Croatia- anyone?

[Tansie]

Anyone been to Croatia who could give hints and tips? Where's good, where isn't? etc?

Thinking about the May half term, possibly something villa-like?

Croatia is fantastic!
We've been to Split, which was lovely and explored islands around there.
Stayed for a week in Makarska which was great.
Highlight has always been Dubrovnik though. It's beautiful.

I've been to Split, Trogir and Hvar, and they were beautiful.

Split was brilliant from the history side of things (Hvar island had a couple of historical sites of interest too), and buzzing with people. Trogir was much quieter, very beautiful and the little shops were fun, but 1 day there was enough to see everything. Hvar was party central and my favourite place out of the three, because as well as all the yacht-spotting there were some amazing little beach coves, little shack bars with hammocks in the wooded areas just off the shore and some lovely almost deserted islands, even in the height of summer. We enjoyed kayaking around these islands and generally admiring the coastline, which is one of the cleanest and prettiest in the world.

Not many sandy beaches, though - very pebbly and rocky.

Also heard great things about Dubrovnik but have yet to visit.

I have only been to Dubrovnik. It is gorgeous and lovely but considerably more expensive than the rest of Croatia .
Not Scandinavia pricey mind, totally doable, but I'd be tempted to try further up the Dalmatian coast and take a trip to Dubrovnik.

We went a few years back - Hvar. It was amazing - lovely people, gorgeous place. Water is the most crystal-clear I've ever come across.

Last summer we drove through Croatia on a road trip from the Uk to Montenegro.
We stayed a few nights there; Trogir, Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb. We stayed in apartments and hotels and liked it all but found Dubrovnik expensive and over crowded at times when a few big ships arrived simultaneously.
Our favourite bit was driving from Dubrovnik to Trpanj ( to avoid Bosnia as we'd forgotten to buy insurance on the other side) and getting the car ferry to Ploce. The sun was shining and dolphins followed us across the bay :)
PM me if you want accommodation details.

Cavtat.

Just about 10 minutes from the airport. Lively little town. Excellent icecream. 30 minute boat ride to dubrovnik. Nice beach (pebbly). Amazing clear beautiful sea. Lovely woods. Biat trips to islands.

Had the most lovely holiday a few years back.

I agree Cavtat is lovely. You can easily get the bus (or boat!) into Dubrovnik. Also hire a car and go to Kotor in Montenegro, couple of hours, beautiful place.

Best tip is to look online and see how many cruise ships are in docks that week in Dubrovnik and avoid going in on a mega busy day.

Really want to go back and go to the Hvar end next.

Korcula was great and then we got a ferry to Dubrovnik which was fabulous.

Came on here to look for anything about Croatia and find a live thread - fantastic!.
Thinking about booking a adventure group holiday thing here - eg Family Adventure company - but how hot does in get in the summer? We've just reluctantly discounted Turkey because I'm a bit of a wuss with really hot weather, and the trips only go in July and August...

Any advice would be appreciated.

It's hot!! But there is that lovely blue turquoise clear sea to dip into. If you're mountain biking and needing some effort then it will be hard, but if near the coast and water it will be more bearable.

We went and they were having a bit of a freak heat in that it was mid-day hot first thing in the morning, so you were straight into it. I melted at the bus stop and it was only 9am!

Apparently May and September are beautiful, but that's no good for those of us sticking to Summer hols dates.

Rovinj is lovely too, very Italian in style of architecture, food etc. Beautiful coastal country park where you can hire a bike and cycle to pine fringed inlets. We stayed in Pula which has an amazing amphitheatre but didn't think beach resorts were as nice as Rovinj

We were in Croatia the year before last and agree that Korcula is a super place to holiday ....the town in lovely not too busy ...you can hire little white boats and go island exploring ...we spent 2 weeks on Korcula and then 5 nights in Cavtat which we also loved - very different - mega yachts moored all along the seafront ... but a great place to have as a base to go into Dubrovnik and to also go into Montenegro - we did both - loved Dubrovnik ....not so keen on Montenegro - just found that it has been taken over by the Russians ...Kotor was very nice though .... We are back again this year touring hoping to do lots include Island hoping from North to South ...

I love Croatia and have been twice. I agree that Dubrovnik is expensive, but really worth visiting. The first time we went we stayed on the Makarska riviera at a place called Baska Voda in this aparthotel. We had a fabulous week at May half term and it ticked all the right boxes for us.

Most Brits haven't rediscovered Croatia yet and the main holiday season starts in June so May half term is ideal from all viewpoints - not crowded and lovely weather. The sea is utterly beautiful and clear because there is no heavy industry on the Adriatic and because most beaches are pebbly. The scenery is stunning and we found the people friendly. I would go back in an instant.