Last Updated on February 19, 2024 by AMANDA CASTILLO
The Best Croatia Trip
What an amazing way to start the summer than in this Medieval Country known as Croatia?! I’ve been asked countless times on why I chose Croatia to visit and my answer is always the same…why not?
My mother originally planted the idea of Croatia in my head years ago. During the pandemic it was one of the few places still allowing people to enter so I spent a fair amount of time doing my research and slowly started to see Croatia climb to the top of my list. I was honestly ready to travel alone this summer until my best friend told me she was ready for an Amanda style vacay! Say less! I sent her a list of places and let her pick…Croatia it was!
I am so happy we were able to experience Croatia together! Having been friends for several years this was going to be the longest amount of time we had ever spent together. Even when she lived in LA we didn’t hang out as much as we do now that she lives in Philadelphia. It’s always a gamble traveling with someone, and it really can make or break any relationship. Thankfully she helped me edit this, we still speak everyday…several times a day and the trip only brought us closer! (Coming soon: How to pick The Perfect Travel Companion)
She was so trusting of the trip planning process it was wonderful. Her only job was to be ready to board the plane at take off! I kept her in the loop via google doc! “check the google doc” She probably heard that 100 times before our trip and a couple of times while we were in Croatia. There is a method to my madness, I promise. Once the flights were booked it was game time. I was in my zone planning the best Croatian Vacation for us!
Where to Go?
We planned to visit Split and Dubrovnik. I am a sucker for history and Croatia is not lacking in that department at all. Knowing our destinations I could start to really plan now! aka Throw all my ideas on a google doc! Everything I could find and was interested in went on the google doc. Once I knew where we would be spending time on activities or at beaches etc I had an idea of what area I wanted to look for hotels. I am so not an Airbnb kinda gal and neither is my friend, which made things easy. I started reading reviews and blog posts searching for the best hotels in those areas. This allowed me to narrow my search even more before I hopped on Expedia.
Activities and Booking Info
Expedia has plenty of filtering options that make searching really easy to find a hotel in the area you’re interested in being. Do your research! Read the reviews. Do a GPS search from the hotel to a point of interest. Instead of booking packages through Expedia I generally use it for hotels although I have booked packages with them previously and have not had any problems. When it comes to booking flights, I connect with my travel agent because they usually have “connections” with the airlines and or have insightful tips when visiting multiple cities if flights are involved.
For activities I book through Get Your Guide. I find their interface to be very user friendly and they work with local tour companies to set you up for the most amazing experiences.
In Split we wanted to see the famous Blue Caves and visit Krka National Park. The Blue Caves were half of the reason I wanted to visit Croatia in the first place so that was an absolute must! Krka National Park was on my list because of the beautiful nature and incredible waterfalls I read about and saw during my research. Plitvice Lakes National Park was also on my list, but it got eliminated when thinking of how we wanted to spend our time. Krka is 2 hours away from Split and Plitvice was 4 hours. 4 hours each way just to get there sounded like a lot plus a whole day of activities in the sun. It just seemed like we could spend our time better than on a bus for 8 hours. I’ll tell you more about that later.
In addition to booking activities and accommodations I really try to book as much as possible prior to arrival so it’s one less thing to worry about i.e., hotel transfer, ferries, rental cars, whatever I can! Occasionally I will work with the Hotel Concierge to help guide or veer me in the right direction, but I just get so much joy and satisfaction planning it myself. We booked our pickup from the airport in Split to our Hotel with Adriatic Shuttles and had no problems.
It took a lot of research and time to narrow down what we would actually be able to do and see with the time we would have and without being overwhelming for us. A day or two with nothing on the itinerary is a must!
Hotels
With everything booked the countdown began! I was the hype man in the group for sure. Some people’s excitement doesn’t start until the day of…. not me my friends. The second the flights are booked I am in my happy place and on 100% everyday leading up to our departure. Our hotels were absolutely incredible in both Split and Dubrovnik!
The Cornaro Hotel in Split made our stay so nice. It was literally around the corner from the Riva Promenade and in the center of all the action. Our room was upgraded upon check in which wasn’t a bad follow up to my bag being “delayed” at the airport. I’ll get back to that later. Our stay came with a breakfast buffet and by breakfast, I mean a full-blown kings feast or as the hotel referred to it as Diocletian’s breakfast. There was also an incredible Spa with treatments you could reserve and amenities available to all hotel guest… Which we happily used and thoroughly enjoyed. Did I mention the pillow menu? The pillow menu had all different types of Tempur-Pedic /orthopedic selections with lavender scent and memory foam. It was a better selection than at Target! 
