but upon reaching our room (a very short time after arriving at the hotel) we were greeted with a very full plate of salami, cheese and a massive basket of bread. Which I call a full dinner!

What was our room like? Well, we had a room on the second floor, overlooking the pool and with views out to sea. The room was a little bit of a tight squeeze but overall a decent size; a large and comfortable double bed in the centre, and two single beds for the kids in a small space separated from the rest of the room by a curtain. Great for getting them to sleep earlier than us adults!

A room at the Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik
Our room (note: sunhat – model’s own)

The bathroom only had a shower – no problem for us – but with nonsensical doors that meant the bathroom nearly flooded every time the shower was used. Why?! Why do so many hotels do this?!

We were lucky enough to have a balcony – not that we ever had the time to sit on it – but it came equipped with a proper drying rack which is a great idea. Provide something for your guests to properly hang their pool towels and swimwear on, and they won’t clutter up the balconies.

First day – start as you mean to go on with some pool time

This is very much a family holiday, so what happens on a family holiday? Eat – pool – eat – pool – afternoon drink or ice cream – pool – small rest – eat – dinner, drinks and entertainment – bed. Repeat x 7 (insert your own holiday length here) – go back home.

And that’s essentially what this hotel is all about. Or at least, that’s how we enjoyed it! After our first experience of a buffet meal, the breakfast, we headed down to enjoy a long stretch of pool time. The pool selection is more or less excellent at the Hotel Borik. There’s one very large pool that’s divided in the centre, with one side I would suppose intended for swimming and the other for fun, seeing as that’s where the large slide ends up. In reality, both sides were used for fun – i.e. kids splashing about – all the time.

A second, smaller pool is off to one side that seemed to be more for smaller children and their parents to use. This pool was actually linked to the indoor pool by a doorway you could swim through – much to the delight of many kids. It looked as though this door would close in the colder months, and the indoor pool would then be self-contained. Both the indoor and outdoor sections of this pool had an area that bubbled up every so often, no doubt intended for relaxation but actually commandeered by kids (but of course) who shrieked with delight every time the bubbles appeared.

Pool and sea view from a room at the Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik
Room view of the pool – including slide – and sea

The “baby pool” was a fair bit away from the above-mentioned pools; I felt it was a bit of a disappointment. The pool was actually not really a pool at all, and in fact a small waterfall which saw water drain down into a large fountain – so, more like a splash area (but set on the ordinary tiled ground). Whilst some kids, I’m sure love splashing about in this sort of setting, I would have preferred a proper pool to allow my young one to walk around/splash around in confidence.

The water slide into the main pool provided literal hours of fun for some kids. Even I had a go, and I’m a total scaredy-cat! My verdict: very fun, a tiny bit scary, and I can see how some would go on this all day long.

I know the next question on your lips – are pool towels provided? Thankfully, yes! You’re given a number of cards (depending on your group size) that you exchange each day at the spa reception for towels. Then, when you return your towels, you get the same number of cards back. It’s a system that works really well, and there was never a towel queue.

And yes, to answer your next question, guests DO reserve sun loungers despite posters asking then NOT to. Sigh. But there were always enough loungers (with some spare) to find some free ones.

The beach is minutes away

Get this – a sandy…yes, sandy…beach is right outside the Hotel Borik.

And by right outside, I mean exit the garden gate by the pool area and woah – there you are on the beach. It takes just seconds to get there!

The beach isn’t a private one, but no matter – there’s plenty of space for everyone, although you do need to pay for beach furniture should you wish to sit down on something that isn’t sand or the small pier. But if you’re staying at the Hotel Borik, you will likely do what we did and just head down with some towels for a brief swim before retreating back to the pool.

The beach here is unbelievably shallow for ages – obviously, always great for kids. This kind of beach also makes for an energetic swim if you had far enough out to get to where you need to tread water.

The kids won’t stop playing

And I mean this as a statement, rather than a complaint!

Why? Well, there’s a great deal here for them to enjoy. There are two small-ish outdoor playground areas to explore, but a star attraction for any kid – even when they’re on a summer holiday with sunny, hot weather – is the soft play area. This indoor playground was actually of a decent size and had enough variety to keep my two entertained for ages. Even better, the soft play was open from 9am to 9pm each day, so we could pop by after breakfast, before dinner, after dinner, whenever we had a free moment…

The soft play was located in the kids’ club room, which had other toys and activities to dive into, and plenty of adults and entertainers on hand to keep an eye on things and interact with the children. Just off this room was a gaming room for older kids – not something we used, but I suppose an essential if you have kids of a certain age and interest.

The soft play/kids club room is cleverly located right by one of the bars, so adults can sit outside and be close enough to keep an eye on things (kind of) with a coffee or something even more relaxing. And on the left was the arcade/games space, which had a number of decent arcade machines (including one of those always impossible grabber toy things) and a game with the prize of a Luka Modric Croatia shirt. (For the whole week, we couldn’t figure out what the game actually was.) Then also perennial favourites such as ping pong, air hockey, sit-down football and more.

The kids club offered a very extensive timetable of activities, which were separated out into Falky ones (for younger kids) and those for Falkons (for the older set). Activities included circus workshops, slackline challenges, t-shirt painting, scavenger hunts, water polo, bath bombing making and much more. My lot aren’t into holiday kids’ clubs so I can’t offer much comment on the quality of Hotel Borik’s one – but from what I saw, the kids joining seemed to be having a good time.

And then the all important evening entertainment, for kids need to be included in something once the pool closes. It was always family-friendly – from kids disco to shows (we caught a very acrobatically-themed adaptation of The Greatest Showman) to a movie night to live music.

An evening show at the Hotel Borik
An evening show – The Greatest Showman – attracts a big audience

If all of the above isn’t enough, the hotel mascot – Falky the Falcon – makes an appearance every now and again to the delight of the many screaming children.

There was also a giant inflatable assault course next to the hotel (not actually part of it), which offered 15 minutes of play for €5. Just in case you needed another way to entertain the kids!

Eat as much as you want, when you want (kind of)

Whilst I suppose all inclusive means you could stuff yourself silly at mealtimes, all inclusive for a family holiday has the massive advantage of not having to think about meals for your children for the entire week. Worth its weight in gold, isn’t it? Sure, they’re eating doughnuts for breakfast, three portions of chips for lunch and one piece for pasta followed immediately by watermelon and ice cream for dinner – who cares?! You’re on holiday! Slightly more adventurous eaters may even sample something new!

Personally, I thought mealtimes at the Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik – which were always served buffet style – were good, fine, not amazing…but is a buffet ever amazing? There was always a very decent choice, with multiple options – cereals, cold cuts, fruit and cooked breakfasts for the first meal of the day and so on. I loved the choice of salads, which were varied (with an option to make your own from basic ingredients too), and I thought desserts were also great; lots of nicely presented cakes, with a Croatian option (strukli, plum dumplings, orahnjaca, kremsnita and similar) always on offer.

There were two special nights – a Dalmatian night on Friday and a BBQ night on Wednesday. Both involved the food laid out on stalls in the courtyard, and a special welcome drink of a cocktail. The Dalmatian night was a nice touch, with dishes such as pasticada with gnocchi, grilled squid and more, whilst a klapa band wandered through the restaurant. The BBQ night was disappointing, only insofar as little of the food actually seemed to be being grilled out there in the open!

Traditional singing in the restaurant for dinner on Dalmatian Night
Traditional singing in the restaurant for dinner on Dalmatian Night

I have to mention the snack bar by the pool which also laid out items for lunch for guests each day. (Lunch was also served in the restaurant.) This was a simple affair, with chips, pizza, and salad available most days, whilst pasta dishes, hot dogs and burgers also appeared on some days. A truly easy and tasty way of taking a break from pool time.

All-inclusive also means all-inclusive drinks! Look, I’m not fussy when it comes to beer and wine in these situations; if I can apparently ask for unlimited quantities, I’m not expecting €100 bottles of wine to be cracked open. I normally opted for a glass of Grasevina white wine from the main bar in an evening; some nights I even went “wild” with a pina colada, which was stronger than I expected! The kids (mine and…everyone else’s) couldn’t get over the unlimited kids’ mocktails, with a Falky (a orange and red drink), a Blue Lagoon (a blue drink) and a non-alcoholic pina colada the top hits.

Cevapcici at the Hotel Borik on BBQ night
Cevapcici on BBQ night – delicious!

What about some R ‘n’ R?

Tending as I was to small children on my holiday, I didn’t get much of a chance to indulge in the spa apart from a few minutes in the jacuzzi!

The spa seemed extensive, surprisingly so, with the aforementioned jacuzzi, a cold plunge pool, relaxation area, sauna, steam room and private rooms for treatments.

Really, I should have booked myself in for a massage – my regret!

Unexpected highlights

Always pleasing on any holiday, especially a family one, is a surprise or two.

One of our surprise highlights was the coffee and cake offer in the Barbara Bar, just off the lobby, every day from 11am to 6pm. (We chose to enjoy the offer at a normal British tea time hour.) Some rather fancy-looking “cakes” (usually more of a dessert such as mousse) were also available to take from the small fridge in this bar, whilst coffee, wine or lemonade could be ordered from the waiter. (Other drinks were available for a price.)

Coffee and cake in Barbara Bar, Hotel Borik
Coffee and cake in Barbara Bar

I was also very pleased to see swimming lessons offered (for free!) to younger guests aged 4+. I spotted a jolly teacher leading small groups in the indoor and outdoor pools.

