As a total surprise for Angela we went to Dubrovnik, Croatia in May 2004 for a week. She didn't know we were flying there as we had just finished visiting our friends in Norwich and I had told her we were going to Skegness, The Lake District and then Edinburgh! She fell for that one, so she was pretty shocked when I drove into Norwich Airport.
The flight only took about 3 hours from Norwich.
Click for Rough Guide to Croatia travel book which is available from Amazon. I booked the holiday from Tim at McConnell Travel in Boscombe, Bournemouth and the package provider were Holiday Options.
She has been to Croatia several times in the 1980's, to the seaside village of Cavtat (staying at Hotel Croatia) but had never been back after the war. This was my first time and I was really looking forward to it seeing as I have had the stories ringing in my ears for the past 10 years.
I decided not to stay in Cavtat as I would rather we went somewhere new. It seemed nice enough but I guess I wanted to be near Dubrovnik itself as there wouldn't be a huge amount of things to do in Cavtat itself once you have had a wander around.
We stayed at Hotel Uvala by Lapad bay. It was very modern and newly opened. So new that certain things weren't working properly but personally it was OK as I really liked the contemporary design of it all.
The other hotels are very old-worldy in comparison which is not my cup of tea. I did see many guest from other hotels who would pass by and stare at the hotel. Don't if that was a good thing or a bad thing but it must have made an impression on them.
We opted for one the larger rooms facing the bay. It had a jacuzzi bath, huge bed, large balcony and a long sofa to laze around and watch the TV. Worth the upgrade as the sunsets over the bay were brilliant. It was a bit chilly in May but during summer it would be nice sitting on the balcony with a bottle of wine.
The hotel was the last stop of our transfer from the airport which took about an hour so we only managed to get there in time for dinner by 9pm.
We found that the hotel had only been opened for a week or so. Hence the fitness/spa centre was not open, the outside pool was not open and the shower guard leaked water. The staff gave us extra towels to mop it all up every day. As I really liked the design of the hotel I wasn't really put off by it all. We did get over £100 back per person but I am sure everything should be fine by now. Just teething troubles.
There was a bus stop just a few minutes walk away and it was very easy to catch and pop into town. Best to buy your tickets from the hotel lobby as it is cheaper than paying on the bus (8 kuna as opposed to 10), and if they don't have any then pop into the next hotel as they might have some.
This bus was definitely not as packed as the other buses that went to the other side of Lapad Bay. People were always fighting to squeeze onto that bus when it was leaving Dubrovnik's Pile Gate. Our bus was always more gentile so I think this area has an advantange there.
The bus ride takes only 20 minutes.
Dubrovnik is a wonderful place that you can spend days just meandering around the side streets and checking out the many restaurants and bars there. I found some nice places for seafood and pizza. Be careful as the pizzas are huge and one will do for two people.
We got the bus into Dubrovnik on out 1st day. It's surprising how quickly you can walk from one end of the Stradum to the other side, but to get into all the nooks and crannies takes more time.
After a bit of research on the web beforehand, we made way to eat at a restaurant called Kamenice on Gunduliceva Poljana, just across from the Rectors Palace. It was very busy with virtually all the tables full. On another occassion we had to wait about 10 minutes before a table was free. I had the oysters and mussel risotto. The oysters were only 7 kuna each and they were the native variety and very tasty. Angela had some very tender fried squid. We left the city wall walk for another day and just had a beer somewhere else.
On the 2nd day we took a short walk past the large supermarket nearby and down the hill into Lapad Bay. The map seems to make everything seem far but in reality it wasn't. Although with the sun beating down on you at 11am it tends to slow you down. The water around the bay and the rest of the coast is so clear and I'm sure swimming in it during the August and September would be great, but this was May and it felt cooler than what I would have liked to be dipping in.
After a quick beer we took the number 10 bus to Cavtat (pronounced sav-tat, not kav-tat like many tourists were saying). Cost 12 kuna each. We went there to meet up with some friends of Angela's who work at Hotel Croatia. We had lunch at their house (particularly liked the squid risotto which was all black with the ink) and then popped down to the hotel for a quick look around. It is quite high up and had spectacular views over the sea and bays below.