The Excelsior Hotel in Dubrovnik was one of the loveliest places I have stayed. Dubrovnik had a slower and more relaxed pace. The customer service was on point 24/7 during our entire stay. We really felt taken care of here and were again upgraded with a nice room from our already nice room. The hotel itself was about a ten-minute walk to the old city and had the most gorgeous ocean pool. The deck along the ocean with ladders to climb in the water, loungers and food & beverage service, was honestly my favorite part of the stay.
This hotel also had the most amazing spa and amenities available to use too and we gladly obliged…. again. The amenities here were incredible, an indoor pool with built-in water loungers, jacuzzies, steam room, sauna, roman baths and a list of treatments you could book. At both hotels we treated ourselves to massages and both Spas were exceptional. The Excelsior also had a yummy breakfast included with an amazing buffet spread and separate menu to choose from. Whatever you wanted they were happy to get it or make it for you.
Split
Coming from opposite ends of the USA my friend and I met at our layover in Germany and arrived in Croatia together. Split was such a good place to start our trip. It got off to a rocky start with my luggage not making the connection but it definitely made a come back before we left to Dubrovnik. One of my worst fears is my luggage not making it to my destination but luckily my anxiety about this keeps me well prepared! In my carry on/ back pack I have 2 days worth of necessities. Included but not limited to a change of clothes, jammies, underwear, bathing suit and shoes! I wasn’t completely without, and Tiffany was highly impressed. Check out my list of carry-on essentials! You’ll thank me later.
Day 1. Arrival Day- Checking in at the Cornaro was a breeze and as I mentioned earlier, we were upgraded to a cute corner room looking at the Cathedral and Bell Tower of St. Domnius.
It was pretty spectacular especially when the bells started to ring. The Cathedral and Climbing the Bell Tower was on my list, so it was beyond exciting to see and hear from our window. Of course, the delayed luggage was not on the google doc, so I had to quickly remind myself that I was in Croatia! Soon after settling in we hit the Riva and started to get the lay of the land. The weather was perfect, and we pulled over and had our first Aperol Spritz of the trip! Sooo good. 
Unfortunately, that buzz wore off real quick when I received an email that our BLUE CAVE TOUR had been CANCELED due to water weather advisory!!!! I was beyond bummed. but again, I had to remind myself I was still in Croatia. It was such a bummer though. I tried endlessly to rebook for another day during our time in Split, but everything was sold out and I had no luck.
Day 2. Off to a rough start, no Blue Caves and still no luggage the only logical thing to do was to go to the Spa for massages and enjoy the oh so lovely amenities!
New note to self, a massage after 15 hours of traveling is the way to go and it was such a good distraction from my luggage…kind of. We were so lucky to have such an amazing Spa inside of our hotel. After we were prim and pampered, we went out to explore more. I was told my bag would be to the hotel after 12pm so things were starting to look up especially with more Aperol and yummy food!
A lot of our points of interest on the google doc were at our fingertips near our hotel so wondering around was really easy and fun. Split is literally like a corn maze. Alley after alley and so many tiny little corridors to get lost in. It’s so cool when you think about all those that came through them before you.
Finally, my luggage arrived, and I could breathe and start to reallllly enjoy being in Croatia. A quick change and back out we went. This time we ventured to Bacvice Beach. I highly recommend this beach and wish I would have been able to go to it every day. It was such a vibe.
Bacvice Beach
Bacvice is the most popular beach in Split and for good reason. This popular Croatian beach pastime is thought to have originated in the early 20th century. It was about a 15-minute walk from our hotel and super easy to find when putting it into our GPS walking mode. This was honestly one of my favorite days in Split! Even though it was meant for the Blue Caves this day was incredible. On the actual beach you could rent a sun lounger and umbrella or bring a towel and lie wherever you please. There is a beautiful costal path with restaurants and ladders to get into the ocean along the entire path. There was even a dock to dive off of. If sand isn’t your thing the path is the perfect place to chill. After watching kids jump into the water off of the dock, I decided I needed to partake too!
I even talked Tiffany into jumping in with me…. several times! It was so much fun. This is also where my cute travel quick dry towel came in clutch! 
There are also many different restaurants that are said to turn up after dark and during the high season. We visited during the shoulder season so nothing to to crazy was going on and we didn’t go back at night to check the scene, but I heard it was a to do!
Later that night we found ourselves in the middle of The Diocletian’s Palace, sitting on the steps listening to music, people watching with delicious drinks just taking it all in.
Day 3. Adventure Day! After a yummy breakfast at the Hotel, we packed our day bag and met the bus for Krka National Park.
Krka National Park
It was hard to pick Krka over Plitvice, but we chose Krka because it was much closer and both had what we were looking for, an active day in Nature. Krka National Park is along the Krka River in southern Croatia. It’s known for a series of 7 gorgeous waterfalls none of which disappointed. Our specific tour came with transportation, a boat ride along the river and the Krka National Park entrance fee.