The central corridor between the two main buildings featured a small selection of shops, including a toy shop, a souvenir shop and what I’m going to call a “pool supplies” shop. (Swimwear, inflatables, sun cream and the like.) Whilst I didn’t need my children to gaze longingly at the toys every day, having inflatables to purchase on our doorstep – albeit pricey (but, you know, when in Rome…) – kept everyone happy.

The staff were all very friendly, particularly the Reception staff who always greeted me with a smile. Entertainment staff seemed to work long and hard each day, keeping everyone amused, and were always in good spirits around the kids. The barman in the Barbara Bar was also very professional, although he clearly wanted someone to ask him to make a proper cocktail or for a wine or whiskey recommendation! (Won’t someone please put him out of this misery?!)

More info about the Falkensteiner Funimation Hotel Borik and good to know

You can find out more about the hotel and what it offers guests on the Falkensteiner website.

The hotel is only around a 30-minute drive from Zadar Airport – a pleasingly short transfer time. It’s around a 20-minute drive to Zadar’s Old Town, and Uber and Bolt taxis can easily find the hotel and collect you right outside the door. The ride into town/from town costs €5-10 depending on the time of day. You could also travel to the Old Town by local bus number 5 or 8, with the bus stop outside the hotel.

A 15-minute walk away from the hotel is the marina in Drazanica Bay, from where you can get the Zadar Water Taxi directly to (or from) the Riva in the Old Town.

Local excursions can be booked in the lobby.

A doctor is available for consultations during certain hours each day. (Not inclusive)

There is a decent-sized Konzum supermarket across the road from the hotel.

There are numerous bars and restaurants within walking distance from the hotel, should you want a change of scene from the all-inclusive offer.

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post, and Visit Croatia paid for the entire holiday. All thoughts in this review are Visit Croatia’s own and not influenced by any company.

Visit Croatia Review: Grand Hotel Brioni, Pula

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I was lucky enough to visit and stay at the Grand Hotel Brioni on a short trip this past weekend to escape the English winter (also known as the summer of 2024). Read up on my experiences of staying and enjoying this gorgeous hotel and all it has to offer, as well as the town of Pula and the local area.

About the Grand Hotel Brioni

The first Radisson Collection Hotel in Croatia, the Grand Hotel Brioni has a long tradition of luxury and elegance. The hotel first opened in 1972 as the Hotel Brioni and many times welcomed dignitaries and celebrities of the day as guests. Yugoslavian President Josip Broz Tito often stayed here (his summer residence on the Brijuni islands is nearby; more on that later) as did famous figures such as Sophia Loren and Abba. A casino license in that decade even drew regular gambling guests from the U.S., making use of the – unbelievably – direct flights from New York to Pula that existed back then.

An extensive refurbishment at the start of this decade saw the 227-room hotel brought back up to present-day opulence and it reopened to guests in 2022. The Grand Hotel Brioni has clearly immediately made its mark; it was named the best luxury hotel in Croatia last year, out of 68 five-star hotels in the country.

The Grand Hotel Brioni (Credit: Jason Alden)
The Grand Hotel Brioni (Credit: Jason Alden)

First impressions – and they are good

Back to the present. This luxury five-star hotel immediately puts my mind in relaxation mode from the minute I enter, with calming colours in the marble lobby, highlighted with items in different shades of the hotel’s signature blue. The natural materials used in the hotel’s furnishings and furniture are apparent. It’s a wonderfully tranquil first impression.

The personal welcome is top-notch, with one of the most relaxed check-ins I’ve experienced. My passport details are dealt with (not always so straightforward in Croatia – if you know, you know) and I’ve gained my room’s keycard before I can even sample a welcome drink.

That’s when the first wow moment comes. Stepping into my second-floor, sea view room, my immediate split-second thought is about how wonderful the room is – before I’m drawn to an absolutely breathtaking view of the Adriatic Sea, the rest of Verudela Bay jutting out a short distance away and even the Brijuni islands visible further beyond.

I’m so entranced that I spent much of the weekend opening up the sliding doors of my room (32C heat be damned) to soak in as much of the beautiful view, calming sea colours and the sounds of the waves gently lapping on the beach below. The position of the room’s mirror right by the large sliding doors is a clever trick the hotel has clearly done deliberately, giving guests an immediately doubled view of all of the above.

Grand Hotel Brioni hotel room
A hotel room at the Grand Hotel Brioni – note the mirroring of the view
Grand Hotel Brioni coffee maker
Grand Hotel Brioni decorative touches
Grand Hotel Brioni welcome snack
Grand Hotel Brioni toiletries

Grand Hotel Brioni – an infinity pool to die before…before being revived in the spa

I mention “the first wow moment” at this hotel for there are several more to come during my stay. From my room, I also spy the infinity pool – an 80-metre-long seawater pool that stretches all along what looks to be the hotel’s edge. “Inviting” is certainly one way to describe this pool, but once I finally take the plunge – literally – it’s even more magical. I can’t help but bob and hang by the edge of the infinity pool as it looks directly out over the sea. It’s hard to tear myself away, and even harder to not spend most of the afternoon posing there either. (I just about manage the former but totally fail on the latter.)

The 80-metre-long infinity pool at the Grand Hotel Brioni (Copyright Matthew Shaw)
The 80-metre-long infinity pool (Copyright Matthew Shaw)

The infinity pool is one of two at the hotel, the other being the indoor pool. Normally, a hotel’s indoor pool is the poor little sister of the outdoor one but not here. Swim in this indoor pool and you can enjoy the trick of being engulfed by different shades of shimmering blue water – as you look out from the pool over to the infinity pool and the Adriatic Sea beyond that.

The indoor pool is part of the extensive Gemma di Brioni spa and wellness centre that offers a wide range of facilities and treatments. These include facial treatments, non-invasive beauty treatments, body rituals, hydro massage baths, men’s treatments and of course massages. The Merveille Arctique Massage that I enjoyed involved the use of alternating hot and cold massage balls that aim to relax muscles and destress the body. “Aim” is a misleading word to use here, for the massage absolutely does its job, and I find myself on the point of falling asleep on the massage table as I’m so relaxed.

The saunas at the Gemma di Brioni spa
The saunas at the Gemma di Brioni spa – the Icefall (ice used to rub onto the body) can be seen on the right
Grand Hotel Brioni indoor pool
The indoor pool at the Grand Hotel Brioni (Copyright Matthew Shaw)

Hotel guests can also use the spa and wellness centre without booking a treatment, enjoying two types of sauna, a steam room and what the hotel calls a “water paradise” – four showers offering different sensations lined up in a path. There is also a large relaxation room to get into a fully zen headspace, but even the spa’s waiting areas offer complete calm.

Let’s talk about the food…and wine

Very undeservingly, Istrian food and wine is not as well known as it should be. Really, the region should be one of the most talked about gastro regions in the world. And I don’t mean that lightly. The quality of the ingredients (including local specialities such as truffle and olive oil, plus fish and seafood), the inventiveness of the cooking and presentation, and the warm and knowledgeable way dishes are presented

The Grand Hotel Brioni has five restaurants to sample some of the Istrian specialities, including the more relaxed poolside Brioni Giardini Restaurant or the Brioni Lungo Mare overlooking the beach. Buffet breakfasts and dinners are served in the Brioni Forum Restaurant. Both have a wonderful choice of dishes; of course, there is pasta, meat, seafood, salad and charcuterie options (for dinner…I probably don’t need to point out) but each is served in a typically Istrian (or Croatian) way.

It is the Sophia Restaurant (named in tribute to Italian actress Sophia Loren) which is the gem in the Grand Hotel Brioni’s restaurant offering, and at least one dinner here during your stay is an absolute must. Yes, it is meat-heavy but that’s to my delight, and items such as the tartare, carpaccio and expertly cooked and served steak are simply divine. Even the pre-meal bread and accompanying olive oil and homemade salts – such as gin and lime – are superb.

Pula – The ultimate city break

I spent much of my stay thinking about how Pula is the ultimate UK weekend break destination. With a flight time of just under two hours (from London), you can get settled into life on the twinkling Adriatic Sea in no time at all. A hotel stay somewhere such as the Grand Hotel Brioni gives you the perfect base for Pula, with time to rest poolside or on the beach before heading into town. (The centre of Pula is only an easy 15-minute taxi ride away, or can also be reached by local bus for just €2.)

Pula is a truly charming town. Not especially big, to be honest (it has a population of just over 50,000 people), but it is certainly the kind of place you want to be near when you’re on a luxury break. The town is easily walkable so once you’re there, there’s no need to do anything but stroll between sights, stopping off at a cafe or three for an iced coffee or a glass of local Malvazija wine.

Pula Arena, set up for screenings for the Pula Film Festival
Pula Arena, set up for screenings for the Pula Film Festival

And boy, what sights. A smattering of Roman sights, the crown jewel of course being the 1st century AD Roman amphitheatre, the Arena. The weekend I was there, the Arena was fully set up for the 71st edition of the Pula Film Festival (the longest-running film festival in Croatia) although it was still possible to enter and explore the amphitheatre during the daytime. But The Arena also hosts concerts throughout the summer months, with Dua Lipa having performed there in early June, and concerts from Duran Duran and Lenny Kravitz coming later this month. Legends such as Elton John have also appeared in the past.

