Holiday to Croatia? - Looking for a Croatian Holiday but not sure where to start?

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Croatia has a population just bigger than that of Wales, so it's worth bearing in mind that the places are all pretty small! One of the reasons Croatia is so popular is that it has remained unspoilt - hopefully it will stay that way, but the flip side of this undeveloped haven is that there isn't that much accommodation relatively speaking. Whereas in Spain you can easily find a standard villa with a pool within walking distance to the beach and restaurants, in Croatia, that is not such an easy thing to find! It is there, and a real treat when you have it, but you need to start looking into things early to get what you want. Those in the know book early because the best villas book up fast!

Croatia is all about location though and it isn't the same as the standard Mediterranean destinations. Croatia is all about getting back to what's really important and fun - organic food, healthy environment, great climate and gorgeous locations. It's not a cheap place accommodation-wise - for good reason - It really has a quality that so many places have now lost. It is around 25% cheaper than the UK though so you'll get far more for your money than anywhere in the Euro zone. So take an open-minded look at the locations you could visit and don't always thing that a villa with a pool or a package holiday are the best option - take a tip from the locals who love their country - look at the all round experience and emerge yourself!

Probably the two main areas to look at initially if you are looking to take a trip to Croatia are Dalmatia (in the South of Croatia) and Istria (in the North);

In Dalmatia, the two main areas to look at if you want to stay in a villa are Split and Dubrovnik and the surrounding islands. These include the famous cities of Dubrovnik and Split, and also the Dalmatian islands of Hvar, Brac, Vis, Korcula and Mljet. Dalmatia is the area of Croatia that gets the most publicity (for good reason!) and is what attracts people to it - the terracotta roofs of the medieval towns on the edge of the glittering azure sea.

Take Trogir for example - this is a terrific area to holiday whether you're a couple, a group or a family as it has a bit of everything. Trogir is a little medieval town which is adorable to wander round, day or night. It has a fresh vegetable market, a glorious water front where posh boats moor, and delectable restaurants serving fresh seafood and some funky late bars if that floats your boat. Trogir is connected to the Island of Ciovo by a little bridge and this is a great place to base your self as although it is only a small island, it has a couple of villages with everything within walking distance on it - food shops, little harbour, great beaches - and you can still get to Trogir if you want quite easily. It has a quieter side too so if you want peace then you can find that here too. The villages of Seget and Marina are also lovely if you don't want to be on Ciovo Island but to still have those sorts of benefits. This area is around 20 minutes from Split airport and is becoming more sophisticated in its accommodation offering - there are some lovely villas here with pools in great location, but more apartments, also with fantastic locations though. Split is also only around 25 minutes away which is a must see for all history buffs - the Palace of the Roman Emperor Diocletian is a UNESCO protected site and now forms the old town of Split! Split is also the place where you can catch a ferry (most are car ferries and they are first come first served) out to the islands and beyond! Popular choices are Hvar and Brac - the two biggest in the area.

It is also worth mentioning the Makarska Riviera which is a beautiful stretch of coastline with gorgeous beaches just south of Split. Good for nightlife but also quite busy with package holidays and youngsters, this is a bustling, cheaper area if you want to go for an apartment near the beach for example. You can reach the Island of Brac in 45 minutes from the town of Makarska and the other sea side villages of Brela and Baska Voda and also drive to Split fairly easily.

Onwards to the Islands! The Island of Hvar is purportedly the sunniest place in Europe! It gets a lot of press - particularly Hvar Town, for its hedonistic nightlife. Hvar Town is mostly quite a quiet place though and really just livens up through July and August when it does indeed become quite buzzing. The popular bars employ resident DJs and attract a young clubby scene. That's not to say that it isn't a great location for a holiday if you aren't into that scene! The town has fabulous architecture and a beautiful archipelago of little islands just off it, and is also close to some wonderful beaches and villages. Most people don't realize though that Hvar Island is pretty provincial - may expect to find lots of villas with pools but there aren't that many so again, if this is what you're after, book early! The majority of the island is dotted with quaint old fishing villages and wonderful bays perfect for swimming and sunbathing. It is a beautiful island, that's for sure. Actually, most of the islands and in Dalmatia are very similar in that respect - pretty fishing villages and idyllic swimming spots - traditional restaurants where they bring you the dish of the day, organic local wine and olives. So check out the Island of Brac and Island of Korcula too! For sports nuts, Bol is a great place to visit - windsurfing and kite surfing are the order of the day - at Viganj on the Peljesac Peninsula (opposite Korcula Island) this is also the case - perfect conditions mean that these are the best places to come in the whole country.