We met the Get Your Guide Tour bus conveniently a couple of blocks away from our hotel. It was a 2-hour bus ride but went by so fast and our tour guide was great! We spent a little time with our group upon arrival at the park to get the lay of the land but then set off to explore the waterfalls and trails solo. We were definitely calling this our “active day” trying to get in even more steps and see everything we could. The waterfalls were breathtaking with traditional water mills still active. It was so cool.
After the park the tour stopped for a little free time in the city of Šibenik, famous for its impressive historical fortresses. We chose to wander for a little bit and then grab lunch. Note to self when ordering fish ask if it comes with eyes!!! I have to share this because I was so proud of myself for actually eating it and enjoying it…go figure! This from someone who is scared of chicken on the bone!!
We returned back in time for the early evening. However, at one point I thought I was on the 405 freeway in LA! The whole of Croatia was racing to the Riva to celebrate and there was so much traffic. It was the 2022 Croatian Cup Final between the Adriatic rivals Rijeka and Hajduk Split. It was absolute insanity. Before we were really aware of the madness taking place we went to refresh and rally. By the time we came out for the night it was like another world. There was a concert stage, thousands of people singing and drinking and turning all the way up! Fireworks going off, music, people hanging off of the side of buildings, more dancing and cheering on top of cars and buses. It was actually really cool to be in the middle, experiencing this celebration like a local. Nothing like that would ever happen in the states.
That night we had the best dinner and in my opinion the best food the whole time we were in Croatia. We ate at Chops Grill and I had my first Espresso Martini….life would never be the same. It became the official drink for the remainder of the trip! For our yummy dinner, I had the pink risotto with shrimp and langoustine, Tiffany had the Steak, and we were both happy as could be!
The party around us didn’t stop until all hours of the night and we had so much fun taking it all in and share celebrating this occasion in Split.
Day 4. This was the last full day we had to explore in Split. The whole Old Town is an open-air museum and UNESCO site. We found ourselves all over Diocletian’s Palace, in Churches and Museums. We also did some shopping, but it was the Cathedral and climbing to the top of the Bell Tower that was the highlight for me.
St. Domnius Cathedral & Bell Tower
The Cathedral of Saint Domnius was built at the turn of the 7th century AD, is regarded as the oldest Catholic cathedral in the world that remains in use in its original structure. Talk about History. I was in complete awe. The Cathedral, formed from an Imperial Roman mausoleum, with a bell tower; strictly the church is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the bell tower to Saint Domnius. 
Together they form the Cathedral of St. Domnius. It was truly amazing. Climbing to the top of the Bell Tower was so much fun. A little scary with the super small stairways but once you’re at the top it’s a spectacular view of Split.
The next day we took the ferry to Dubrovnik to continue our Medieval adventure. It was an early wake up but so worth it!
Dubrovnik
Day 5. I originally thought of getting to Dubrovnik by rental car like I got around in Greece with. Driving would have given us an opportunity to stop in Bosnia for lunch and add another stamp to my passport collection. However, since there were other boarders involved, I thought it better to take the ferry. The last thing you want to do is waste your precious vacation time in line at a boarder. At least on the ferry we could nap a bit. After all it was a 7a departure. The ferry to Dubrovnik took about 4.5 hours and our driver that was taking us to our hotel was waiting with my name sign as we walked out. So excited to be on to this next adventure we didn’t even realize that our driver drove right past the Old City to the airport not our hotel! Fail!!!!
Another rocky start but that quickly turned around as we were shown our new home for the next few days. Adriatic Luxury Hotels and everyone at the Excelsior was so nice and went above and beyond to make our stay special including upgrading our hotel room. Everything about the hotel was amazing.
I could have laid out on the ocean deck looking at the Old City and the beautiful Adriatic Sea the entire time we were in Dubrovnik. There was such a calm energy there.
Having the ladders to get in and out of the water and the Ocean Fed pool was such a treat. Of course, the indoor pool, jacuzzi and other amenities were incredible and bring me to give this Hotel a 10! With no set plans we spent the remainder of the day laying out and soaking up the sun.
Day 6. Another day of adventure! We planned to visit the Elaphiti Islands.
Elaphiti Islands
We booked a tour of the Elaphiti Islands or Elafiti in Croatian, with Get Your Guide. It is a small archipelago consisting of several islands stretching northwest of Dubrovnik, in the Adriatic Sea with a population of under 1,000.
Our tour stopped at 3 of the main islands, Šipan, Lopud & Koločep. It also came with wine and lunch however we made a friend and stopped for a snack aka wine while on Šipan. While on Lopud we further indulged in renting loungers on a private ocean deck and had more wine. It was such a good day!