Pula Arena

I was equally as fascinated by a more modern-yet-still-histroic sight – the Zerostrasse Tunnels. Built during World War I, the tunnels were intended to provide a shelter for the town’s citizens as well as an ammunition store, communications network and more. The tunnels apparently could potentially shelter all of Pula’s citizens even today. Thankfully, they are used as an attraction and house an exhibition on Pula’s old tram transport. They can also be used to access the 17th-century fortress Kastel (Castle) for fantastic views all around.

Make like a celeb of days gone by and head to the Brijuni Islands

A short ride away from the Grand Hotel Brioni is the coastal village of Fazana from where the public ferry to Veliki Brijun of the Brijuni Islands departs. As I’ve mentioned, President Tito had his summer residence on the islands – although, as the Tito Museum exhibit sign on the islands implies, his idea of summer was apparently six months long. It was here that he also hosted many world leaders and others; even our very own Queen Elizabeth II was a guest.

Brijuni Islands sea
Crystal-clear water by the Brijuni islands…and then some!

The islands are one of Croatia’s eight national parks and perhaps not as well known as Plitvice or Krka. Very different indeed (no lakes or islands here), the Brijuni islands are still magical in their own way. The archipelago contains 14 islands in total (the smallest, Supinic, appears to be barely more than a rock) and is full of quiet coves and bays with crystal-clear waters. A tourist train takes you on a gentle tour around the majority of sights on the largest island with a guide providing information. If you go for a private guide, ask for the very impressive Sanja who is as knowledgeable as she is entertaining.

The greenery of the Brijuni Islands - the Momument to Sony (another previous elephant resident) can be seen
The greenery of the Brijuni Islands – the Momument to Sony (another previous elephant resident) can be seen

The islands are an exciting mish-mash of sights and experiences, from a 12th-century tower, the oldest building here, to an 18-hole golf course; dinosaur footprints (yes, really!) to 160 plant and tree varieties from all over the world in the Mediterranean Garden; an olive tree that is 1,600 years old to a safari park containing animals that were presented as gifts to Tito over the years. In fact, almost all of the animals in the park today are descendants of the original gifts to Tito – apart from elephant Lanka (again, another “yes, really!) who arrived on Veliki Brijuni 50 years old as a two year old.

Year-round stays at the Grand Hotel Brioni

The Grand Hotel Brioni is one of those Croatian rarities – a coastal hotel that opens year-round. Whilst the Croatian coast offers so much for summer visitors, many won’t even entertain the idea of visiting at any point from November to March.

Whilst the weather in Pula and Istria does certainly become wintery, daytime temperatures usually only get to a low of about 10 or 11 degrees Celsius. Practically like the aforementioned English summer of 2024, in fact.

A stay at the hotel during winter or at least during off-season would allow you to really indulge in what the hotel has to offer – the excellent spa and its treatments, the indoor pool, the top restaurants – without your head being turned by the (understandably) endless pull of the sun and sea. And strolling around Pula in wintertime would also be wonderful.

More views of the Grand Hotel Brioni

Take a look at my little recap reel of my stay at the hotel:

More information

Visit the Grand Hotel Brioni website for full details of the hotel and to book a room, or see them on Instagram @grandhotelbrionipula or on @radissoncollection for their luxury holiday inspiration.

Visit Croatia stayed as a guest of the Grand Hotel Brioni. All views are Visit Croatia’s own.

St Nicholas Fortress

Visit Croatia Review: Visiting St Nicholas’ Fortress

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If you’re visiting the lovely town of Sibenik, you’re in for a real treat! This smart town has it all – great accommodation options, good food, and some amazing sights. There are two UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Sibenik; no other location in Croatia has two such sites in the same place! Here, we will explain how to visit the impressive St Nicholas’ Fortress and review whether it is worth it.

St Nicholas Fortress
An interior shot of the fortress

St Nicholas’ Fortress – a bit of history

To expand on what we’ve said above – St Nicholas’ Fortress is indeed a UNESCO World Heritage site but under the title of “Venetian Works of Defence between the 16th and 17th Centuries”. These works of defence include six different sites; three in Italy, one in Kotor in Montenegro and the Old Town walls in Zadar.

Located in St Anthony’s Channel, out to sea from Sibenik, the fortress sits on a tiny island named Ljuljevac. Bult between 1540 and 1547 by Venetian architect Giangirolamo Sanmicheli, the fortress was indeed constructed to act as a sea defence against Ottoman boats and to protect the town of Sibenik. The Fortress obviously did its job – Sibenik was never attacked from the sea, and no naval battles in this area were ever recorded.

St Nicholas’ Fortress gets its name from the Benedictine Monastery of St Nicholas which was located on the same island but was demolished to make way for the fortress.

The fortress was opened to visitors in 2019, so it’s only been a short few years that travellers to Croatia have been able to visit the place.

How to visit St Nicholas’ Fortress

St Nicholas’ Fortress can only be visited on an official boat tour. You cannot visit using a private boat or via an unofficial tour boat.

St Nicholas Fortress boat
The boat to the fortress (on the right – the larger one, not the little dinghy!) waiting in the harbour

Boats depart Sibenik’s waterfront, close to Perivoj Robert Visanija and the Hotel Bellevue. Tickets for the tour can be purchased in a little office just opposite the boat – ask the guide or captain on board the boat to point it out to you if you can’t spot it. Alternatively, you can also purchase tickets ahead of time online on the St Anthony’s Channel website.

Tickets cost €22 for adults and €16 for children aged 7 to 18 years old. Children under the age of 7 go free.

Boats run several times a day (four times a day in peak season, July and August; two or three times a day outside of these months) from the end of April to mid-October.

St Nicholas Fortress tablet
The tablet for the tour, waiting to be used!

What you see and do on the St Nicholas’ Fortress Tour

Upon boarding the boat, you are given a tablet – with headphones – that’s loaded with an interactive tour of the fortress. Its a quirky addition to the tour that feels a little unusual at first, but makes sense once you actually step foot inside St Nicholas’ Fortress.

It’s a 30-minute boat ride over to Ljuljevac island on the comfortable boat; make sure you take in your surroundings and get your camera out as there are plenty of photo-worthy scenes. As you sail through St Anthony’s Channel, you’ll notice lush greenery on both sides; on the left, you might notice a path through the trees (and eventually a small beach) that you might want to return to another day. There’s also an intriguing tunnel set in the cliff walls – this was built by the Germans in WWII and continued to be used in the days of Yugoslavia. (It is no longer used, of course!)

Welcome to Sibenik sign
A Welcome to Sibenik sign
Tunnel in St Anthony's Channel
The tunnel – now unused – in St Anthony’s Channel

When you arrive at the Fortress and disembark on the pier, make sure you take some photos of the grand main entrance. It really is an impressive first experience of the Fortress, and when you arrive you truly understand the amazing way the structure has been built on this islet, right up to the water’s edge.

St Nicholas Fortress entrance
The entrance to St Nicholas’ Fortress
St Nicholas Fortress entrance
Looking back once inside

Once inside the Fortress, the guided tour begins. Our tour guide was a lively lady who spoke excellent English and was perfect at explaining the different elements of the complex. As mentioned, however, all visitors are also given a tablet with an interactive tour. There are different numbers displayed on walls throughout the Fortress at which you are supposed to play some additional audio or video on your tablet.

The same tablet also allows for some neat augmented reality elements – suddenly, some “guards” may appear right before your eyes! Walking through what would have been the ammunition storage room, you are also guided to play a game on the tablet, shooting cannonballs at attacking ships.

St Nicholas Fortress interior
St Nicholas Fortress interior
St Nicholas’ Fortress interior

Whilst the different interior components of the Fortress are interesting, once you get on the roof you can really get a sense for how well placed St Nicholas’ Fortress would have been to protect the town of Sibenik. These days, you can rest easy with some gorgeous views out to see, and the only boats to remark on are the numerous speedboats taking holidaymakers somewhere fun.

St Nicholas Fortress roof
A panoramic shot on the roof of the fortress

Is it worth visiting St Nicholas’ Fortress?

Absolutely, yes! All in all, this is a very interesting, informative and highly pleasant little trip.

We visited the fortress in the mid-afternoon in the peak summer season – late July – and although the trip was busy with a good number of visitors, it wasn’t overly crowded. I believe the full capacity of the boats/tour is 94 people, and we were probably not even a third of that number.

The boat trip over to the fortress was a very enjoyable start and end to the trip – a lovely way of experiencing St Anthony’s Channel and an opportunity to snap some gorgeous shots of Sibenik from the sea.

More info

You can find out more about visiting St Nicholas’ Fortress on the official St Anthony’s Channel website.

Amadria Park

Visit Croatia Review: Amadria Park Resort, Sibenik

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Last year, Visit Croatia holidayed at the Amadria Park resort with her young family. See what she – and the rest of the family – thought in this review!

If you’ve read our review of Jet2 Holidays and the dilemma of choosing a holiday destination, we’ll fast forward to the conclusion that we ended up booking a week’s holiday in July at the four-star Hotel Jakov, part of the Amadria Park resort near Sibenik. Off we set – waaaay too early for a Sunday morning, it has to be said – on our breezy 2-hour flight from London Stansted to Split.