The Peljesac Peninsula is the closest ‘island' type location to Dubrovnik and a good place to try if you don't want to have to take ferries. Only around 4km wide at its widest point, it has very much an island feel. A 2 hour drive north from Dubrovnik airport and you reach the old sea faring town of Orebic. A 20 minute drive takes you to the tip of the Peninsula and through 4 pretty villages all lovely to stay in. Like the islands, you won't find many sophisticated villas with pools here, but there are some nice hotels and sea edge apartments and some gorgeous little eateries serving organic food and wine at off the beaten track prices. One restaurant is set in the courtyard of an old monastery - fabulous!

The southernmost region of Croatia is the Dubrovnik Riviera and this is probably the area you will find the most sophistication and villas with pools. Dubrovnik has something for everyone though it's quite a small place. Its old town is a UNESCO world heritage site and absolutely stunning. If you want a trip back in time, rent an apartment in the old town for a week! The Dubrovnik Riviera basically consists of the old town in the middle and fishing villages either side - the closest of which (Mlini on one side and Zaton on the other) are around 10 minutes drive from the old town. Staying in the old town means you are likely to have a relatively small apartment unless you want to pay more, as the buildings are characteristically old and not spacious. The old town also gets very busy in the months of July and August so another option is to stay just outside (in Ploce for example) and have a wonderful view of the old town instead - magical! The Lapad Peninsula is where most of the hotels are and so has consequently more of a relaxed feel to it - pretty beaches and café bars and restaurants - this is a lovely place to stay. For villas, you need to look at the fishing villages - here there is space for bigger houses and swimming pools and if you get the right one you can be 10 minutes from the old town, within walking distance to a little fishing village and beaches, and a short hop to Dubrovnik's own islands!

Istria is the northern part of Croatia closest to Italy, Slovenia and Austria, and as a result is more continental that the south. It is often said to be more Tuscan with fairytale hilltop villages and rustic old stone villas. Many people looking to holiday in the north of Croatia and to take advantage of cheap flights to Croatia to the likes of Pula and close by Trieste in Italy gravitate towards the Istrian Peninsula. Filled with pretty little inland villages, being a peninsula, you are never too far from the sea in Istria (maybe 15-20 minutes depending on where you are) though if you want to hire a villa, you do normally need to have a car as most are inland somewhat - you won't see many villas within walking distance of the sea here. Many villas in Istria now have pools and are of a good standard so being close to the sea isn't such an issue - just something to be aware of. If you want to be close to the sea in Istria, it's probably best to look at hotels and apartments as there are more of these on the coast. There's plenty to visit and lots of history in Istria - the Roman Amphitheatre in Pula for example is amazing and the medieval sea side town of Rovinj is beautiful. Opatija was very popular with English holiday makers in the 1970s and well worth a visit - its opulent architecture reflects the time of the Austro Hungarian Empire that influenced it so much and the royal visitors who enjoyed holidaying there. Flying into this area, you may well fly to the city of Rijeka (the airport is actually on the Island of Krk which makes for a surprising landing if you weren't aware of this!) and Rijeka is the gateway between Istria and the area of Kvarner below. This is a lesser well known region and slightly off the current tourist trail (hence not much accommodation is to be found advertised) but has some beautiful nature parks which are worth knowing about if you want to factor that sort of element into your holiday.

Islands worth knowing about off the Istrian and Kvarner coastline are the Island of Krk, Island of Cres, Island of Rab and Island of Pag. These are pretty islands and lovely to holiday on - Krk has a wonderful old town and one of the little sea edge villages are a great place to base yourself. Pag is also an interesting one - famous for it's delicious sheep's cheese but also for the beach parties which happen near Novalija at Zrce Beach each summer.

South of Kvarner is the area of Zadar - this area is famous for its archipelago of islands and looks somewhat like the Maldives from the air! Popular with sailors but as with Kvarner, not so developed in terms of tourism as Istria or Dalmatia - it is quite hard to find a villa here for example. This is another area which is really starting to take off for festivals though - the Garden Festival is growing in popularity year by year and so if you are going, book your accommodation early! You can always look to stay in the Split area if you want to check out this area - Split is the next area you reach from here - only about an hour and a half's drive south from Zadar airport so you could always explore both areas! From the north of Istria to Dubrovnik in the south, it is around a 10 hours drive, so why not give yourself a few weeks off and explore the lot!

 
The views expressed are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Guide2Croatia.