A country of beautiful islands, mountains and crystal blue waters, Croatia has become a bucket list destination for many travellers since the rise of the popular Sail Croatia holiday cruises.
During our seven months around the world, we were excited to tick this country off our bucket list.
Before embarking on a seven night Sail Croatia cruise along the Adriatic coastline, we spent our first three nights in Dubrovnik to explore the old town.
Excited to learn about the history of the medieval walls, it’s historical influence as a major port and hear a quirky historical tale or two (and see King’s Landing), we were a little disappointed to be hit with a bombardment of overzealous sales operators waving gimmicky Game of Throne tours, expensive sightseeing tickets and overpriced restaurant menus in our faces.
There is no escaping that Dubrovnik Old Town has turned into a big tourist trap where foreigners are treated as cash cows. Nonetheless, seeing the old town with its beautiful Venetian influence and walking the Old Town walls, was definitely a highlight.
We also found a hidden reprieve from the mainstream tourism madness with an afternoon spent in a ‘hole in the wall’ bar and swimming spot, as well as a trip over to Lokrum Island. Both experiences much more chilled out.
After three days in Dubrovnik we were excited to head to Split to begin our week of cruising around Croatia’s many beautiful islands with Sail Croatia.
How excited we were to find ourselves aboard a brand new, premium boat – the Stella Maris!
We were to spend many hours on the sun deck of our awesome mini-cruise ship enjoying the scenery, swimming in clear blue water, leaping off the top deck and enjoying the company of some great people.
In addition we were taken to many beautiful places including Makarska and Korcula (the birthplace of Marco Polo)…
…and the Mljet National Park, which we explored on bike.
We tasted Croatian wine in Stari Grad…
…and climbed to the Old Fort in Hvar…
Our seven nights aboard the Stella Maris was a relaxing break from the busy travel schedule and a nice way to see Croatia’s natural beauty. We also have some new Aussie and Yankie friends on Facebook whom we trust are reading this blog!
Overall, we had a great time in Croatia, (albeit with a few days of shitty weather).
Final thought… with tourism being pretty much Croatia’s only major industry since the terrible Yugoslavian wars in the early 90s, we hope in time the country can learn to approach tourism with the respect and maturity shown by its European neighbours.
Leave a Reply