We just spent a fantastic 10 days in Croatia and are finally starting to feel like we're on vacation. We've had beautiful weather virtually the entire time - high 70s / low 80s and sunny every day. We're realizing that we're happiest when we slow it down a bit, not try to do too much, and get a good feel for a particular place. It helps to spend at least 3 nights in each destination, so we don't feel like we're unpacking one day and packing up the next. Little comforts like going to the supermarket and making breakfast at home make a big difference as well (as opposed to going out for every meal).
Croatia is a beautiful country across the Adriatic Sea from Italy with over 1000 miles of coast line and over 1000 islands. Since the civil war ended in 1995 (when it gained independence from Yugoslavia), it has emerged as one of the most popular vacation destinations in Europe, owing to its beautiful coastline, temperate climate and delicious local food. The country is absolutely jammed with tourists during July and August, but September is a perfect month to visit, as the crowds are beginning to die down, the water is warm, and the weather is beautiful. The Croatians seem to be very welcoming of tourists, as everyone is very friendly and English is widely spoken. It's also a very safe place to visit, as most people leave their doors unlocked and we've felt safe to walk around at night.
The food that we've sampled is typical of the Mediterranean, centered around seafood, pasta and salads. Nearly everything you eat was just pulled out of the sea or off a local farm. Typical dishes include fresh octopus salad, risotto with scampi, spagetti with frutti di mare, and grilled fish. Almost all dishes utilize olive oil, which is produced locally and is delicious. The produce is also fantastically fresh - you don't even need dressing for your salads here as the tomatoes, peppers, arugula, etc have wonderful flavor. The bread here is among the finest we've tasted anywhere. No matter where you go - restaurants, take out places, supermarkets - you'll find unbelievably soft and delicious bread. Lindsay is just starting to ween herself off her 1 croissant per day diet (though that won't last long since France is the next destination). The dairy is wonderful as well - in particular, we enjoyed locally produced yogurt and feta cheese. We've also fallen in love with a Croatia sauce they produce from eggplant, peppers and tomatoes called Ajvar, which particularly good on chicken.
In terms of accommodations, we split our time between hotels and apartments. Note that apartments are plentiful in Croatia and are usually much more affordable than hotels - often 3-4x cheaper for similar accommodations. And they afford you the comforts of laundry and a kitchen, which is particularly appreciated on a long trip. You can find plenty of apartments through online portals like booking.com. I'd recommend you book ahead as you can read user reviews and get the best apartments.
A couple of quick warnings - (1) as Croatia is basically one big garden, expect a lot of bugs in the summer, particularly bees (and sometimes mosquitoes), and (2) the beaches are rocky, as opposed to sandy. But all in all, this is a fantastic place to plan a vacation.
We spent a total of 10 days in Croatia focused on the southern half of the country. The itinerary is a bit unorthodox as we've tried to blend culinary destinations, national parks, beaches and culture/history. I want to extend a special thank you to Anita and Mike Lowenstein, who helped me in the me with the planning :) I'll describe each of our stops below.
Pag
We began the trip with a stay at Hotel Boškinac on the island of Pag, Croatia's largest island. Pag is known as the Ibiza of Croatia, where Zszce beach attracts clubbers from all over Europe. Frankly, I chose the destination because (1) I saw the Hotel Boškinac on "No Reservations" and (2) the landscape looked so intriguingly different from other parts of Croatia. Hotel Boškinac sits on a vineyard that produces some of Croatia's finest wine (one of the 9 Croatian Grand Crus) and some of the best olive oil I've ever tasted. They have also built a small hotel, which is among Croatia's premier culinary destinations, where all the food is produced locally and wonderfully prepared. We ended up eating dinner at the hotel both evenings.
The hotel is about an hour north of Zadar and 2 hours north of Split in the northern part of Pag Island.
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| Arriving in Pag |
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| Arriving at the Hotel Boškinac |
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| Hotel Boskenac |
That evening we enjoyed a wonderful meal on the terrace while watching the sunset.
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| Enjoying sunset on the terrace |
On the way home from the boat ride, we drove out to Rucica Beach behind the town of Metajna. The beach is stunningly beautiful and gives you a good sense of the landscape in Pag.
