We arrived in Croatia at the end of May and summer had well and truly started. Flying into Split, we met up with our friend Katherine and made our way into the Old Town (about 50min Taxi ride/300 Croatian Kuna) for one night before setting sail for a week with Sail Croatia.

Lots of catching up!!

We had heard that a week sailing on this type of trip involves some beautiful destinations, lots of partying and not much sleep. Apparently the trip attracts lots of Aussies too. Everyone on our boat was an Australian.

The crew on our Sail Croatia boat.

THE BOAT

Our boat Milhovil consisted of 3 levels. Below deck were the single bunk bed rooms which was pretty small and cosy particularly when there were two people to each of these rooms and that needed to fit in luggage.

These are the bunk beds on the lower deck. Very snug.

The middle deck was where our double room was. We requested this in advance and the cost was just a little more than the bunk rooms. Like all the rooms it had a small basin and just a tiny space of floor for our bags. The bonus here was we were able to keep our door open to get fresh air as in the middle of the day  – the rooms really heated up.

Our bedroom was on the second level and suited us fine although it was quite cramped.

No rooms had ensuites but there were a few toilets and showers that we shared. The crew were excellent in making sure these bathrooms were cleaned several times a day so it was actually ok.

The shower. There were three showers and three loos on board.

The cost of the trip included not only a bed but also breakfast and lunch each day. Often the breakfast table was empty as people tried to sleep off the previous night.

Drinks were available for purchase all day until midnight and dinner each night was left to our own devices – allowing us to explore the different coastal towns we would dock at each night.

Dinner in the towns were always delicious. Croatia serves up amazing seafood, fabulous pizza and we can definitely recommend the gelati too.

Local delicious seafood meal in Debrovnik for about $15 per head here at Buffet Kamenice.

Don't look past a pizza in Croatia...

This seafood risotto was amazing...

The top deck was definitely the ‘chill out’ area. Everyday we usually had all morning up top to sit on the lounges, sun bake and snooze. There was also a stop before docking each afternoon where we could jump into some very fresh but beautiful water.

Pete doing a backflip off the deck of the boat into the beautiful Adriatic Sea.

We could also snorkel (although there is no fish to see…. they’ve all been fished out). It is for this reason and the fact that too many fish and sea life is removed from our oceans that Pete has since become an “Anuncseatarian” – which means he doesn’t each seafood anymore…. Like a vegetarian but for the sea.

Another Sail Croatia boat that sailed along with us anchored in the beautiful quiet waters of some random quiet bay. A great swimming spot.

Boats docked for the night time. Our boat was called Mihovil

THE ITINERARY

The itinerary we chose was from Split return to Split, instead of taking a little longer and on the one way to Debrovnik. We chose this one mainly because there are more flight options out of Split than there are from Debrovnik.

It looked like this: SPLIT-HVAR-TRSTENIK-DUBROVNIK-MLJET-KORCULA-MAKARSKA-SPLIT

Each place was amazing and surprizingly very different from its neighbour. Instead of describing each place we have included a few highlights and photos of the kind of thing to expect. Each time we docked our skipper gave us a little bit of info on what to do there. (also see photos in gallery)

SPLIT

Highlights: Old town especially Dominican Palace and the harbour (which is where we first boarded our boat).

Beautiful Split and its harbour

HVAR

Highlights: There is a nice walk to the Fortress you can do however as we had arrived around 5pm we wandered through the streets and stopped off for a glass of wine before moving onto dinner with a lovely Aussie couple (Nic and Andy) we met on the boat.

First night out... in Hvar

Andy, Nic, Liss and Katherine at this really cool wine bar we found in Hvar.

Hvar at night with the fortress in the background

Pete entertaining Katherine as per usual...

There is a bit of night life in Hvar too. It is known for it. We highly recommend a cocktail at Carpe Diem.

Katherine and Elissa enjoy a Massive Mojito.

TRSTENIK

Highlights: Its a Tiny little quaint and quiet village. We actually had a BBQ on the boat this night so really didnt see much of the town. We did have a drink at a bar there overlooking the water.

Us at a bar in quiet Trstenik

Katherine and Elissa involved in a tug of war.

Note about Sail Croatia:

The town of Trstenik is even smaller than Hvar and during the day we were told by crew of the boat that there were very few restaurants in the area. So we were offered a BBQ that night for dinner at and additional cost of €15 per person.

With all due respect to our wonderful crew, unfortunately these BBQ’s (we were offered 3 while on the trip) were a way for them to make some extra money. We found that in Trestenik. There were in fact a couple of cute restaurants by the water with pizza, seafood and salads on offer. However as we had been told to commit to the BBQ at lunch time, we were unable to support these local businesses. After that we decided not to sign up for anymore BBQ’s.

DUBROVNIK

Highlights: Walking on the wall which surrounds the Old Town. This is one of the nicest old cities we have seen in our travels through Europe. It has great shops, restaurants and views to check out.

Walking on the wall of old town in Debrovnik is a must.

Us walking the wall in Debrovnik

MLJET

Highlights: Mljet is another beautiful small coastal town that is home to Mljet National Park and so it was here that we actually got a little bit of exercise, although we wouldn’t call it strenuous.

Another beautiful swimming bay near Mljet

Liss and Kath riding around the NP

Relaxing after the tough ride

This beautful little seaside town has some great restaurants serving amazing sea food that is so fresh its literally pulled from the ocean in front of us.

Mljet as the sun goes down

Us eating musssels that was literally pulled out of the water for us

These guys are pulling the mussels out from their sea home and onto our plate.

KORCULA

Highlights: We arrived in the early afternoon to take part in one of the Optional Extras – Buggy Ride and Wine Tasting Tour. This was a lot of fun. The tour includes the buggies for a couple of hours (with a stop at a beach for 1hr), wine tasting and a return trip boat ride to the dock where wine and snacks are served.

Relaxing on the deck

Liss and Katherine in their buggy

Quaint little winery cellar door in Korcula

The Old Town of Korcula is reasonably big so we wandered through the cobbled streets to find a great restaurant for dinner.

Nic's Birthday Dinner...

All frocked up for Nik's 30th birthday... we continued our night up to this tower top bar

The cocktails at the bar on top of the tower were delicious

Drinking amazing cocktails atop the fortress tower bar...

And as the night drew to a close... can pole dance.....

MAKARSKA

Highlights: This was our last town before making our return to Split and again we were completely spoilt with all this stunning town had to offer. The main road is covered in cafe’s and restaurants and then a short walk from our boat tooks us through markets to a beautiful beach and a huge selection of beachfront restaurants.

A very touristy town with some pretty cool markets near the beach

Liss on the beach on Makarska

Our last dinner in Makarska before heading back to Split...

Sunset while eating dinner

SPLIT

After 7 days aboard Sail Croatia, most of us stepped off board totally exhausted. We said goodbye to Katherine and then spent the next couple of days chilling out in Split.

A walk around to the Cove in Split is worth checking out. Its a popular place to swim and then enjoy lunch or dinner there.

The Sail Croatia trip is a great way to see a number of beautiful towns along the coast of Croatia. Even though we took this trip at the end of May, the weather was sunny and hot every day and the waters were icy but really refreshing. We have been told that by July, the heat is relentless.

We were told by Sail Croatia that the ages on the boat were ranging between 25 -35 but in fact we found that most people were in their early 20’s (apart from us). Although we had a ball we have to say that if you feel that partying each night is not your bag then we recommend you catch ferries which leave regularly from Split and visit the islands this way. This could also ensure you can spend longer time on each island if you feel like it.

Please see our gallery for even more photos:

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