I’m always amazed by how wonderful landing in Croatia is – once you’re in Croatian airspace, the view from a plane is truly spectacular with a gorgeous view of the stunning coastline and the many, many islands and islets and beautiful towns below. And such was the case on a beautifully sunny summer’s day in Split. Whisked through the airport relatively quickly with a bit of time to admire the new airport building, our transfer coach was waiting outside for all of us Jet2 Holiday holidaymakers. On this particular journey, we had a total of 3 stops with Amadria Park guests alighting at the final destination – making it about an hour’s transfer time from the airport.

Amadria Park

Checking In…or not

Now, at this point, we encountered probably the biggest problem of our holiday. Sunday is clearly a big guest turnover day and the lobby was filled to the brim with new guests waiting to check in and be allocated their rooms. The Hotel Jakov is termed a “family hotel” so as well as plenty of adult guests there were many, many children of various ages and in various stages of behavioural boredom. And what with the hotel being full of families, all manner of family-related items were also in the lobby – prams, pool inflatables, bags of nappies, that sort of thing.

Despite the inconvenience, there was an orderly queuing system and the young staff were staying calm in typically insouciant Croatian fashion, managing to cope with the situation. They also placated us guests with glasses of a fizzy little something.

We probably waited over an hour before we were finally able to check in – not at all ideal after a longish day of travelling and a very early morning start. As an apology, we were given a free dinner for our party at the hotel restaurant – which worked out for the first night anyway, with us not wanting to stray to far or think to hard about what to eat.

Review Jet2 Holidays - View from Amadria Park Beach

Rooms at the Amadria Park Hotel Jakov

After all the check-in palaver, we were delighted to finally be given the key cards to our room. And a lovely room it was! We had opted for the 31m. sq. family room, which was ideal for two adults and two kids. The room had a smart, modern and welcoming decor and included a small balcony with a view of the hotel grounds.

If you’ve travelled with kids, you’ll likely know that kids and adults and hotel rooms are a terrible mix – no one wants to go to bed at an appropriate time, no one can relax properly and something bonkers like the adults “hiding” in the bathroom whilst the kids try to fall asleep always ends up happening. So a separate space for kids to sleep in is a must…which is exactly what this hotel room had.

With a bunk bed right by the room entrance (where there was also space for a baby cot), the main double bed in the room is down a narrowish hallway – past the bathroom – and well away from sleeping kids. A highly appreciated solution to give the younger holidaymakers and the older holidaymakers some space so everyone can rest appropriately.

Pool Area and Amenities

Although the pool area is nicely laid out with space for a good number of loungers, it did always feel busy. There are two smallish freshwater pools (right next to each other) and a smaller baby pool off to one side. We tended to sit by the baby pool which was a lot quieter and where it was always easy to find some lounger space – and shaded space at that, under sun umbrellas and trees.

The pools themselves were perhaps a little on the small side given the number of guests, and aside from swimming and bobbing around on their own inflatables, kids amused themselves by throwing themselves off a small rocky display next to one of the pools. Kids being kids, and all!

Amadria Park Hotel Jakov Pool
The baby pool at the Hotel Jakov – see, I told you it was less busy!

There was a beach bar where simple snacks (sandwiches and salads), freezer ice creams and drinks could be obtained which was very welcome in the heat. A suggestion to the hotel would be to have an ice cream menu on display – no one ever seemed to understand what we wanted (and everyone spoke English) but an ice cream is an ice cream…right?!

Aquapark Dalmatia

Part of the Amadria Park resort is the Aquapark Dalmatia waterpark, which you can see (and most definitely hear!) if you’re staying at the Hotel Jakov.

The waterpark is fairly small as far as waterparks go, with a lazy river, several jacuzzis, a large rain “fortress” with six water slides, a “kids zone” with smaller water slides and a number of smaller pools ideal for younger guests.

The waterpark cost €26.60 for adults and €13.30 for children “between 90cm and 120cm” in height which we felt was too much for what it actually was, although probably in line with these sorts of attractions! This was a discount from €33.33 and €16.67 for non-hotel guests. (Note: these are all 2022 prices)

A nice touch would have been to give us one free waterpark day as hotel guests. As it was, we weren’t tempted to return later in the week after spending the majority of one day there and given the price.

Note: AquaPark Dalmatia is also open to non-Amadria Park guests

Kids Club and Activities

There was a daily kids club at the Hotel Jakov (shared with the Hotel Andrija) which you could dip into as you wanted with your kids, I believe for those aged 4 and above. Housed in two little huts by the playground, it seemed to be well-staffed by young, enthusiastic adults going through the usual childcare activities of games and crafts. The kids club was included in the hotel price; private babysitting also seemed to be on offer for €33.35 per hour (2022 price).

Hotel Jakov playground
The playground and kids’ club huts

The playground itself was also a welcome draw – reasonably large with a number of fun climbing frames, slides and similar. It certainly drew the kids in the evenings once the temperature was cooler!

A hotel mascot – a bear – popped up occasionally at the hotel, either delighting or frightening children (depending on their temperament). This same bear would also delight/frighten the kids on the daily train parade that ran a route from next to the Aquapark along the main promenade.

There were additional daily entertainment activities, including yoga on the beach, t-shirt/bag painting at Sweet Dreams Cake Shop (for an extra charge), aqua aerobics and aqua fun, and a pirate competition – whatever that may be – on the minigolf course.

Dining

The welcoming, large dining room at the Hotel Jakov is open for a buffet breakfast and buffet dinner. Our booking only included breakfast and we found the breakfast options plentiful – cereals, cooked breakfast, pancakes and sweet treats, fruits, yoghurts, continental cold plate breakfast options, juices, hot drinks…the list goes on.

There was more than enough food supplied and replenished throughout the breakfast session, plenty of seating for hotel guests (indoor and outdoor) and enough baby chairs for little ones.

Dinner was again buffet style – although not part of our booking, we received a free dinner the first night and had the option to pay for other nights if we wanted to. This was less of a hit for us – the choice and portions were more limited, and we never returned after that first night.

So, where else to eat? Well, the Amadria Park resort is huge with a number of other eating options dotted around the resort – from fast food (burgers) to a pizza/pasta-style cafe to more high-end dining. We tried a number of these and although perhaps on the pricey side, all served good food and we welcomed the fact that we had these choices just a short walk from our hotel.

An old stone house in the Dalmatian Ethno Village, Amadria Park
An old stone house in the Dalmatian Ethno Village

In particular, the Dalmatian Ethno Village is a treat for the final night of your holiday – the little village showcases a typical Dalmatian village from many moons ago. The menu as well offers garden-to-plate cooking, and the bread, cheese, olive oil and brandy are all made by hand using original tools. A very tasty meal was had here, with some good wine options too.

We personally also ate off-site a few nights – once at a restaurant just by the resort, another time in Sibenik.

Beach bar
One of the beach bars

Evening Entertainment

Every early evening a kids’ mini disco seemed to spark up by the neighbouring Hotel Andrija with hotel employees doing their best to inject a bit of fun into the location whilst some younger guests played football. (Because of course that’s what some boys do!)

Probably the most spectacular bit of entertainment we enjoyed during our week was a “train” (the resort’s motorised train vehicle) that summoned guests over to the Mediterranean Square, Pied Piper-style. Once there, an actually DJ-controlled disco started – still suitable for young ones – with dramatic disco lights, fantastically dressed dancers and performers including a fire-eating lady. A great atmosphere!

Party train
The party train leading people to the Mediterranean Square disco
Mediterranean Square Disco, Amadria Park
The Mediterranean Square disco

Amadria Park – Family Hotel versus Kids Hotel

As I’ve mentioned, the Hotel Jakov terms itself a “family hotel” in contrast to its next-door-neighbour, the four-star Hotel Andrija which is billed as a “kids hotel”.

What’s the difference? Well, I’d say that the Hotel Jakov is aimed at adults with young kids that want to stay at a nice hotel with pretty decor and great amenities that also caters to and thinks of its young guests.

Hotel Andrija, Amadria Park
The Hotel Andrija – I told you there was kid-focused decor!

From what I could see of the Hotel Andrija – we often went to its outdoor bar for an evening ice cream – that hotel fully targets its young visitors with child-friendly decor and furnishings, and amenities such as a gaming room. (Yes, really!)

Personally, the Hotel Jakov is much more my style!

The Amadria Park Resort as a whole

The resort is huge – but not in a way that overwhelmed us or ever felt too crowded. It is home to five hotels AND a camping resort at one end, plus mobile homes dotted around. There are numerous cafes and restaurants and other attractions such as the En Vogue Beach Club. The resort is so large, that we didn’t even have the time to fully explore all it had to offer!

(It has to also be said, we were not on the kind of holiday where a beach club would have fitted in!)

I haven’t even mentioned some of the other features and amenities of the resort such as the entertaining mini golf course, the outdoor cinema on the beach, bumper cars, bike rental, tennis lessons, the sweet shop and the very useful on-site mini supermarket. Or even really talked about the beach!

Inflatable waterpark
An inflatable waterpark
Mini golf course
The mini golf course
Outdoor cinema
Outdoor cinema, ready for action!
Cake Shop Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams cake and sweet shop

To rectify that here, the beach (pebbly, of course) offers loungers and beach umbrellas that must be paid for, although of course, you can sit yourself down anywhere else. The shallow, calm waters are ideal for kids, and there’s a lifeguard on duty for safety as well. There is also a large inflatable “fun park” a little distance out which was clearly enjoyed by kids and big kids alike.