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| Rucica Beach in Pag |
Skradin
After visiting Plitvice, we made our way down to Skradin, a small town about an hour north of Split. Skradin is the gateway to Krka National Park. The town is modest, but very charming and has a great location for exploring the National Park. Here are a few shots of the town to give you an idea.
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| Town of Skradin |
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| Main street in the town of Skradin. Our hotel was just around the corner. |
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| Bell tower in Skradin |
From the town of Skradin, you can take a boat into Krka National Park. The boat ride is really pleasant and has some great scenery. There's also a dirt road that runs alongside the river into the park, where you can ride your bike, run or walk (I ran most of the route the last morning we were in Skradin - it's a great trail). You can take either option (dirt path or boat) to the main entrance to the Park, which is about 4.5 km from Skradin. We were told by our driver at dinner that there are other entrances to the park are much less crowded and equally beautiful, so that's something to note if you're planning a trip there (which you should if you're anywhere nearby). Here are some shots of the approach to the park by boat.
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| Approach to Krka National Park |
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| Entering the Park |
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| View from the boat into Krka |
Krka is a beautiful park that encompasses a large section of the Krka River and its more spectacular waterfalls. There are several things to do/see around the park, including a monastery and several waterfalls, but the most popular attraction is Skradinski Buk, which is the largest of the waterfalls. Around the waterfall is path and series of catwalks that allow you to see it from all sides. There are also bars/restaurants in front of the falls and an area to lay out. Unlike Plitivice, you can go into the water at Krka, so it's a wonderful place to hang out and enjoy a sunny day. We enjoyed Krka more than Plitvice because there was much more space to enjoy yourself (you are literally walking in a single file line near some of the more popular falls in Plitvice), and Krka is more of a recreational destination as you can swim.
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| People enjoying the water at Skradinski Buk |
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| The upper portion of Skradinski Buk |
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| Lindsay getting her workout in |
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| Beautiful day at the Falls! |
Prior to the trip, our friends Anita and Mike, knowing that we are foodies, recommended that we reserve a multi-couse food and wine tasting at Bibich Winery, Croatia's oldest winery dating back over 600 years. We set up the tasting to coincide with our trip to the Krka Falls as the winery is in Skradin. The winery started doing these tasting a couple years back to showcase their wines along with the cooking of the owner's wife, which is extraordinary. It was an incredible night - one of the best culinary experiences of our lives! The food is the star of the show - all made with ingredients from their farm and vineyard and prepared at a world class level. The meal is paired wonderfully with wines from Bibich Winery. Our host for the evening was Šime Petrović, the estate manager for Bibich and a great guy. He took us out for some drinks in Skradin afterwards and taught us a lot about Skradin and Croatia more generally - thanks, Šime!
The Winery seats one table a night for the food/wine pairing, so it's a really special experience. We wholeheartedly recommend this if you're in Croatia. It's a bit pricey but well worth it. When else will you have a private multi-course meal with wine pairing, where everything is made locally at the winery? Add to that a friendly passionate host and a Michelin star quality food, and you can understand why we loved it so much.
