The Croatian Islands at this time in history, in this part of summer and with this type of travel are an absolute delight to visit. We were given a warm and friendly welcome as we boarded our ship in Trogir port and shortly after that we headed off towards the port town of Split and our week of island hopping. The first day was dull and overcast but the weather improved to be sunny and hot for the rest of our time whilst the water always looked perfect and irresistible in every way. Whilst we saw many ships in harbour, as they dispersed each day into the 1,000 plus islands in these parts, there was plenty of room to be seemingly sailing along alone in paradise .
Whilst each island visited was often quite different from the others, the configurations were expectedly similar. The boat quays were very close to the town centre. The walkways are wide, extremely clean and a pleasure to wander along. There were often groups of men sitting on appropriately placed benches, cigarettes in hand and having a chat about the latest happenings. There were plenty of cafes for the younger set and the tourists to gather for coffee and a chat. Families on holiday were wandering along looking for a place for the kids to play or to have a swim. The islands are just full of history with evidence of times past. There is great respect for retaining the “look and feel” of these islands and so there is a refreshing lack of so called “modern” developments.
Life appears to be uncomplicated with a focus on simple routines. But then there is also plenty of evidence of modern “sophistication” and opportunity to enjoy modern creature comforts. The whole country has a quietly confident and relaxed feel about it. The people we dealt with were all very friendly and courteous and they had no issues with our language shortcomings.
The island hopping experience exceeded our expectations in every way. Our group was 31 and we came from 7 countries to get here. We had an almost perfect week. The ship “Romantica” is a very comfortable and relatively new ship built along traditional lines. The crew was great and our two young female tour guides were fantastic. And we enjoyed good food, drink and company whilst making new friends.
We had no trouble filling each day with our planned bike rides along or across the islands of Brac, Mljet, Hvar, Korcula and Solta. The early in the day climbs up out of the ports were often quite tough but the free wheeling finishes, often sweeping around cliff side roads before diving down into the next port were exhilarating. In between we enjoyed our swims off the back of the boat, in harbours or along the coast.
This part of Croatia is a great part of the world. In short, our island hopping experience was just fantastic.
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