Another big draw was the lovely seaside promenade which is the main path along the resort. As well as being the main way to get between the different hotels, restaurants and the like, it was a lovely walk particularly in the evening as the sun was setting.

Overall, I’m a big fan of the Amadria Park resort and I would say it is definitely suitable for a family holiday. I would certainly return for a future vacation!

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post, and Visit Croatia paid for the entire holiday. All thoughts in this review are Visit Croatia’s own and not influenced by any company.

Review Jet2 Holidays - View from Amadria Park Beach

Visit Croatia Review: Jet2 Holidays

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Last summer, Visit Croatia sought out a summer holiday for her and her family – totalling two adults and two kids. After umming and ahhhing over locations on mainland Greece, the Greek islands and Cyprus, Visit Croatia decided to go where Visit Croatia knows best…Croatia! Here’s a review of my experience booking with Jet2 Holidays for a summer break in Croatia.

Summer Holiday Research Drives Me Mad

Although the Internet should make these sorts of things easy these days, information overload actually makes it more difficult! Sure, I can browse 20+ holiday booking, travel comparison and review websites, check out all their deals, see the reviews left by other travellers, try and figure out which extras are actually worth going for…but then that just leaves me exhausted!

This 5-star hotel seems a good deal, but lots of travellers have left recent reviews saying its current quality shouldn’t have that star rating.

That hotel looks fantastic, but where is it? *Pulls up Google Maps*, oh a 2 hour transfer? With a baby? Maybe not…

This holiday ticks all the boxes, and look, it’s a great deal on this particular website! But I’ve never heard of this website before, is it legit? Why do I have to call to book?! And why is it telling me the special discount runs out in the next two hours?

That’s where Jet2 Holidays comes in to save the day! Having ditched the “unknown” travel booking websites (too dodgy) and the comparison ones (too confusing) we decided to try the main holiday booking sites. There are a few of course – I won’t mention the others in this review, but I’m sure you know of them. Jet2 Holidays is actually the largest tour operator in the UK. (Helping over 5.8 million Brits enjoy trips abroad.)

Booking the Holiday 

When it actually came to choosing and booking our holiday, I’m giving the Jet2 Holidays website a big thumbs up.

I found it incredibly easy to search for different destinations or multiple destinations at once. Each country they serve is divided up into different areas – Split area and Dubrovnik area, in the case of Croatia – so you can select individual ones as per your preference.

Once I had performed a search and received a list of results, I could filter out certain hotels and apartments by star rating, TripAdvisor rating and by resort name. I could even further filter the results by certain elements of a holiday – access to a children’s club or an aqua park, for example – and by board type.

Two things I’m a bit fan of about the Jet2 Holidays website (and app!) are the ability to “shortlist” particular holidays (so I could easily compare for my favourites, come back to my list at a later date, or even share the list with someone else) and how all the information about a holiday is laid out simply and clearly.

This last point is something that I find crucial and very much applaud Jet2 for! If I’m looking for a holiday, I want to see everything easily or be able to access all the information in just a click or two. As a parent to two little ones, “nice” flight times (i.e. not flights that land at 2am!) are important to me. So, being able to view the flight times on the main screen is a massive plus.

Likewise, transfer times – anything 2 hours or so is a no for me. but I get that that’s a possibility…but tell me and I’ll discount that particular hotel. Holiday companies, don’t hide this on page seven of the booking process! (Jet2 don’t – they show this on the main booking page.)

Another BIG plus is the calendar functionality. Once I had made a choice about a hotel or place of accommodation, I could draw up the calendar which showed me the same holiday and its different prices across all the dates it was/is available. This meant I could easily see if I could make a saving by travelling on a different week…or during mid-week.

Something similar happens when I was actually in the booking process. It’s very clear how much “upgrading” certain elements will cost – choose a different room at the same hotel and the price difference (“+£336”) is clearly displayed. The same happens for different board options, if available.

Oh, and another big hit with me? The fact that all of the basics are included in the price. And this means luggage (as well as transfers.) Jet2 have a baggage allowance of 22kg per traveller, which is part of a holiday booking. Certain other holiday booking sites may proclaim good deals before you realised it might be an extra few hundred quid for luggage. (Luggage basically being a must if you’re travelling with kids!) 10kg of hand luggage is also included.

Review Jet2 Holidays - View from Amadria Park Beach
The beach view from the Amadria Park resort

Changing Our Holiday Plans

Pleased as we were with finally booking after deliberating and researching for weeks (true story), less than 24 hours later we were hit with the realisation that we’d triple-booked ourselves and going away the week we’d planned would have meant missing out on several social events that were important to us.

Berating ourselves for being complete idiots, we thought we’d try calling Jet2 Holidays to see if you could maybe, possibly, somehow change our dates for a week earlier in the summer holidays.

This turned out to be not a problem at all! The very helpful and friendly lady we talked to pointed out that not only would there be no charge (as we were changing within 24 hours of booking), but we’d actually get a slightly cheaper holiday (meaning we’d get a refund) but changing our dates. A win all around!

Review Jet2 Holidays - Hotel Jakov entrance
The entrance to the Hotel Jakov

The Flight and Transfer

Our actual flight was perfectly smooth; really, heading to Stansted was perhaps the more difficult element of it all. Sure, it’s a short-haul flight on a budget airline, but we still found it reasonably comfortable. Apart from being forced to hear that Jess Glynne song multiple times. (If you know, you know.)

Finding our transfer coach at Split Airport was also pretty straightforward, as was the transfer itself. If memory serves me, we made three stops in total with our hotel – the Amadria Park Hotel Jakov near Sibenik – being the last.

Jet2 Holidays during our Holiday

I can’t say we encountered any reps from Jet2 Holidays during our stay, but we also didn’t need them either! Our hotel had a Jet2 book at reception with additional information on excursions and similar, but we were happy with planning our own. (Huh, it’s almost like I run a Croatian travel site…)

We did receive a little welcome pack that told us when and where to meet our reps if we needed them. During the week we were there, they were at a neighbouring hotel twice.

The Jet2 app also displayed information on our holiday, such as displaying details about our return transfer the day before we left. The company also has a 24-7 UK-based hotline should guests need any assistance.

But, as I said, we didn’t need our Jet2 reps during our holiday!

Excursions

Jet2 Holiday generally also offer a wide variety of excursions from their hotels. The ones that could be booked from our resort were an 8-hour trip to Krka National Park or a 12-hour trip to Plitvice National Park. (Both of these excursions ran once a week.) Again, this isn’t something we personally made use of due to the fact we were holidaying with young children, but the fact that we could have opted for excursions right from our doorstep…as it were…was a plus.

Obviously, there were and are plenty more excursions available in the wider area not organised by Jet2 Holidays!

Review of Jet2 Holidays: Overall

Another impressive factor for me is that Jet2 Holidays is the Which? Travel Brand of the Year 2022, and is also a Which? Recommended Provider. Not only that – Which? has also declared them the best airline. (I’m a big reader of Which? and trust what they say!)

They offer free child places, and all infants under 2 go free. I relish any chance we parents can save on summer holidays.

It’s possible to purchase a holiday on a pay monthly or part pay (as and when) basis which is another big plus.

So overall? A big thumbs up from me! I’m already looking at deals for this year’s summer holiday!

Note: Visit Croatia paid for the above holiday herself and was not compensated in any way or asked to write this review by Jet2 Holidays. All views above are Visit Croatia’s own.

Zagreb for Kids - Zagreb Zoo Sign

Zagreb Zoo – Visit Croatia Review

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Zagreb Zoo is located in the very pleasant and tranquil Maksimir Park, in the east of the city of Zagreb. The Park and Zoo are just a short tram ride away from the main part of the city, and so very easy to reach no matter where you’re staying.

Combining a day out in this pretty park with a few hours in the Zoo is a great way to spend an afternoon in Zagreb, particularly if you have kids in tow! The Zoo is also astonishingly cheap compared to zoos in other European cities and is well run and maintained, with an interesting selection of animals.

Zagreb Zoo Sign

Covering an area of 17 acres, the zoo completed the first stage of a modernisation program in 2016. Zagreb Zoo is a member of the European and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums and a participant in the European Endangered Species Programme.

Getting to Zagreb Zoo

Trams 11 or 12 operate from the main square, Trg ban Jelacic, to the road just outside Maksimir Park. Trams 4 and 7 from elsewhere in the city and also stop near the park.

Entry

Tickets for the Zoo cost just 30 Kunas for adults, and 10 Kunas for children.

The Zoo is open 365 days of the year so, weather permitting, you can enjoy it any time of year! Do note that the Zoo has different opening hours at different times of the year – obviously, longer in spring/summer and shorter autumn/winter. For example, the zoo closes at 4pm November to January inclusive, whilst it stays open until 8pm May to August. The ticket office closes about a hour before the zoo does, so make sure you make it in time to buy a ticket.

Large scale map at Zagreb Zoo
A map of the grounds, soon after entry. We are visitor number 79 that day!

What to See and Do in Zagreb Zoo

You can explore and visit the animals in the Zoo taking a largely circular route past the many exhibits. Soon after you enter you’ll walk over a bridge to get to the main part of the zoo, passing by flamingos, storks and a funny collection of capybaras.

