Croatia: Split, Plitvice Lakes, Zadar, and Sibenik.

This September we went to Croatia for the second time visiting Zadar and Sibenik. Our trip to Dubrovnik, Plitviche, and Split was a few years ago so I’ll skip on minor details that might have changed and stick to the big picture. I’ll start with Split dominated as it is by the extensive ‘remains’ of Diocletian’s Palace.

Split

I say ‘remains’ because so much of it remains! It makes up half of the old town of Split. Today the area is a collection of shops, restaurants, cafes, piazzas, and Churches which have grown up organically amongst the archaeological remnants over the years. There is a large market in what would have been storerooms back in Diocletian’s day.

It’s fascinating to gaze at it from the sea front and figure out which sections of the façade are original Roman and which are more modern accretions. I think it’s wonderful that something so ancient can still look so grand today. Other than that, the promenade is a cool place to hang out, eat, drink, and watch the world go by.

There are plenty of beaches around Split. We took a bus to Bene beach most days. It’s a mellow place with a couple of bars and restaurants nearby. It’s not sandy and there are no sunbeds for hire, so you’ll need some kind of mat to lie on. The woods backing onto the shoreline are a rewarding stroll, heavily scented with pine and you will be accompanied by a striking chorus of cicadas.

It was from Bene beach that I took one of the best photographs I have ever taken. It’s the one at the top. Indeed, in a moment of inspiration I even painted it! The only piece of visual art I have produced in my lifetime. I would reproduce it here but my agent is rightly concerned that it might knock a couple of million off the price should it come to auction. It’s somewhere up in the loft, shrouded by a cobweb, I guess.

Plitvice Lakes.

With this jaunt in mind, we hired a car. Plitvice is somewhat inland and we reckoned a coach journey would be a drag. So, we sourced an open top Rolls Royce Camargue and set off. Our plan was to meet our chums, the Murphy family, and share a villa with them. Such fun, how we laughed. We dined al fresco, and the jollity was enhanced when a cat made a career decision by leaping onto the table to steal some fried chicken off my mate’s plate. He got lucky, Mick is a veritable St Francis of Assisi and happily shared his meal with his feline chum.

It was a successful evening, with the proviso that meeting up with friends does tend to make the wine flow somewhat. Consequently, we set off on our journey to Plitvice pretty hungover. Not an auspicious start perhaps, but spiritual healing was at hand.

Plitvice Lakes National Park is well organised and queueing was minimal, if you already had a ticket. It was strangely unprepossessing yet, on the other side of the bland entrance area, the vista of Plitvice unfolded…

And what a vista! This is one of those times in any written description that you know words will fail you. Photographs are better, but even they can’t really do it justice. Plitvice is an intertwined series of lakes, streams and falls of the purest water. The kind of garden Adam and Eve hung out in. Visitors walk around on raised wooden, boardwalks and there is an opportunity to take a boat trip. The pictures here and the video link below will give a flavour of it.

Prices vary according to the time of year and the age/status of the visitor. It is a little complex and prices go from free (under 7) up to €40 for an adult in the height of season. Click here to check it out. It’s wise to book online before you go, as it reduces queueing when you get there. In summer this could be a pricey day out for a family, but it would be an unforgettable one.

We also visited Dubrovnik and Rovinj on this trip, and both were gorgeous places. The Dalmatian coastline is fabulous, especially for sailing holidays. One day I’d love to visit some of the many islands that grace Croatia’s shores. This year, however, we went to Zadar and Sibenik.

Zadar

Zadar airport is small and we were through it quickly. Our apartment called ‘Bellamare’, was rather small, but inexpensive. It has everything you would expect, but the layout is poor. The balcony is accessed through the upstairs bedroom. The way up is via a very narrow spiral staircase and it’s tricky to get luggage up it. The downstairs double room has space for the bed and little else; the wardrobe is tiny. I feel it would be okay for a family with youngsters, but we were two couples so it was all a bit cheek by jowl, as Shakespeare might have said, had he stayed there.

There’s superb sunbathing on the lawn by the L shaped pool. We were well situated for nearby supermarkets, and a fifteen-minute stroll along the seafront to reach the old town. We were in a good spot, and I give Bellamare a thumbs up overall.

The Italianate vibe of Croatia’s towns stems from its past when so much of it was part of the Venetian Republic. Walking the streets, you feel like you could be in Italy. The difference is that while the Italian gems of say, Puglia, feel rather polished and lush, their Croatian cousins are a little more gauche. Still very attractive, but less elegant, more rough and ready. It’s hard to explain.

In Croatia food and drink are less expensive than in Italy. There are loads of great bars and excellent restaurants. It is well set up for tourism and the country changed over to the Euro fairly recently. In September, Zadar was quite busy but not rammed.

In the centre there is the basic floor plan of a Roman forum, and some broken masonry remains. The cathedral of St Donatus is at the side of this and fallen columns have been incorporated into the foundations of the 8^th century church. Zadar is a fascinating place to wander round as the buildings are a mish mash of architectural styles going back centuries.

