Cruising the Croatian Coast

Usually I post as we travel, but posting while on the boat was too much of a challenge. For those who are on Facebook, you will have seen photos as we cruised the Croatian islands.

The positives and the negatives – Admittedly we are not good cruisers (very good boaters, however), so deciding to take this cruise deviated from the norm. The itinerary was the reason I selected this cruise, and for the most part it lived up to stated expectations. We docked at convenient locations, however, we did not dock at the main port of Hvar and we did not dock in Split. We docked at Omis, which is about 20 kilometers from Split. It was an interesting port, and it had a good hotel to which we moved for one night. Docking at a different island each afternoon allowed us to enjoy the islands and dinners at local restaurants each evening. Even on the smallest of islands, we had good dining options. The crew on the boat was great, and our fellow passengers were pleasant, a mixture of a few Americans and Europeans but primarily Australians and a few New Zealanders.

Now to the negatives, breakfast and lunch were served on the boat each day. It was substantial and filling but quickly became really boring. But the biggest challenge was the size of the cabins, which even for previous boaters like us was just too small. Everyone minimized the time in their cabins. Would I recommend this cruise, yes to the itinerary but no to this company,

The first stop upon leaving Dubrovnik was the small island of Mljet, where we docked at Pomena. Pomena was charming with a very good restaurant to which we walked for dinner.

Retaurant Knoba Ana – delicious fresh fish

The next day we were off to Korcula, by far my favorite stop with the winding streets and water views.

On to the island of Hvar, where we docked in Jelsa, on the northern shore of the island.

Next on the agenda was the coastal town of Makarska, on which there was my favorite billboard. Honestly, the islands are beautiful with good restaurants, but they do become a bit repetitious with the restaurant menus varying little. I would probably recommend spending several days on several islands, choosing the island(s) depending on your preferences, i,e., busier like Korcula or quieter like Mljet.

On to Postira on the island of Brac. (We had taken a ferry from Split to Supetar on Brac some years ago, so our second visit to the island.)

Port Omis offered a very pleasant one-night stay in the Hotel Plaza Omis, to which two of the crew members rolled our luggage. Then it was on to Split, which is what precipitated this adventure as I wanted to return having been there originally in 1983 (very first trip to Europe and then again in 2016).

Sometime you really can’t go back. . .our hotel in Split, the Palace Suites was in the walled city, and we had a spacious and wonderful room. So what’s the issue? Split was overrun with daytime cruise passengers and tour groups until the early evening hours. The Diocletian’s Palace ruins are still spectacular, but the area has become so focused on the tourist trade that it has lost its soul. My memory was of a “living and breathing city” inside the walls with restaurants and shops that catered more to locals than to the tourist trade. Fortunately, there were still some excellent local restaurants hidden in the lanes.