The best drinks came from our Hotel Bar. It was such a vibe with a piano player and then DJ. We really didn’t have to leave the hotel if we didn’t want to, it was that good. This was the one night that we had a bottle of Wine and Espresso Martini too many! The next morning was rough. Not gonna lie.
Day 7. The Hotel Spa is where you could find us trying to come back to life. Nothing like a deep tissue massage to get you back on track. We found our spot at the ocean deck and thoroughly enjoyed a nap falling asleep on the loungers to the waves crashing. Pulling it together in time for dinner we explored the Old City and got lost down corridor after corridor. By accident we stumbled upon Buža Bar.
Buža Bar
I heard about Buža Bar during my research phase and it was definitely on my list. Buža literally means hole in the wall and it was. You literally walk through a hole in The City Walls to reach this beautiful bar hanging on the cliff over the sea. Its so unique and magical. We also happened to be there around sunset which was spectacular to see. Of course this was peak time so getting a table was impossible.
Pro Tip #1 If you walk to the other side of the bar there is a small path and plenty of rocks to sit along. It was perfect for us. There is no food served so it was not a big deal for us not to get a table. We were just happy to be taking it all in and enjoying the breathtaking view on the rocks. The other people hanging out on the rocks came prepared and brought their own drinks down. Thinking about it now you could order a drink if there no table and take your drink to the rocks. Pro Tip #2 the bar only accepts KUNA. No credit cards, Euro or USD so come prepared.
After a good photo shoot we were ready to find dinner!
During our night time stroll in this Medieval Town and UNESCO area we came across Rectors Palace and some of the Game of Thrones filming locations. Like the Jesuit Stairs… not going to lie I did geek out for a minute. The Rectors Palace architecture is so pretty with its Gothic and Renaissance vibes.
Day 8. The day we planned to be the most active was by running along the famous City Walls that encircle the Old City and its historic core
Walls of Dubrovnik
Among the greatest fortification systems of the Middle Ages are the City Walls of Dubrovnik. They are so old, so tall and have insane history. We were told it would take 2 hours to walk around if stopping for pictures, but we had planned to run along this 2km long uninterrupted path along the top of the Walls. Of course, we stopped for a few pictures, but we were done in under 45 mins!
It was so much fun and so beautiful running with a view of all the picturesque rooftops and this beautiful Medieval City. Definitely a Dubrovnik highlight. Included in our ticket was also the entrance fee to Fort Lovrijenac. Lovrijenac is famous for resisting the Venetian rule. It was so cool because you could literally see where they had placed the cannons and how they would look out for the enemy to attack. I enjoyed every minute of it. 
Back to our Hotel early we found ourselves on that incredible ocean deck having lunch and drinks until it was time to get ready for dinner. Oh, the life!!
Banje Beach & Lokrum Island
Banje Beach was on the google doc after hearing about the great food and vibrant nightlife. It was less than a five-minute walk from the Hotel and looked like such a cool beach. There is a restaurant as well as a DJ at night, so it definitely becomes a scene. During the day you can lay out on the beach, rent loungers, order food and drinks and play with water toys. We had that minus the sand at our hotel, so we decided to just have dinner there instead. Of course, the day wasn’t complete if after dinner we didn’t go into the Old City for Gelato! 
Day 9. Our last official day!! Following our morning routine filing up our tummy’s, we made our way over to Lokrum Island. Originally, we planned to kayak here however the sound of a lifejacket tan didn’t sound cute, so we decided to take the ferry there instead. I really wish we were better prepared for Lokrum. I didn’t know what to expect but had there been more information about it during my research I would have for sure packed a day bag. You can spend an hour or all day on one of the beaches, walking the gorgeous grounds. 
There was the loveliest swimming hole, a monastery we never found and tons of natural beauty!
For the ferry, you can buy tickets in the old harbor for about 5euros. The trip takes about 15 mins and is so peaceful as you drift away from the Old City to this so-called cursed island.
The End.
Our final night we made reservations at our hotel restaurant with a gorgeous view of the Old City at sunset. Dressed and Depressed… to be leaving, we still had a fabulous dinner and of course an Espresso Martini or two.
Lamb and Risotto, Steak and Grilled Veggies, homemade focaccia, burrata and tomatoes and an assortment of desserts for “the most beautiful women”. It was a great send off.
Of course, after one more breakfast on the Adriatic with the most wonderful spread. Literally Nutella for days. Kidding, breakfast was by far the best meal of the day in both Split and Dubrovnik.
(Coming soon; Things I wish I knew before going to Croatia).
For more info on Split and what to do there, check out my Collab with The Travel Bunny!
2 Comments
Oh my gosh! Croatia looks amazing! Thank you for sharing. I just moved this destination to the top of my list!
Thank you! We had the best time and loved everything about Croatia! I highly recommend visiting. You will have a blast.