Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Dubrovnik’ Category

With a web of international flights, Croatia should not lack for visitors next year. Here’s an early roundup of 2012 flights to Croatia:

Monarch Airlines will fly from Manchester, Birmingham and London Gatwick to Dubrovnik.

Croatia Airlines will start two weekly flights from Munich to Dubrovnik on April 16. Alas, this year’s service from Vienna and Istanbul to Dubrovnik will be retired. Zadar will get a direct weekly flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle starting on May 1. And this year’s popular Zagreb to Athens route will resume next summer, making it easy to extend your Mediterranean holiday to Greece. In more good news, fun-loving French  can spend New Year’s in Dubrovnik with a direct route from Paris Charles de Gaulle that will run twice weekly  all year.

Why do Russians visit Zagreb in winter? Who knows. Maybe Zagreb is warmer than Moscow. Maybe they’ll make a beeline to the balmier Dalmatian coast. This year Aeroflot will maintain daily flights between Zagreb and Moscow throughout the year.

Connections to Scandinavia and Central Europe are already scheduled for next year. Check out the following (with a thanks to Ex-Yu Aviation news):

Stockholm – Dubrovnik (March 25) SAS

Karlsruhe – Zadar (March 28) Ryanair

Copenhagen – Split (March 31) SAS

Helsinki – Dubrovnik (April 02) Finnair

Dubrovnik – Munich (April 16) Croatia Airlines

Zadar – Paris (May 01) Croatia Airlines

Bern – Split (May 05) SkyWork Airlines

Frankfurt – Rijeka (May 05) Condor

Frankfurt – Dubrovnik (May 13) Condor

Manchester – Pula (May 19) Jet2.com

Zurich – Dubrovnik (May 27) Edelweiss Air

Bergen – Split (June 25) SAS

Stavanger – Split (June 25) SAS

Copenhagen – Dubrovnik (July 04) SAS

Rotterdam – Split (July 07) Transavia.com

See more on cheap flights to Croatia!

The World Travel Awards are like the Oscars of the travel industry. Voted on by travel agents worldwide, the Dubrovnik Palace Hotel, Conference Center and Spa in Dubrovnik has been anointed Europe’s Leading Resort. Can you imagine the competition? There are a lot of resorts in Europe!

So why the Dubrovnik Palace? Well, the location right on the sea with a private beach helps. Also, there’s a scuba diving center based in the hotel, perfect for learning to dive or perfecting your technique. Or perhaps you prefer jogging? There are jogging paths just outside. Naturally, there’s spa splendor in the form of an indoor pool, fitness  jacuzzi, steam and sauna facilities.  That and all the other five-star amenities–free wifi, luxury toiletries, five restaurants, a shuttle bus from Lapad to Dubrovnik’s old town–insure that the Dubrovnik Palace has well-earned their award.

Read more and book the Dubrovnik Palace.

It’s a race to the top in Dubrovnik as hoteliers outdo themselves to capture high-end tourists. The latest entry on the scene is the incredible Villa Dubrovnik. Clinging to a cliff that juts into the Adriatic, the unparalleled views make the Villa Dubrovnik the most romantic hotel in Dubrovnik. It’s in the Ploce neighbourhood which already boasts two other five-star hotels: Hotel Excelsior and Grand Villa Argentina. The Villa Dubrovnik is a few minutes further along the scenic road but still an easy walk to town. And there are free boat transfers!

The Villa Dubrovnik closed for three years to renovate and the result is spectacular. The architecture seems to capture the sea and sky and bring it into the splendidly appointed rooms. Some rooms have private jacuzzis but, if not, the wellness center is there for the ultimate in pampering. The indoor pool makes the hotel the ultimate Adriatic experience even in winter and the two restaurants are first- rate. Find out more.

Ready to pop the question on this day of love? According to CNN, the Hotel Excelsior in Dubrovnik is the place to put a ring on it. In an article about the “10 Sweetest Places for a Valentine’s Day Proposal, CNN noted that the  Hotel Excelsior is where Richard Burton once romanced Elisabeth Taylor. And we know how that turned out! OK, not so good but you can cavort on the nearby island of Lokrum, known for its naturist beaches and watch the sunset from the top of Dubrovnik’s famed walls. By the way, the Hotel Excelsior has the best view of Dubrovnik, there’s a wellness spa for pampering and a fine restaurant to toast your glorious future together. See more on the Hotel Excelsior.

Let bygones be bygones! In a series of moves to put a fractured past behind them, Serbia and Croatia are forging new transport ties. This summer will see the introduction of two new flights from Belgrade: one to Pula and one to Dubrovnik.

Of the two, I find the flights to Dubrovnik the most surprising as the city, famously, suffered badly in the bombing of 1991. It’s been 19 years since the last flight between Belgrade and Dubrovnik. Now there will be two flights weekly, beginning June 20 and running until September 7. It is not yet clear whether Croatia’s national carrier, Croatia Airlines, or Serbia’s airline, JAT will operate the route.

Fewer details are available for the Belgrade-Pula route except that it will resume this summer after a two-year absence.

See more on flights to Croatia.