Croatia Travel Blog

Archive for the ‘Split’ Category

After its recent announcement of new routes from Rome to Dubrovnik and Split, Easyjet has further pleased Croatia travellers by announcing new routes from London-Stansted to Dubrovnik and Split. Flights to Dubrovnik begin on 15 May and will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Flights from Stansted to Split begin on 14 May and will run Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Prices start at the low, low rate of £26.99. Isn’t that good news?

See more on flights to Croatia, flights to Dubrovnik and flights to Split.

Congratulations to the Hotel Le Meridien Lav in Podstrana for winning four major awards this year from the World Travel Awards. Considered as the “Oscars” of the travel industry, these prestigious awards are voted by 165,000 travel professionals in 175 countries.

This year, the five-star Le Meridien Lav won in four categories: Europe’s Leading Casino Resort; Europe’s Leading Conference Hotel; Croatia’s Leading Hotel; Croatia’s Leading Spa Resort.

That’s quite a cluster or prizes! And the recompense is richly deserved. Located just a few kilometres outside Split, Le Meridien Lav is a palace of pampering with indoor and outdoor pools, a lavish spa and ultra-luxurious rooms. The only problem is that you may never want to leave!

Find out more about Le Meridien Lav or other luxury hotels in Split.

Are five-star hotels seeming a little too shabby for your taste? Looking for the hotel experience of a lifetime? Tiny Solta Island, a short hop from Split, has stepped up to the plate.

According to World Architecture News, a new resort is in the works that will include the world’s first rotating hotel. Ever had the experience where you and your wedding party want to rent out a hotel but not everybody can have a seaview room? Awkward. This new hotel will have three storeys on a giant turntable, rotating at the dizzying speed of 1.3 times per day. As the diameter of the place is 61m, you probably won’t get dizzy and you are guaranteed to experience a view across the bay to Split as well as the new luxury marina (yet to be built).

The planned hotel will have individual infinity swimming pools and an infinity edged swimming lake that drops down to a spa below in a series of steps.

Construction hasn’t yet started so you’ll have time to start saving up for your experience. Let the kids pay for their own damn college.

As everywhere in Croatia, prices are marching ever upward in Split. Before getting in a lather about it, take a look at the prices in a local supermarket. They’re the same as most other European destinations! That is, you can’t expect restauranteurs to give a break to their customers when they’re paying through the nose. Still, you can get good value if you sniff around. Here are the results of my recent dining ventures:

Buffet Fife

This old stand-by is in the newly trendy Veli Varos neighbourhood, the old fisherman’s quarter, now restored and chock-full of private accommodation. The action centers around Sperun square where there are a bunch of cafes and restaurants steadily moving upscale. Buffet Fife remains true to its calling as a casual hangout for locals, backpackers and tourists at the end of their budget. The seating is family-style around big tables and the emphasis is on fish. To keep prices down and insure freshness, you won’t find the pricier fish such as sea-bream, but a nice selection of cheaper fish like mullet and mackerel. Hey, it’s better for you anyway! A plate of grilled fish with a side of vegetables and a glass of wine comes in under €9.

Sperun

This little place on Sperun square has wormed its way into a number of guidebooks. It’s not bad at all. A portion of your better quality fish will set you back about €12 but that’s a reasonable deal. There’s a full menu of meat, fish and vegetable plates starting at 45KN or about €7. I had a local speciality, Balacao, which is salt cod and potatoes in a casserole. I found it a little gummy but maybe that’s par for this dish, Dalmatian-style. Anyway, it was certainly filling. The service is young and enthusiastic but reserve ahead, especially on Saturday night.

Galija

I’d been coming here for years to enjoy the pizza which is probably the best in Split. At least, a steady stream of locals seem to think so. This time I decided to try the pasta. Mistake. Gnocchi with cream, mushrooms and salmon was a gloppy mess. Sometimes it’s best not to be too adventurous.

See more on restaurants in Split.

No wonder the people of Split are so trim and fit! To get away from the centuries-old stones and enjoy some Mediterranean vegetation the only solution is to climb up to Marjan hill. Overgrown with pine and cactus, the 125m-high Marjan hill is on a peninsula that juts out from west Split. Many, many steps take you from the Veli Varos neighbourhood up and up until you come to a caffe-bar with a splendid view that encompasses all Split and a good number of its off-shore islands. You can continue to climb the pine-shaded steps or take the sunny route that runs around the hill’s perimeter, passing small churches, a botanical garden and the tiny Split zoo.

Bene beach

Another way to explore the hill park is to enter on the northern side, rent a bike and cycle a few kilometers to the Bene beach sports complex. There’s a playground, tennis courts, a caffe-bar and the above beach. The road is closed to traffic and circles round Marjan hill on the outer perimeter where the shiny sea peeks behind the pines. There may be a more beautiful Mediterranean bike ride somewhere but right now I can’t think of one.