Zagreb Zoo - lynx
Can you spot the lynx? (in the middle of the picture, to the left)

On to the main part and there’s an insectarium and lemur island and an often snoozing but beautiful lynx. The Australian section – and its wallabies – follows before you make your way over to the European brown bear enclosure.

Zebras and tapirs follow, then pygmy hippos and some very interesting exhibits in the Twilight Zone (nocturnal animals) and Tropical House buildings, including assorted reptiles and crocodiles!

Zagreb Zoo - Zebras
Zebras in a nice open enclosure
Crocodiles in Zagreb Zoo
Crocodiles in the Tropical House

The Monkey Pavillion and its chimpanzees brings you to the zoo’s restaurant, right next to the playful sea lions. Swing by the wolves before heading into the petting zoo where you can indeed stroke some of the animals such as goats.

Next you’ll see bison and camels and a large enclosed aviary before coming to probably the premier exhibit – the gorgeous lions. Nearby is also a very cute and playful red panda that is definitely worth watching for a bit!

Zagreb Zoo - Lions
The lion enclosure
Lion and lioness in Zagreb Zoo

Playgrounds

As you wind your way around, you’ll also encounter a decent number of children’s play areas which – depending on the age of your child – may delight them more than the animals!

Talks and Animals Feedings

Some days of the weeks see talks and public animal feedings take place for a number of animals in the zoo. You can see the timetable of this here, or check when entering the zoo.

Historical sights in Zagreb Zoo

The Zoo first opened in 1925 so there are a number of older structures dotted about – including a small tower (which you can climb up) just after the main entrance.

Eating in Zagreb Zoo

There is a restaurant on site called “Kod morskog lava” (which means “By the sea lion”…for the restaurant is indeed next to the sea lion enclosure. The restaurant serves traditional continental Croatian fare – think soups, Schnitzel-type meats with accompanying veg side dishes and tasty desserts.

There is also a very reasonably priced kids menu; for about 30-40 Kunas there are different ‘packages’ which contain a main, a side (usually chips) and a drink. (The more expensive ones also include a dessert.)

There are also numerous snack carts dotted around Zagreb Zoo from which you can grab a snack (ice cream, no doubt, for the kids!) or a drink.

Kod morskog lava restaurant
The sea lion enclosure (they’re in there, somewhere!) next to Kod morskog lava restaurant

Shopping

There is a cute little gift shop located not too far from the entrance that has a nice range of animal-themed gifts – soft toys, books, jewellery and other assorted knick knacks. Any kids in your group will probably find it hard to resist the soft toys…

Our verdict

Zagreb Zoo is definitely a wonderful way to spend a few hours in this city, whether you’re an animal lover or if you’re visiting with kids. The Zoo isn’t particularly big, but that’s perhaps best as some larger zoos can be quite exhausting to visit or are a full day experience. There are are also very modern facilities and amenities (toilets!) that add to the whole experience.

All the exhibits in the zoo are very interesting, and most of the animals seem well kept indeed – it certainly looks like a considerable amount of money has been invested in the zoo, and the recent modernisation programme has really helped.

I did think the sea lions’ enclosure was a little on the small side, however, and unfortunately it looked like the chimpanzees had learnt to sit, arms outstretched, begging for food from passers-by – I did hope that the ‘no feeding’ signs could be enforced a bit better.

But, all in all, I’d definitely recommend visiting Zagreb Zoo!

More information

Full details on visiting the zoo can be found on the official website.

About Croatia

Share your Croatian trip report with Visit Croatia and other travellers!

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If you’re heading to Croatia this summer (or have already been), how would you like to share your Croatian trip report, experiences, tips and recommendations with other travellers?

Share your Croatian trip report!-trip-report

We’re asking you, dear travellers, to share your trip reports on Croatia with us and our readers. However long or short you’d like it to be, however many places you’d like to recommend (or perhaps you want to keep some secret!), we’d love to hear from you!

Whether you’ve enjoyed the magic of Dubrovnik, sailed to the beautiful islands such as Hvar or Vis, have partied at at a festival in Croatia, explored one of the national parks, or visited anything and everything in between, we’d certainly enjoy reading your Croatian trip report and are sure others would too.

We know that many of you are also very talented photographers (we certainly see the proof of that on our Instagram feed every day!) so we’d also love to display some of your gorgeous photos along with your trip report.

We’ll of course credit you fully – whether you’d like to see your full name up in lights…well, not literally…or something a bit more discreet!

Drop us a line at webmaster@visit-croatia.co.uk if you’d like to submit a piece, or have any questions.

Thank you for reading, and thank you if you’re considering sending in a report!

Note: The only thing that we ask is that your submission please be at least 200 words in length. Of course, we very much welcome reports longer than that! 

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split

Reader’s Review: Dalmatia in September 2015 – Part 2 – Hvar & Split

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Following on from part one of Neil Killeen’s excellent report of Dalmatia in September here’s the second part of his travelogue. Here, Neil recounts his experiences of visiting and staying on/in the island of Hvar and Split, exploring the sights of both destinations.

Dalmatia in September 2015 – Part 2

by Neil Killeen

Our next stop was Hvar town. We decided to take one of the day trip boats to Jelsa (their first stop) on Hvar island and then catch a bus. The alternative was bus to Split and ferry to Hvar. This was a bit quicker and nicer we thought. So you pay about 100 kuna I think it was for the transfer to Jelsa. That was our first Adriatic boat trip.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Figure – On the way to Jelsa

On the way to Jelsa

At Jelsa harbour it was not at all obvious where the bus station was and we didn’t have a lot of time to find it. Google was not helping (and by the way my “covermore.com” global sim card worked well in all of Croatia – it came with my travel insurance). However, a very helpful man selling stuff in an outdoor stand gave us directions and we found it OK. It’s about a 10 min walk from the harbour. The bus trip was really pretty around the western coast of Hvar. Some guy in a Mercedes was not happy with the bus driver and chased about for a while (we didn’t feel any collision so we really don’t know what that was about).

At Hvar town our host and sister kindly collected us from the bus station. Nothing is very far away, but when you first arrive, finding places in the often multilply-named windy and hilly Croatian streets can be a bit tricky. We had a nice sea view from our accommodation.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Hvar

View from Hvar apartment

It turned out we were just a few minutes walk to the nicest beach in Hvar, and from there around to the harbour. The demographic in Hvar is a bit younger and upmarket. As you head north from Dubrovnik to Split I think there is a general evolution to a more lively environment. We happened across an Orson Wells exhibition there. It turned out his last companion, the actress Oja Kodar, is Croatian. Her met her in Hvar in 1967 working on a film he never finished called “The Deep”. She lives now near Split.

There is an old fort above the town which is well worth walking up to (it’s a nice walk). Its origins are late BC with much building and rebuilding over the next 2000 years as Hvar’s strategic importance waxed and waned. In the fort is a really interesting display of pots and other relics from a ship wreck dated to 2nd century BC. How cool is that!

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Figure – Prison Cell in the Fort, Hvar

Prison Cell in the Fort

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Hvar

Pots from 2nd century BC ship wreck

We couldn’t go to the green caves and other marine destinations, as it was a bit too windy. I think the operators were all a bit relieved to have a day or two off! Most nights there was music in the main town square. We enjoyed a band and singer who performed energetically and well for a couple of hours. We even had a little dance (Salsa) in the square to some of the music to enormous acclaim from some of the other listeners (but see Split!).

From Hvar we took the fast cat to Split. Our host met us at a church near the harbour and took us to the apartment. Nice and close to the main part of the city at the harbour. Split is a fabulous city, although, as a short-term tourist I think we get a rather protected slice of life. Split is especially famous for its Roman palace founded in the 4th Century. The emperor (Dicolesian I think was his name) was very unusual because he retired still living. Almost all of the Roman emperors were assassinated. I think it was the third century which saw 100 emperors come and largely go. (I learned this in a Rome museum).

Ri decided to have a sleep and I went out to explore the day trip options. One of the spruikers was a young woman, with whom, for some reason, I immediately found myself deeply engaged in a conversation about the history of Split and the Balkans in general. After 45 minutes she declared she really didn’t want to sell me day trip! She advised me that we should do one of the palace tours with a certain company, so we did. The palace is amazing. It’s large and is still lived in. It’s seen 1800 years of cultural and architectural change, and that’s all charted through its living buildings. You can see the edge of a roman road inside of the bank for example!

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split

The Bell Tower in the Palace

We experienced more traditional Croatian music here. This time it was a military band and all male-choir. To be honest it was a bit dull. The musicians were very polished (and look great in their lovely all white uniforms) but the music was very ‘samey’ (too much of anything is not a good thing) with endless Croatian folk songs. Worse, although the choir was some 15 strong, the arrangements weren’t very interesting with virtually all the men singing the same part in unison. I happen to sing in a choir, so I know I’m picky, but I really felt their talent was not being used as well it could have been. However, the locals appeared to be loving it, so we were happy to leave them to their fun.

Now the main square inside the palace under the bell tower is a fabulous place to be in the summer evenings. There is a Café that opens onto the square, and they hire musicians to perform every night. People sit around on the steps and the waiters zoom around making a fortune on drinks! Note, it is unwise to order “a beer”. What you will get is a very large vat of beer. If you want one that won’t last a week, ask for a “very small beer” please. We trotted out our little Salsa act here too – the musicians were brilliant every night; usually duos with really varied repertoire. One evening, a young couple got up to dance. The man was dressed in fairly ordinary ‘travel clothes’, but the woman was very elegantly dressed. Then they danced. Phew. It was HOT. They didn’t actually do a lot (in terms of ‘moves’) but their ‘moving’ was really sexy and beautiful to watch. We didn’t get up to dance again after that, you can be sure!

