Croatia

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Croatia holiday reviews

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Brian Gregory. Date of travel: Mar 2004 Before I even arrived in the country. People of the country had told me what to expect - an older population, with an obvious gap from the late 20s to the early 40s due to the war. When I arrived in Zagreb by train from Budapest, I was greeted with a flavorfully clean setting, so unlike most 'Eastern European' countries. An amorousness among it's people in the parks. Open and quick invitations to parties and conversations with everyone. But as had been told to me, there was this lack of people around my age - which seemed to create an air of recovering hopelessness and a country trying to find it's indentity. Dubrovnik is one of the most beautiful coastlines on earth, Split is a calm spirited city, and Zagreb reminds me of Italy. All in all, an interesting country to visit. But lacks the personality of most other countries throughout Europe.

annette manning. Date of travel: Jun 2000 We travelled to a resort in the North of Croatia called Rovinj,a beautiful resort, with two harbour areas. There is an old quarter witha variety of good shops and restaurants, very venetian in influence.Rovinj in my opinion is one of the most beautiful resorts I have been to,there are many winding cobbled streets to explore. For excursions from here we visted Venice via ferry fro Rovinj port,an inexpensive way to see the city, and also we went to Pula which has an interesting openair ampitheatre and many museums and more shops galore! Tour Operator: thomson

Mary Ann Hope. Date of travel: Jan 2005 I have been to Croatia on numerous visits. What a beautiful country, beautiful young men and women of all ages. The city of Zagreb is wonderful, resembles a little Prague or Vienna. The cuisine in marvelous! I must mention the beautiful, heavenly Adriatic Sea coastline, so clean and romantic. My family and I enjoyed Croatia more than any country In Europe!!! The people are so friendly.

Spectacular - Hugh Roche. Date of travel: Jun 2005 Dubrovnik was spectacular. Spent a wonderful day looking around the city. Then hired a motor boat and cruised around the islands for three days. Relatively inexpensive but got to see more traditional and beautiful unspolit areas. Highly recommend doing this. Split was superb. Check guide books first and keep to the coast. Tour Operator: On own

John Murphy. Date of travel: Jun 2005 Sunshine all the way: Rabac is a small town on the Istrian peninsula. It lies some 45 minutes drive away from the airport of Pula. From the airport the roads are sometimes quite narrow and ascend and descend the hills in-between. As you drop down the final hill into the town you can see the clear waters stretch out below you. The town itself is not large and is primarily centred around the small harbour area where vessels can be found for personal boating or more organised trips. The coastline consists of a myriad of small bays with stone beaches gradually sloping down to the water. The sea is warm (in June at least) and has a striking opacity that entices you in. Behind the beach is a paved walkway that wanders through a tree lined landscape thereby offering a shady retreat during the hottest parts of the day. Near to the harbour area you will find stalls selling the customary beachwear, local souvenirs, fruit and delicious ice cream. You are free to browse as there is no high pressure selling and locals are friendly and helpful. If you get tired of walking there are several bars next to the path that provide a welcome oasis of respite. Highly recommended is the bar Tropic which has a raised seating area where you can sip a cocktail, watch the world go by and listen to music ranging from local favourites through to smooth jazz. Prices are reasonable (0.5 litre of beer is $2.80) and somewhat surprisingly white wine is much cheaper than soft drinks such as coke (or maybe that isn't a surprise). If you want to take trips from Rabac the most popular are the ferry to Venice ($90 per person, takes just under 4 hours), the Plitovice National Park (similar price but is over 4 hours each way on a coach) and the pure white horses at Lipatia (just a 2 and a half hour coach journey each way this time). Locally you are recommended to take a bus to the old part of Labin, high up on the hill. This town boasts a 16th century church and narrow alleyways that have existed for centuries. You can look out over the Istrian peninsula and see the lush green forests that cover the nearby hills. Stopping off for a refreshing drink you could then take the footpath back down the hill to Rabac. Be warned this is not for those who have any form of mobility problem as the path can be challenging. It takes about an hour to descend but is well worth the effort. If you're feeling especially energetic you can always climb the hill first, scoot round old Labin and then take a leisurely bus ride back to Rabac (making sure you stop for that refreshing drink of course). The area is not over developed at the moment and you will not feel overwhelmed by the number of people in the area, there are quite a number of hotels, the Neptune has a good aspect and if you stay there be sure to get a room with a balcony and sea view.

Anne Audette. Date of travel: Aug 2005 We stayed in Biograd on the coast south of Zadar at the Hotel Adriatica this year in August. We had stayed for a week in Hotel Ilirija same time last year and had such a great time we went back again this year. What was great about Biograd is there was so much to do with the kids. There are water slides, amusements, safe swimming, jet skiing, para sailing and playgrounds with merry-go-rounds, trampolines and other fun things. Our three kids had a ball, aged from 2 years old to 11. It is such a safe place at night we could leave the kids in the hotel room and go down to the hotel bar which is right on the water and watch the boats go by and people walking past to get to the city centre. Everything is walking distance and you can buy whatever you need just there. Food is cheap if you stay away from seafood. The room rates were perfectly affordable and the hotel and surrounding areas were spotless. The staff really work hard to make the place comfortable. There was even a playroom for the little children which had all the latest toys and childrens furniture from Ikea. The room rates included breakfast and dinner so we didn't spend much on dining during our stay. All in all I would highly recommend Biograd as a great place for a family holiday. We also popped into Zadar for a day and had a drink at the Arsenal Zadar. This is an old warehouse which has been transformed into a venue with photo displays and artwork surrounding a bar area. Again there was a place for the kids to play and toys to keep them amused. Very civilized.

Dalmatian Coast a must - Bea Kotze. Date of travel: Oct 2007 The Dalmatian Coast is definitely the highlight of Croatia with its stunning coastline, clear water, hidden coves and beautiful bays - the islands are also a definite must. Loved the islands of Korcula and Vis where it was easy to hire scooters to explore the numerous pretty beaches and little towns. Plitvice Lakes National Park is also breathtaking, especially in autumn! Tips – Getting around: Was thinking about hiring a car to get around, but when I got to Croatia I found that it was easy enough to get around by bus or ferry, and that hiring a scooter to explore the islands was the way to go! Even travelling out of season there were ferries going wherever I needed to go - the schedules are obviously reduced outside of the summer peak season, but still a very feasible option. Also a lot cheaper taking ferries as a foot passenger and not with a vehicle, and no need to pre-book. Actually travelling in October was a plus because I didn't have to pre-book tickets for buses or ferries - stress-free! Hiring scooters on the islands was easy, traffic is scarce so felt perfectly safe and allowed me to explore - hiring bicycles is also an option, but some of the islands are extremely hilly!

Vis Island my favourite - Judith. Date of travel: Oct 2007 Vis is easy to get to by ferry from Split. A small island with 2 main towns, Vis and Komize, both very quaint and old and medieval looking. We stayed in Vis Town, which was unbelievably relaxed and friendly - felt like we were on holiday at last! Took a day trip to Komize on the other side of the island, which also looked like an amazing place to spend some time with a nice beach and pretty town. A very authentic island, very unaffected by tourism. Tips – Weather and best time to go: Travelled at the beginning of October, which was a good time to go, but could feel that the weather was starting to turn chilly even with the sun shining. North was cold, but along the coast in the south there was still plenty of sunshine in between the odd rainy day (still warm though). I think that September would be the best time to go because the weather is still hot, the ferries are more regular and most tourists have gone home. October was good for cheaper accommodation prices though!