Thinking About Going to Croatia? Read This!

We recently returned from Croatia & I’m in full on PTD (Post Travel Depression). Yes, it’s a thing & there’s only one cure, more travel!

Nothing makes me happier than planning our adventures & this year was no different. So, once Jacob’s CISV country was announced (his delegation traveled to Querétaro, Mexico for 3 weeks to discuss “Conflict & Resolution”) Phil & I dove into researching where we should go. Since we usually travel as a family, it gets a little tricky to select a destination we won’t regret going to without the boy. Think Amsterdam (-;

As many of you know, when it comes to travel, we don’t always take the easy route. A newly added direct flight from Philadelphia however, cinched the deal & we booked r/t air to Dubrovnik. We jam pack a ton into our trips so, needless to say, they are rarely “vacations” but adventures. After a bit ton of research, small ships (cruising & sailing) bubbled up to the top as THE way to experience the beautiful coastal country of Croatia. If you’re more of a vacationer, you can definitely dial down the itinerary I’m about to share & chill your way through Croatia!

Small Ships:

Let me be completely honest here, we’re NOT cruisers. I’ve cruised twice, both times with my parents. The first time, I was a teen & we cruised the Caribbean with my BFF at the time & her family. I remember it to be awesome! Aaah the freedom to roam the ship at all hours of the day & night without parental supervision (-;

The second time was for my dad’s 70th birthday when I arrived but my suitcase DID NOT. I may share that story in a later post but yes, it was Phil’s fault!

Back to Croatia. We’re not cruisers & were skeptical of ships big & small. Once I dug in & read up on our options however, small ships -let me repeat- small ships, was definitely the way to cover the most ground & experience the Adriatic coastline up close & personal. We zoned in & ultimately went with a small ships company, Unforgettable Croatia, for a few reasons:

• A fleet of new yachts with one in particular setting sail the month we were traveling.
• One of few companies that offered VIP cabins with balconies.
• Seemed to attract a more international crowd which I like. After all, isn’t that the point of travel?
• As compared to their competitors, UF claimed to draw a diverse age range. So, while we wouldn’t be the youngest, we would also not be the oldest…if you can read between the lines.
• Finally, their customer service was top notch from the moment I contacted them to the moment we disembarked.

Decided on how we were going to see Croatia, we needed to add a few days on the front & back end of our 7-day cruise to maximize our 2-week trip.

Montenegro (from Venetian Italian) & Crna Gora, “Black Mountain,” is just a short car ride from Dubrovnik which is located on the thin, southern tip of Croatia. This makes it a relatively easy pop over the border to explore some of the country’s beautiful coastal towns like Kotor & Budva. There are many other beautiful spots but, after a bit of research, we decided on these two as they seemed like the most interesting to us.

We reserved a rental car that we would pick up at the Dubrovnik airport & head straight for Montenegro. First, spending 24hrs in Kotor & then, a day & night in Budva before heading back to Dubrovnik to board our ship. Head up! In Croatia, it’s not enough to make a reservation because Enterprise took our reservation but didn’t hold the reservation and that’s really the most important part of the reservation: the holding. Anybody can just take them. Am I right? Seinfeld fans!? Lesson learned. Let’s proceed…

Montenegro is located in the west-central Balkans at the southern end of the Dinaric Alps. It is bounded by the Adriatic Sea & Croatia (southwest), Bosnia i Herzegovina (northwest), Serbia (northeast), Kosovo (east), & Albania (southeast). More on Kotor & Budva later but here are a few photos of their beauty!

Kotor:

Budva:

Upon returning to Dubrovnik, we would drop off the rental car, catch an Uber (yes there is Uber in Croatia) & head to our hotel. Here is where I will warn you. Do your homework on where to stay in Dubrovnik. We stayed within the old city walls where cars are not permitted. We also stayed at the highest point within the fortress & had stairs & suitcases to deal. Thankfully, our driver warned us of this & the owner of our flat sent down a kid to help schlepp our stuff. All for one night = not worth it!

Entering Dubrovnik’s Old Town it felt as if we were walking into an artificial alternate universe. Thanks to Game of Thrones, it was bursting with tourists, kitschy stores, GOT themed restaurants, & airbnb’s! I know what you’re thinking. Who do you think you are? Yes, we’re tourists but it was not what I was expecting especially, after hearing so many amazing things about this ancient walled city. More on that later.

We spent the next 24hrs in Dubrovnik made that much more fabulous with cocktails at Buža Bar & dinner at the Michelin Star Restaurant 360. Schlepped back down the steps (with the help of Croatian Jacob) in the early afternoon & met our driver who transported us to our yacht #pinkeysup

The next seven days were spent aboard the 170 ft MV Antaris, sailing these islands:

Disembarking, we spent 4 fun-filled nights in Split which we loved & I’ll tell you more about in a later post. We then hired a driver to take us back to Dubrovnik. To break-up the 6hr journey, we made a stop in Mostar, a city in southern Bosnia i Herzegovina, straddling the Neretva River best known for the iconic Stari Most (Old Bridge).

One more night in Dubrovnik, this time with less tourists & in a much more geographically desirable hotel. Breakfast in our room & an early afternoon flight home to Philadelphia. Full of memories & full on PTSD.

Check out our adventure on my IG @AlyaBuzz & I’ll be sharing each stop along the way in more detail soon!

XoXo Alya