The harbour features a sea organ where the notes are played by the waves hitting the quayside. The ‘music’ sounded more like whale song than a proper tune to be honest. There’s a clip in the video, see below. Maybe in a decent storm it plays “My Way”, who knows? Anyway, I found it to be a charming visitor attraction.

Borik beach was a cheap bus ride or a stout walk away. It is mainly coarse sand with a shallow lagoon to cool off in. Beds and an umbrella were a bargain at €6 for a couple. There are a few places around to grab a bit of lunch and chilled beer. One afternoon a wildfire sprang up in the nearby countryside. We watched fire-fighting planes scoop water out of the sea and speed off to drop it on the flames. Quite exciting!

Here’s a couple of restaurant recommendations. Jadera Zadar is a classy joint. Four of us had; starters, main course, sweet, two litres of wine and after dinner drinks for about €130? Pretty impressive. Pet Bunara was equally good. Stunning starters; goats cheese with truffles and a wow of a seafood salad. Bruschetta fused with beetroot, plus tapenade and homemade hummus. With the starters came homemade bread with squid juice. For mains we had pork belly (crispy crackling), the juicy meat came with a gorgeous cherry sauce. On the lamb shank the meat dropped off the bone. The beef skirt was equally brilliant and praises were sung. Naturally, such a hearty feast was washed down with plenty of vino, Again the price was fine, around the €130 mark for four thirsty gluttons.

To sum up, Zadar is an attractive town with a lot to offer and well worth a trip. It gets busy in the summer months and you would be wise to book your restaurant tables 24 hours in advance. Bus services are regular and cheap. We were warned not to use the local taxis and used Uber instead.

Sibenik

From Zadar we caught a Flixbus to our accommodation at D Resort Sibenik. It’s a 4 star, rather swish, hotel, in a lovely setting on the bay. It has a grand reception area, two pools, with plenty of sunbeds. Surrounded by the sea on three sides there is a marina with dozens of very luxurious yachts moored up. I won’t bore with you with the details but I got a back injury and was bed ridden for about 4 days here. Still, my wife had a great few days… and I got to check out the local hospital’s Accident & Emergency department a couple of times.

My GHIC card (Global Health Insurance Card, used to be called E111) is always with me, tucked away in my passport holder. I’ve never given it much thought, but I’m very glad I took it. At A&E they asked for it straight away and it ensured I got treatment on the same basis as local citizens. That added up to four injections, two medications, and two doctors’ examinations for a ‘donation’ of about £7. I’d say that is a bargain. If you are UK based make sure you’ve got your GHIC with you and check the date to ensure that it’s valid.

The week did not get off to a good start for other reasons. There was a 24-hour power failure on the first night. So, no electricity, but this turned the emergency lights in the room ON, and we could not turn them off. There was a wedding reception taking place in a restaurant in the nearby arena. It sounded like a Club 18-30 foam party. It went on late, and even at 4.00 am (with the emergency lights still on) the raucous bellowing and singing were complimented by loud drumming.

There are a number of silly ‘House Rules’ in the small print. No outside food or drinks allowed in room. Okay we wouldn’t order pizza, but a can of beer in the minibar was €7 and it was only €1.50 in a nearby supermarket. You are not allowed to wash or dry clothing in your room. From the housekeeping price list; underpants cost €3.50 a wash, socks also €3.50, I assume that’s per pair, not each. We completely ignored these rules, otherwise, the room was spot on and the view over the marina was heart-warming.

The electricity came on the next afternoon. The hotel apologised via a little card in an envelope, and a plate bearing four luxury chocolates, one for each of the hotel’s stars, I presume. I mean, €200 per night and that’s the best they can do? Hotels leave complimentary chocolates on pillows. A free meal for two and bottle of wine was what they should have offered.

Well, that’s enough moaning. Here’s the punchline: we intend to return! Seriously, we both loved the place. It is a lovely, classy, hotel. The bars are cool, the breakfasts were very good. The restaurant is a tad pricey but Sibenik old town is €6 and a 10-minute Uber ride away. That has lots of restaurants and bars.

Or so my wife tells me. While I was in A&E, she went for a look around. ‘It’s a splendid sight’, she reckoned, which, coincidentally, is just what the nurses said to me as they injected my muscular buttocks with various concoctions. When I dropped my trousers the waiting room burst into a spontaneous round of applause.

Sibenik old town is a gorgeous maze of streets with many appealing restaurants and bars. It’s a great place to walk around and explore, with a seafront promenade, two castles and loads of churches.

Being more mobile my wife supplied the paragraph above. I was able to go into Sibenik on our last night. We had a great pizza, though I had to eat it standing up. Incidentally, beer and wine are excellent muscle relaxants, shame they didn’t hand them out at A&E.

Should you go?

Croatia is a smashing place, obviously there’s so much more to it than I have seen. I hope I have succeeded in giving you a flavour. It’s certainly very easy on the eye with picturesque old towns, sumptuous countryside and beaches aplenty. It is a very popular yachting destination. I want to go back and see more of it, specifically some of the islands, and I feel I missed out on Sibenik. If you like Italy and Greece, then Croatia is going to appeal to you.