Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Articles’ Category

Where are the best beaches in Croatia? Today’s Telegraph has a photo essay on the best beaches in Istria and the best beaches in Dalmatia. I found that there are some surprising choices. But then again, everyone has their own, highly personal beach preferences. The author of this article, Jon Bousfield, certainly knows Croatia as he’s written a number of excellent books for Rough Guides. His taste clearly leans toward the remoter outposts. Sandy beaches are not a priority for him. He likes Rovinj‘s Lone Beach (so do I) and Lovran‘s Medveja despite the fact that neither are sandy. There are a few (very few) sandy beaches in Istria but they are generally known only to locals. See more on  sandy beaches in Istria.

In Dalmatia, I found that Proizd islet off Vela Luka was a curious choice. As he makes clear, the “beach” is basically a slab of rock. Yuck. Not for me. I’ll take Saplunara on Mljet Island any day. His choice of sandy Sunj Beach on Lopud Island (an easy day trip from Dubrovnik), I’ll heartily second but it can get uncomfortably crowded in summer. And as for Kraljicina Plaza, near Nin, I confess I don’t know it. But it looks splendid and well worth the effort to find it.

See a photo gallery of Croatia beaches; my choice of the best beaches in Croatia and the best beaches in Istria.

This week’s Telegraph has a wonderful article about Croatia’s Summer Festivals. Sure, everyone’s heard of the Dubrovnik Summer Festival. It’s great but how about something less, ahem, touristy? The article suggests a number of great festivals where you can enjoy the arts and avoid the mobs. For example, there’s the Rapska Fjera in Rab Town, a startlingly original medieval festival. A film buff? Try the Motovun Film Festival in beautiful Motovun. Foodies flock to the October Truffle Festivals in Istria. Music lovers are serenaded at Groznjan (contrary to the article, it’s not only jazz available) and the Lubenice musical nights in Cres Island.

See more about when to go to Croatia.

 

Croatian islands really are special and it’s easy to find the island of your dreams. In this week’s Mirror, journalist Karen Rockett visits the luscious Elaphiti Islands off the coast of Dubrovnik.

 

First up was Sipan with the romantic Hotel Bozica, perched on top a hill and a “perfect honeymoon destination, without the honeymoon price tag”.

Next on the tour was Lopud, noted for its magnificent, sandy Sunj beach.  Yes, it’s busier mainly because it’s an easy day trip from Dubrovnik.

The writer also stopped at sleepy Kolocep, noting that there were no restaurants open on the island and this was May!

Better pack a lunch if you want to visit the Elaphiti Islands off-season. Unless you’re a free-wheeling travel writer, you’ll need to book a tour to visit all three islands in one day. Or, you can just pick one or two and go under your steam by taking a local ferry.

Go to article.

Today’s Timesonline has a useful article about cruising the Croatian coast with kids in tow. Writer Mark Solomans cruised the coast in a gulet last summer and made some interesting points even if you don’t have kids. Here are the main points:

• There’s a mixture of nationalities on these small boats which adds an international flavour
• Cruising is informal; “there’s no need to pack socks or long trousers let alone a dinner jacket”
• Vegetarians can be accommodated but the main diet is seafood “including fish caught that morning yards from the boat, swimming in the sea,”
• It’s safe for kids with a “boat/ship (who cares?) small enough for the children to be able to jump off the sides into the sea”
• Costs are reasonable; “It’s still outside the Eurozone so you can still get a main course for under a tenner in the restaurants though the local wine tends to be pricey for anything decent”
• Tipping is practised; “allow for around 20 euros a head for the week”
• Watch out for nudity! “we had a yacht of naked men moor up alongside us near Bol beach”
• Croatia Airlines is better and cheaper than Ryanair

See more about travelling Croatia with kids.

So you’ve been to Istria and you want to set up house there? The Financial Times has a highly informative article covering all aspects of buying a house or apartment in Istria whether for a residence or a rental property. From feuding families to bureaucratic hurdles the buyers profiled in this article managed to overcome it all to build their dream houses.  Unlike the fevered buyers that swept down from the UK a few years ago, today’s buyers are more likely to be Italians and Slovenians than Brits.  Russians are also entering the picture even though non-EU citizens must obtain government approval of a property purchase. It’s true that the property market in Croatia has cooled down this past year but Istria remains a good investment as well as an extraordinarily good place to live.

Go to article.

Read more about buying property in Croatia or about Istria.