Thanks to all who could make our wedding celebration, we had such a wonderful time! Once the photographer has posted pictures (she told me it takes @ 4 weeks) I can then share some with you, as it was a fun and wild party!! J
We headed back to London 2 days after the wedding to unpack then repack and we were off again to Croatia for 7 days for our honeymoon! It was amazing to say the least! With such inexpensive flights and free rooms thanks to Dave’s Starwood points our trip was fantastic!!
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| Split |
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| Split at night |
Our destination was Split, HR . Split is the largest Dalmatian city, the second-largest urban centre in Croatia, and the seat of Split-Dalmatia County. The city is located on the shores of the Mediterranean, more specifically on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, spreading over a central peninsula and its surroundings, with its metropolitan area including the many surrounding seaside towns as well. Split is situated on a peninsula between the eastern part of the Gulf of Kastela and the Split Channel.
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| The view from our room |
We rented a boat using Dave’s “California Boating Certificate” as a license and were on our way to cruise the islands that surround Split. The islands we visited were Brac & Hvar, we sailed past Sulta then back to the harbor in Split. The beauty of the Adriatic cannot be overstated, it is brilliantly blue and clear. There were ample private coves to anchor, take in a swim and snorkel a bit. This adventure took us @ 8 hours and it was well worth the euro J, so we could meander at our own pace and stop where we liked.
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| Kelly after walking the plank! |
We took other adventures of course, as laying by the pool is great along with people watching but we needed to get our and explore some more. We went rafting near Omis, which is a small village close to our hotel. Its location is where the beautiful emerald green Cetina River meets the Adriatic. We were picked up at our hotel then raced in a tiny car up a curvy road to the top where we began our rafting trip. Most of the other rafters were German or Croatian and luckily there were two other English speaking couples. One of them was Australian and the other couple was from New Zealand, needless to say we were all in the same raft. The trip was about 3 hours long and so beautiful, the guides categorized the rapids as class 2 & 3 which was a good pace for the fellow rafters in our boat (although we wanted much more rapids!) I have included some pictures of our rafting trip as well.
Dubrovnik was high on our list to see, thanks to my mom and dad who raved about the city. We rented a car and drove down the coastal highway and saw the most beautiful views of the Adriatic.
We had to pass through Bosnia for about 20 minutes which was another country we can now add to our list..ha ha J
Once in Dubrovnik we were overwhelmed with tour buses and tourists so we decided to see the “famous” city walls on kayaks. We jumped in them with no real explanation from any guide and paddled out and around the city, it was peaceful and well worth the sore arms.
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| Old Steps in Dubrovnik |
Once done kayaking, we hopped into a shop for some gelato then on the road again where we stumbled onto the most delightful beach….not very crowded and super refreshing to jump into the ocean to cool off. A hidden gem of our day J On our way back to Split that evening we were told by the concierge at our hotel to go to the town of Ston where they are known for their oyster plantations.
The under-visited Ston and its neighbor Mali Ston on the Peljesac peninsula were a welcome escape from the standard southern Dalmatia tourist route. Here there are no big resorts or luxury hotels in Ston but there is great eating, breathtaking scenery, old stone houses and the some of the longest fortifications in Europe.
We ate dinner in Mali Ston, walking distance from Ston. It was essentially a defensive town with an impressive arrangement of walls and towers. The most outstanding feature is the fortress of Koruna, rising over the village and visible from quite a distance. The port of Mali Ston was completed in 1490 and resembles the port of Dubrovnik with three arsenals, a round tower and a fortified port gate with a Romanesque statue of St Blaise over it.
The best meal we have ever had was in Mali Ston! It was a monkfish and prawn stew, almost like a bouillabaisse and Dave really wants to learn how to recreate that magic in a bowl.
Croatia was a wonderful place to come down from all of the wedding hype. Overall it was relaxed, beautiful, warm and the people were amazing. We highly recommend the Dalmation coast to anyone looking for sun and seafood and boating bliss.