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split

More of the palace

We finally managed a day trip from Split. We went to the ‘blue lagoon’. The trip consisted of 1) going to a bay on an island and jump in and swim, 2) going to another bay on another island, where the water was slightly blue-er, jump in and swim. The boat had a couple of face masks which you could use to admire the seaweed and a few desultory fish, 3) go to a small town on another island and have a really bad lunch (we reckon it had been sitting on the bench a long while). Thanks heavens I did not select ‘fish’ as the fish was whole oily Mackerel (eeeeew), 4) wander about this tiny place (and it was REALLY hot) with absolutely nothing to see, 5) go back to Split. Actually, despite not being the most awesome experience (it wasn’t very expensive), it was a nice lazy day out on the water. We made friends with a couple of other folks over “lunch” and chatted with them for a while also.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - The ‘blue lagoon’

The ‘blue lagoon’

On our last day, I gave my partner, Ri, control. Normally I seem to be the one who ends up deciding where we go, and how we get there and all that stuff (I don’t particularly want to, it just works out this way). Anyway it was her turn I decided; I was soon not sure about this decision as we walked all the way around the peninsular to the west of the city (mostly through the Park Suma Marjan). However, It was a lovely day out. First we walked up to the lookout (near the cemetery).

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split panorama

Panorma from the Split lookout

Along the walk we encountered a beautiful tiny old church from the 13th Century. Although we couldn’t go in, there was a hole in the door through which I could take a good picture. The very basic interior of this church rather contrasted with the excessive basilicas of Rome a few days later.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split church

13th century (1219) church

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split church

13th century (1219) church

We also encountered these very cool dwellings built directly into the cliffs. The occupants must have lived incredibly austere lives. We didn’t manage to learn anything else about when these were built and occupied.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split

Rock-face dwellings in Park Suma Marjin

From here we wended our way down the hill to a beach that we had been eyeing keenly for a while. We had brought some sandwiches along with us and scarfed them down soon before finding our way to the beach. I was a bit surprised to learn that this was Ri’s very first peanut-butter and cucumber sandwich (I made them). These are a staple of mine and I was sure that in the last decade since we met one would have come her way….

Dalmatia in September 2015

Mmmm yummy

After a very nice cool swim (it was pretty hot this day) at the beach, we headed onwards along the coast back towards Split. This took us to the famed Gallery Mestrovic, the legacy of the famed Croatian artist Ivan Mestrovic. You can read the history here in Wikipedia. The gallery is wonderful and there is also a piece by Rodin, who supported Mestrovic. Here was where I had another nice encounter with a local. I always get through the galleries faster than Ri (her artists’ eye has a lot to see), so I was chatting with the gentleman checking tickets at the front door. Again I had found another person with a passionate interest in history and culture. We had a long discussion, taking in most of the Balkan political history of the 20th century!

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Gallery Mestrovic

One of the many wonderful casts in the Gallery Mestrovic

From the gallery (and the small chapel on the other side of the road with Mestrovic wood panels) we headed on to another small beach for another dip.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split Beach

Our last beach swim in Split

Finally, we made our way back to the harbour (the fancy end). There were many amazing yachts here. The most impressive was the “Polar Star” which you can see in the figure. I later googled it, and discovered that it cost 60 million Euros to build, and costs 380,000 Euros per week to charter (crew of 17, 12 passengers)! Some things are really a long way out of reach and you really wonder how that’s within anybody’s reach (or philosophy).

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split

The Polar Star in Split

Finally, Ri decided to take a “short cut” back to our apartment. Here is the rather daunting view of that short cut. On arrival back at our apartment, our feet needed a lot of attention, so foot massages were again the order of the day.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Split

The short cut

We took the airport bus (the other end of the harbour), and flew to Rome with Vueling airlines. We had a bit of a worry when I could not find our booking online. It turned out that this was because of some confusion between the parent company Iberia and Vueling. When our booking was made, our tourist agent (FlightCentre in Australia), only supplied codes for Iberia. But these did not work on the Vueling site (nor on the Iberia site). Anyway, there is a 24 hr hotline for FlightCentre, and the consultant resolved it efficiently for us (she had to call Iberia to sort it out). I hope FlightCentre have now changed their process!

So off we went to Rome, but that must be a story for some other website – do you run a Roman website also Anna?

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Makarska

Reader’s Review: Dalmatia in September 2015 – Part 1 – Dubrovnik & Makarska

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Earlier this year, we were contacted by a friendly gentleman, Neil, who needed a little assistance in planning his trip to Croatia. After a few emails back and forth, he had set out a plan for visiting Croatia with his partner – specifically the towns and islands of Dalmatia in September. He was kind enough to keep in contact with us during his trip and has even more kindly written a wonderfully informative trip report, complete with some stunning photos, to share on the Visit Croatia website.

As well as writing extensively on the sights and experiences of these locations in Croatia, there’s also plenty of other useful tips that Neil shares – including using AirBnB for accommodation, and how to handle having particular dietary requirements when visiting Croatia.

Read on below for the first part of his report, featuring Dubrovnik and Makarska. Part two – covering the island of Hvar and Split – will be posted very soon!

Thank you ever so much for sharing your experience of Croatia with us, Neil!

Dalmatia in September 2015

by Neil Killeen

We decided to go to Croatia at rather short notice; it was part of our trip, in the end, of 10 days in the UK, 10 days in Croatia and 4 days in Rome. Fortunately, I discovered the Visit Croatia website and even better (for me) wrote to Anna for some advice. This was along the lines of “I’m too lazy to work anything out for myself, please tell me what we should do in our 10 days” !  Anna was so incredibly generous with her time and ideas; I was truly amazed and appreciative.  Later I discovered she runs many web sites and wondered how on earth she found the time and energy to bother with me.

We ended up having 3 nights in Dubrovnik, 3 in Makarska, 2 in Hvar town and 3 in Split.  If we hadn’t booked so late, we might have spent the time on a cruise around the islands (easy set and forget), but by the time we started to look, the prices were quite expensive. If you book early, they can be pretty cheap and probably a nice way to see the Dalmatian coast.

We decided to use AirBnB for all of our accommodation.  We like to Couch Surf as a great way to meet the locals and learn about a country. However, CS is not very big in Croatia – there were very few couches to be seen !  AirBnB worked out very well for us. We rented self-contained apartments (so we could cook for ourselves because of dietary restrictions).  We typically paid Aus$70/night, which was pretty cheap.  All the hosts were lovely and helpful. All the apartments were just as advertised (you have to do your research of course and select carefully). The main variable is beds and pillows. It’s hard to know what you will get, as hosts will generally tell you their bed is very comfy. I happen to have an unhappy neck, and so bed (and more importantly pillow) quality is important. I even contemplated dragging my special pillow around the planet! I did have a bit of pillow trauma, but usually we were able to improvise something with towels and other cushions that might be in the apartment.

Regarding food, my partner, Ri (“Ree”), is fructose (including wheat) and dairy intolerant.  Two of the main fructose bearers are onion and garlic, which can be problematic when eating out.   So although we did eat in a lot, when we did eat out, we were expecting pain (either stomach or waiters) in finding food she could eat.  It turned out to be quite the opposite.  The attitude everywhere was ‘Of course we can do that’, and they could.  Perhaps food is less pre-prepared than in Australia to help this along.  Even better was that we found the BEST EVER dairy-free ice-cream in Dubrovnik (at the harbour).  We hardly believed the server when she said it was milk free (as it tasted just like normal and was so thick). But no stomach trauma occurred so it was true.  We went back for more.

We flew from London to Dubrovnik.  Because this trip was in September, flights were not so frequent.  We didn’t want to get on a dawn flight, and I think the only afternoon flight (that we were prepared to take) was only 1 or 2 times a week (that was EasyJet).  Some of the budget airlines also stop flying these routes around this time (e.g. EasyJet stopped flying Split to Rome mid September before we departed).    Although we arrived in the evening, we took the frequent Airport bus (much cheaper than a taxi) into the old town to one of the main gates. From there we took a cab to our destination.  Our host was working but he lined up his daughter to meet us. She took us for a little walk to orient us, which was sweet of her.

Like most people, we focused on the old town. We did buy a 3-day Dubrovnik card (museums and some bus tickets).  However, really, many of the places supplied by the card are not exactly world class, so I don’t think it’s really worth it. On the other hand, you could say that it does give you an interesting and useful cultural perspective and one should not get too snobby. There are of course plenty of great cultural buildings and experiences; it’s just that not many are on the card.

Dalmatia in September 2015 - Dubrovnik

Panorama of the Dubrovnik harbour

I was interested in the (very complex) history of the Home Land wars of the 90s and both in Dubrovnik and at the top of the hill (in the old fort now museum which was a defensive stronghold in the siege of Dubrovnik) there is lots of very worth while material.   I reckon it’s worth taking the cable car up to the fort rather than a tour in a 4-wheel drive (they have a long list of reasons why they are better of course).  Really, we like to do things at our own pace, not have deadlines to meet (20 min here, 30 min there).   Because it was September it wasn’t too busy which was great – neither did we suffer the arrival of a cruise ship and several thousand people clogging the place. The weather was lovely; I reckon September is good to be in Croatia.