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| Arriving at Bibich Winery in Skradin |
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| Enjoying dinner in the courtyard on a beautiful day |
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| Our host and Estate Manager for Bibich, Šime Petrović |
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| 1st Course: Watermelon in lime juice, homemade feta, estate olive oil, balsamic reduction. Paired with sparkling white wine. |
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| 2nd Course: Prawn with garden vegetables, ocean gelee, fennel. Paired with sparkling white wine |
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| Three varieties of salt to accompany homemade bread and olive oil |
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| 3rd Course: Raw Croatian tuna marinated in soy, beet juice, and horseradish, served with sesame oil, beet panna cotta, sour cherry ice, and goji berries. Paired with Sauvignon Blanc (the most southern Sauvignon Blanc in Europe - very floral). |
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| 4th Course: Dehydrated prawns (white powder), dehydrated roasted prawns (brown powder), mixture of 27 herbs from their garden (yellow powder) |
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| Adding bisque to the powders above gives us ... |
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| ... Prawn Bisque! Lindsay and I both agreed this was one of the best things we've ever eaten. Paired perfectly with P9, which is made from Posep and aged 18 months in French Oak. |
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| 5th Course: Blackened sea bass with squid ink mashed potatoes (potatoes were cooked 10 hours) and squid "caviar" (squid pieces made to look like caviar). Paired with Debit (white wine). |
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| 6th Course (palate cleanser): Homemade yogurt smoked with pancetta and ham, with garlic foam. Paired with sparkling rose made from the plavina grape. |
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| 7th Course: Oxtail cooked in confit and horseradish with fresh cream cheese wrapped in sheet made from beef broth reduced and mixed with cucumber, topped with a goat cheese crisp. |
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| The Oxtail was paired with R6, a red wine blend of basic, plavina and lasin grapes |
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| 8th Course: "Tiramisu" and "Espresso". I guess the fun is drawing to a close ... |
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| But wait. Look a little closer - "Tiramisu" is actually foie gras and white truffle mouse ... |
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| ... and the "Espresso" is actually mushroom and miso soup |
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| Tiramisu and Espresso were paired with G6, Grenache aged in American Oak. |
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| 9th Course arrives ... what treasure lies within? |
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| Veal risotto cooked to perfection for 10 hours and topped with gold flakes |
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| 10th Course: Sous-vide beef wrapped in black and white sesame, topped with homemade cream cheese and shallot oil. Paired with Bordeaux-style Merlot. |
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| 11th Course: Steak with red salt and olive oil, accompanied with horseradish-flavored tapioca root powder |
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| 12th Course: Crema Catalana, deconstructed Tiramisu, chocolate mouse in the consistency of a brownie topped with mint flower, and a maraschino shot on the side. |
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| Fresh fruit from the garden. The green figs were incredible! |
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| Dessert was paired with Ambra, a sweet wine. |
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| Cheers to an amazing afternoon/evening! |
Hvar
After Skradin, we wanted to spend a few days in the islands, so we chose Hvar Town on the island of Hvar as our home base for 3 nights. Hvar Town dates back to the 13th century when it was a naval base for the Venetian Empire. Many of these old buildings are still present within the town, including a Spanish Fort dating back to the 16th century that sits at the top of the hill overlooking the city. During July and August, the city and neighboring islands host clubs and parties that routinely go into the morning hours, attracting visitors from all over Europe. Over the past few years it has also become famous as a playground for the rich and famous, and you'll find its harbor and nearby harbors filled with yachts. By September, it's quieted down a lot, so it's a great time to enjoy the charming old city as well the surrounding islands. Here are some shots to give you a flavor of Hvar town.
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| The main square in Hvar Town |
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| The harbor in Hvar Town. The Fort is at the top of the hill. |
One of the great ways to see the area is to hike up to the Fort at the top of the mountain overlooking the town.
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| Climbing the steps on our way up to the Fort |
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| At the Fort |
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| View of Hvar harbor at night |
While in Hvar, we stayed at Apartments Ana Dujomovic, which were well located just a few minutes walking from town and close to some of the nicer beaches. Ana and her husband Tony were excellent hosts, though the apartment was in need of some renovation.
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| Our home in Hvar Town |
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| The view of the Pakleni Islands from our apartment |
Food in Hvar is typical of what we found all along the coast in Croatia - lots of seafood, often prepared on the grill with a bit of olive oil. On our first night, we ate at Gariful, a seafood restaurant in the harbor. We ordered a grilled seafood platter which included shellfish and sea bass, all prepared on the wood grill.
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Seafood special for 2 - grilled sea bass, tuna filet, prawns, squid, mussels, accompanied by fresh vegetables
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Days in Hvar are best spent at one of the many beaches in town or on the surrounding islands. Beaches are generally rocky in Croatia, so it's best to find yourself a comfortable day bed. Near our hotel was a beach club called Hula Hula, which offered really comfy daybeds, good drinks and food, and a fun scene at sunset.