We had dinner at Restaurant Cavtat and after everybody left, me and Angela had an ince cream and a stroll around, watching the sunset before getting the bus back.
We did see a restuarant called Leiut or Leift that seemed very, very full compared to everywhere else so I am guessing that it must have a good reputation. This was only midweek so maybe next time I will go and check it out.
3rd day: 12 May 04. We decided to take it easy today and go for a stroll around the peninsual of Babin Kuk, over to where Hotel Neptune is. We saw someone snorkelling in the crystal clear waters, although he was having some trouble getting his wife to work the camera to snap him swimming around. We aimed to walk around the peninsula and get to Yatch Club Orsan for lunch. It was a nice walk and the lunch was even better. The guide books say that this restaurant is very busy during the season so I was happy to get there whilst we could without too much hassle.
It was lovely to sit there by the tethered boats, sheltered by the trees having our oysters, mussels, prawns and steak. I had never tried Croatian wine in the UK so I didn't know what to go for but I ordered a bottle of Posip Smovika which was a really nice white wine. A bit like Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio. The whole meal came to about 310 kuna which was fantastic value. Although not as hot as the first couple of days, the cloud cover helped with the stroll around but it cleared after we got back. We spent a gentle four hours eating and walking that day.
I've never been a fan of half-board as the concept of International Cuisine has never hit the right spot for me as they tend to be average tasting buffets serving hundreds of people. However, this hotel only holds 50 rooms and I found the food to be really nice and very tasty. I enjoyed all of the food that they had every night but I was puzzled at how expensive the wine was. Not only in the hotels but other restaurants. It was all Croatian and not imported stuff.
Try the Osjecko dark beer if you are into stout or Old Peculiar type beers.
4th day: 13 May. The rain and lightening really hit during the night/early morning but it didn't last too long.
We went back to Cavtat again. Our friends took us up the hill overlooking Cavtat to a small restaurant that specialised in cooking meat under a bell. Basically it is slow cooked until it is very, very tender. The place was called Konavoski Komin. For 5 adults with starters, main course and drinks, it came to £50. We had coffee and desserts at The Kabelero in Cavtat which was our friend's local. There was some traditional Croation music and dancing on the Stradum that night.
5th day: 14 May. We decided to do the walk around the city walls today. Be warned, this was May and the sun was out and you could definitely feel the effects. I can only imagine at the height of summer it is going to be really hot, so take some water. The drinks at the cafe stations are a lot more expensive as well. There's not a lot of shade up there to hide and shelter.
It costs 30 kuna to access the wall walk and took us about 2 hours leisurely walk. The views of the rooftops and and down through the narrow side streets are interesting. From the wall you can only begin to imagine what it would have been like during the war when the seige took place and soldiers were firing their bullets and shells from outside on the hills into the inner area.
6th day: 15 May, Saturday. We were sick of eating by now! Just had another lazy nothing day. Took the bus into town again. There were excursions on offer but they never really took my fancy. There was one going North to Ston where they had some oyster bays but it seemed a long way to go for not much in return. We had a gentle stroll into the old port and then around to the base of St. John Port.
We had a beer and pizza at Mae Culpa along the back street of Za Rokon, south of Stradun. As mentioned beforem for £3 to £3.50 the pizzas are huge.
I would thoroughly recommend people to seek out the little places south of Stradun, and not go into the tourist trap just up and parallel to Stradun called The Prijeko. We had been warned and kept clear. Not saying that they are bad, but probably not the best value or quality. It reminded me of one of the side streets off La Grand Place in Brussels where it is a constant narrow corridor of tables and restaurants, most likely with shared kitchens and owners anyway.
Last Day. 16 May. Time to leave. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to others. Check out the average temperatures for when you plan to go first. For me the end of May beginning of June would have been a better time as there would have been slightly more people to fill the Babin Kuk area bars a bit more and give it some more atmosphere, and the temperature would have been warmer generally without being too schorchio.
After the excellent holiday we had and spending time in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik, it is with a little bit of sadness to see these kind of scenes from YouTube with regards to the Civil War that occured. However, it is important to see this footage as a reminder.