We went to an Art Gallery with a large exhibition of one emerging artist. Now my partner is an Artist, and we are very familiar with the process of writing the words for those cards that sit next to the art work so that you, the observer, can appreciate the incredible intellectual effort that is behind the art work. In colourful Australian vernacular, we call this “Art Wank” (I am quite good at writing it). We encountered the best example ever of this in this gallery which you can see for yourself in the picture.

Visiting Dalmatia in September - Gallery

“Art Wank” in the gallery

I particularly liked the “personal invisible musical scales” (being a musician). We did also find a very small, almost invisible gallery with a photographic exhibition. The pictures were all of a single family, and the photographer was one member of that family. They were a quirky lot and the exhibition explored how that particular (all grown up) family came together and created their own fun. There was no art wank at all, so we got the guy looking after it to explain it to us !

There is a very cool café just outside the old town walls which looks out over the sea. Great to have a local beer there for a while – you have to be alert to get a seat closest to the sea. There were some young men jumping into the sea from the rocks. They were swanning about in their boardies attempting to look cool/tough/attractive as they attempted a free beer by flirting with the waitresses. No free beer ensued, but the waitresses were nice to them. Throughout our trip, people were invariably friendly, positive and helpful, even though it was the end of the season and probably they were totally over the tourists. We didn’t do any boaty things in Dubrovnik – we left them for later in the trip.

Visiting Dalmatia in September - Cafe

The Waterside Old Town Café

From Dubrovnik we took a bus (there are lots of buses in Croatia and I usually used an App on my iPhone to book tickets – that worked well) to Makarska, sometimes dubbed the “Riviera of Croatia”. The bus trip provides some beautiful coastal scenery and our host kindly picked us up at the bus station (he even deferred his shift at the fire station by 45 min so he could collect us).

Visiting Dalmatia in September - On the way to Makarska

On the way to Makarska

Visiting Dalmatia in September - Makarska Harbour

Makarska Harbour with mountains in the background

Our apartment was about 10 steps to the harbour – which is pretty darn handy.

Like much of the Dalmatian coast, Makarska is jammed in between the mountains and the sea. But here, the mountains are extra beautiful exuding this steely grey strength. I really just had to stare at them a lot to soak in the beauty. We sampled our first pebbly beach here and found it pretty comfortable, even without a mattress (the experienced travellers could be detected easily by their pebble-beach preparations).

Visiting Croatian in September - Makarska mountains

Makarska mountains

Visiting Croatian in September - Adriatic

The beautiful Adriatic

We also found a nice park right next to the beach with lovely grass out of the wind to lie on, gaze at the mountains and read books – I did a lot of that here. Strangely, nobody else took advantage of it in this way! There were no “Keep of the grass” signs, so I don’t know why nobody else did; perhaps a little over-obsessed with becoming a lobster at the beach.

Visiting Dalmatia in September - Makarska Park

Makarska Park

The tourist demographic in Makarska was very middle-aged couple (like us!). However, we were struck by the huge amount of obesity that we saw (in the tourists), especially, but not only the men. Australia has an obesity problem, and I thought I could stand to lose a Kg or 2, but I felt like a wraith there. We noticed also the huge amount of food people packed away when they went to dinner. We might share a meal and be sated – we observed one guy (not so large – yet) eat more for dinner than I could have managed all day. We wandered around the back streets of Makarska and found some nice fresh food (cheaper and nicer than the supermarkets). The supermarkets did however cater for gluten free bread and the like.

We also had our first real taste of Croatian music making here. We happened to be in Makarska for their Fish Festival (could have been a weekly event for all we knew!). So in the evening down at the harbour there was lots of traditional music making. It seems all Croatian men know all the songs as they all sing along with great gusto (and some with rather fine voices). The degree of gusto seemed to be correlated with the rapidity with which wine glasses were recharged…. The melodies for many of the traditional folk songs are simple, so I gusto-ed along as well, spouting pseudo-Croatian as needed.

There is a famous beach, Zlatni Rat, on the island of Brac. You can take a ferry from Makarska to Sumartin, then a bus to this beach. The only problem is you can’t get back again. In September the time tables change to something unhelpful. Basically, the bus back to Sumartin arrives after the ferry departs back to Makarska. Take an earlier bus you say. Well if you do that, then you arrive back at Sumartin before you have even arrived there in the first place (it’s all a bit Dr. Who). This was the point in time where we discovered that some of the tourist information folks were a bit tired and weary of a long season. Mainly, when you go into their office, they grudgingly get off Facebook to talk to you. Then mono-syllabic answers can be dragged from them with great effort. This particular person in Makarska knew that the timetables change, that they are dodgy, but didn’t really want to tell us. It was only because I had googled before and found inconsistencies that she grudgingly called the bus line on Brac (“you can call them, or I suppose I can if you really want”) to confirm the above transport conundrum. So, needless to say, Zlatni Rat, with its 5 degree (I think) side-to-side temperature differential remained a delight for the future.

Stay tuned for part two – with Neil travelling to Hvar and Split – very soon!

Boutique Hostel Forum Review

Review: Boutique Hostel Forum, Zadar

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Boutique Hostel Forum in Zadar is one of the hostels that’s joining a relatively new trend in Croatia and elsewhere – of the upmarket kind. For often times much less that even a half decent hotel, you get a fun and funky place to stay that’s usually rather new, has great facilities and is well located. What’s not to like?

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

Gorgeous view from a dorm room!

The Boutique Hostel Forum is all of these things. Located right on Kalelarga/Siroka ulica, you can’t miss it. Well, actually, you can as we did – stumbling off the bus from the airport, we wandered up and down Siroka ulica a few times before we finally found a door for the hostel. And then felt a bit stupid because it was quite obvious. (The hostel’s opposite the bellower of the Cathedral, in case you find yourself equally challenged.)

Two things strike you when you first enter – ORANGE and BLUE. It’s all very orange and blue. But it’s also very friendly – the young staff check you in quickly and give you a few pointers for the premises, including a little welcome leaflet that contains hostel information, plus a map of Zadar and a few local recommendations.

Private rooms are available but the shared, mixed dorm rooms are certainly comfortable enough – albeit compact – and offer a good deal of privacy.There’s two ‘bunk beds’ either side of the room, so if you and a friend are travelling you can easily have half a room without needing to mingle much with your dorm mates. Having said that, one side of the room is home to a small toilet and the shower room is on the other – so you do need traverse over to the other side occasionally. (I suppose you can always use the ‘public’ toilets in the hallways if you want.)

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

Left: dorm hallway Right: Floor hallway…. See – orange and blue!

A couple of chairs feature in each corner of the room, plus hooks for hanging up your coats and what-not, and each guest gets a large (really a good size) drawer unit to store their ultra-private but expensive and essential travel kit- iPads, cameras, Christian Louboutin heels. (Just joking on that last one, of course.) This inventive drawer opens with your room card key, which makes it pretty secure and easy to manage.

Each bed is more like a little cubby hole than merely a bunk bed. Inside your bed unit you’ve got a light, a mirror (for checking yourself out as soon as you wake up, I suppose), a LAN socket (?) and – oh yes! – two charge points. For every traveller’s most important needs are a) wifi and b) electrical sockets! There’s also plenty of other sockets dotted around the room too, in case you’ve decided to bring every electrical item with you on holiday. These cubby hole-type beds have their own blinds, which you can shut for complete privacy. The bed and bedding is more than comfortable, although the actual duvet is perhaps a little too thick for a typical Croatian summer. (Especially as – given the tight bed space – things get a little stuffy!)

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

A bunk bed

Review Boutique Hostel Forum

Breakfast is served! (Sort of)

The rooms actually overlook Kalelarga/Siroka ulica, and beyond that you can easily see The Forum and the twinkling Adriatic sea. It’s a simply gorgeous view! Don’t forget that as good a sight as you have of the outdoors, people outdoors have a good sight in…make sure you shut the blind before you, y’know, get into your PJs or whatever. (There’s actually a friendly warning by the window to this effect!)

There’s not a great deal of storage overall in the room – you have to squeeze your backpack/suitcase into the corner or hallway of the room as best as you can and there sure isn’t a good deal of space to ‘hang’ out. But you’re in the beautiful town of Zadar – who needs to hang about indoors?

There are, of course, a number of common rooms, including kitchens where you can store your own food or opt for breakfast if you want it, although a ‘breakfast in a bag’ (see below) is included in your room price. There’s an outdoor terrace out back, and a relatively large TV room – with two TVs – that reminded me a little of a children’s soft-play zone, with the bright colours and the sofa seating on different levels.

My favourite bit – waking up in the morning, pulling up the bed bunk blind and finding a breakfast bag had been delivered by my bunk. How did they do that? Who cares, there’s a sweet burek pastry inside! Pop down to the harbourfront for breakfast with a view.

Most importantly, the hostel’s wifi is strong and FAST – yay!

I’d highly recommend Boutique Hostel Forum – friendly, clean, comfortable, fun, decent value and superb location. Give it a try if you’re visiting Zadar!

Boutique Hostel Forum
Siroka ulica 20, Zadar
en.hostelforumzadar.com

Disclaimer: Visit Croatia stayed at Boutique Hostel Forum anonymously and paid for her own stay.