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| Lindsay looking very comfortable on her day bed |
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| Waiting for sunset at Hula Hula Beach Club |
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| Enjoying our pina coladas with a view. Notice the bee enjoying them as well - be prepared for bees if you plan on going to Croatia :) |
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| Sunset from Hvar looking west to the Pakleni Islands |
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| Party time! |
It's also nice to take day trips out to the surrounding islands. The closest islands to Hvar Town are the Pakleni Islands. There are frequent water taxis making trips to/from the various islands throughout the day. We spent a day out at Palmizana where we got some sun and enjoyed some cocktails at Laganini. Palmizana has several good restaurants surrounding a good harbor, so you see many yachts parked there, while their owners swim, hang out at the surrounding bars/restaurants or just chill on their boats.
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| Dinner at Laganini - a great spot on the island of Palmizana in the Pakleni Islands just off the coast from Hvar town. |
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| Enjoying dinner and cocktails at Laganini |
Dubrovnik
Our last stop in Croatia was Dubrovnik, which was our favorite part of our trip. The highlight of Dubrovnik is the Old City, which is one of the finest Medieval cities in the world, with a spectacular setting surrounded by the Adriatic Sea. It is a stunningly beautiful place.
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| Old City Dubrovnik |
A must-do in the Old City is take a walk around the city walls. Note that you will need to pay an entrance fee to walk on the walls, but the ticket is also good to enter the adjacent castle, so don't throw away your ticket! Here are some highlights from our walk around the Old City.
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| Enjoying Dubrovnik from the city walls |
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| The Stradun, the main street in the Old City Dubrovnik |
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| View of courtyard in Old City Dubrovnik |
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| Lindsay didn't get breakfast ... |
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| The red roofs of the Old City Dubrovnik |
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| Old City Dubrovnik with Lokrum Island in the background |
Another fun thing to do is to either drive (if you have a rental car) or take a cable car up to the top of Mt Srdj, where there's a fort and Croatian independence museum that highlights the role of Dubrovnik in the war. There are a few restaurants next to the fort, where you can enjoy an incredible view of Dubrovnik and the surrounding islands. Game of Thrones was filming while we were there, so we snapped a photo of the set. Unfortunately, our attempt to sneak onto the set didn't work out.
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| Enjoying a beer with a view of Old City Dubrovnik from the top of Srdj Mountain |
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| View of Old City Dubrovnik from the Imperial Fort on Srdj Mountain |
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| View of Lapad and the Elafiti Islands in the distance |
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| View of the Dubrovnik Castle (on the left) and the Game of Thrones set (on the right) |
Though the old city is touristy, we found some great places to eat. Our favorite was a Bosnian restaurant named Taj Mahal. After a week of eating seafood, we were thrilled to find a restaurant that specialized in meat!
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| Enjoying a fantastic meal at Taj Mahal, our favorite restaurant in Dubrovnik. |
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| Gazpacho |
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| Burek - heavenly meat-fill flaky pastry. I thought Lindsay was going to drop kick the waiter when they ran out of this on our second visit. |
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| Cream cheese filled peppers |
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| Taj Mahal Special - veal, mushrooms, and cheese cooked in dough. |
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| Bosnian sausages made from beef. These were spicy and delicious! |
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| Ćevapi - minced meat balls in bread with cream cheese on the side |
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| Delicious homemade Bosnian bread |
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| Ending the meal with some ślivo! |
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| It was so good that we went back a second time! |
We also found a good Italian pasta place in Old Town Dubrovnik, called Spaghetteria Tony. And of course, no summer evening is complete until you've had some Sladoled, which is Croatia's equivalent of gelato.
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Spaghetti Bolognese at Spagheterria Tony
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| Can't go to bed without some sladoled (Croatian ice cream) |
It's also worth mentioning our apartment in Dubrovnik was awesome - perfect location, great hosts, no requirement of credit card when you book, and very clean/updated apartment. The name of the apartment is Apartments Dalamatino. There are 3 units in the building and worth booking ahead of time (though Booking.com).
After a great stay in Croatia, we are off to France, Lindsay's favorite place on earth. We'll try to be a bit more timely with the next post :)
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| Sunset in front of the Old City Dubrovnik |
Goodbye Croatia ... Next Stop France!
