Our hotel was called the San Rocco Hotel and it is absolutely fabulous. In 2007 and 2008 it won awards as the ‘Best Small Hotel’ in Croatia and I now know exactly why. It is a family run affair that places the attention to detail and guest well being very high on the agenda. Don’t get me wrong, it is not a lavishly finished palace but more a perfectly appointed, tranquil place where you are made to feel special and valued as a guest. The village of Britonigla is a little like a place that to a degree time has forgotten, as are most of the villages in the areas. Simple, rustic and rural charm that just sucks you in and slows you down. I still smile when I think about the tractors chugging into the village with wife and kids sitting on the wings.

Our first week on holiday in Croatia happened to coincide with the villages annual festival week. Music, song and dance for 5 nights on the trot. Great fun concentrated to the centre of the village that does not disturb outside of the main square in front of the church.

Britonigla is perfectly placed allowing you to choose to explore the villages in one direction or the coast in the other. The villages are picture postcard hill top delights. As you go from one to another you drive through vineyards, olive groves and general small scale agriculture.

As you would expect the coast line is a little more focused towards the tourist but not so as to put you off. What is far More obvious in these places in the focus on fishing industries. The beaches we saw tended to be pebble or rocks and not crowded. Harbour fronts we cafe lined and a very pleasant place to just kick back, drink coffee and people watch.

Eating out was a pleasant surprise as it was not as expensive as we feared it could be. In the villages the both of us could eat and drink for £15 all in! There were more expensive alternative but we preferred to eat where the locals where eating.

I think I will always look back on our time in Istria very fondly. A special place.

The Oosterdam in this day and age is a ‘mid sized’ ship and carried 2111 guests and 809 crew and at no time did the ship appear crowded even on ‘sea days’ when there where still plenty of sun chairs available.  It also offered an “As you wish” dining option which meant that we could choose to have dinner at the time that suited us best and get a table for two every night rather than having fixed times and having to share a table with strangers.  Generally the food was very good, although we did feel that the lunchtime buffet was rather limited.

The itinerary was Barcelona (Spain), Monte Carlo (Monaco), Livorno (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Messina (Italy), Navplion (Greece), Katakolon (Greece), Corfu, Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Venice (Italy) all in 12 days, so it was a bit of a case of if its Wednesday it must be Monaco, but it was an excellent combination of destinations.  Cruising past the Island of Stromboli (an active Volcano) and the approaches into Venice overlooking St Mark’s Square are certainly worth a mention.

A couple of things to consider, HAL offer airport transfers on arrival and departure which are at a horrendous price – so much cheaper to take a taxi even for just two people and this way you can travel when you want to and not wait to be herded on to a coach.  The ship gave no information for ‘independent’ travellers disembarking at Venice which was disappointing and caused unnecessary stress for those on early flights; however on the day it in fact could not have been easier to make your own way.  The cost of the ship transfers in Corfu where also expensive and we found it a relatively easy walk into town (approx 20 minute stroll)

Overall, despite a few niggles the HAL experience was good, although we felt that Celebrity are slightly better as far as overall service is concerned but we would cruise with HAL again providing both the itinerary and the price where right.

Croatia, one of the former Yugoslavian republics, has certainly undergone a turbulent political past in the recent years. Although this affected its tourist industry rather negatively for a while, at present there are several reasons why Croatia still remains firmly placed on the map as one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe.

Croatia’s unique cultural and historical heritage, its varied terrain consisting of hundreds of scenic islands as well as its mainland coastline offering stunning nature, clear blue sea and clean beaches, have served as a magnet for    millions of international visitors. Also, the great geographical location has benefitted the country with its good climate, ideal for various types of holidays.

The best time to take a holiday in Croatia is definitely the summer. The main season here usually starts at the end of May with average temperatures not dropping below 22 degrees Celsius. Although the Adriatic Sea can be still rather cold at that time, it is worth coming this early in the season. Everything is freshly in blossom and the heat is not so oppressive. The best coast to enjoy is certainly Istria with its old Roman heritage or Dalmatia with the splendid UNESCO heritage city of Dubrovnik. The Dalmatian coast and most of Croatia’s islands enjoy typical Mediterranean weather, so can get a bit wet at the start of the season. But if you go for example to the island of Hvar or Korcula, these are typically the sunniest and driest in Croatia. You can explore the stunning natural scenery of lavender fields, rolling hills, rocky mountains and green pine forests and enjoy the hospitality of the locals.

June is on average the wettest month in Croatia, so if you are thinking of some serious sun, then book a holiday to Croatia in July and August. These are definitely Croatia’s  hottest and busiest months. People flock here to stay in the numerous well equipped hotels, private rental villas and apartments. Some of them also moor their boats in the numerous yacht marinas. The Dalmatian coast is excellent for sailing as it is marked by its winds. The sea is also warmer and ideal for snorkelling. There are some great dive sites around the Dalmatian coast exposing the colourful underwater world of the translucent Adriatic Sea. The beaches in Croatia are usually a mixture of pebble and sand and they are backed by dense fragrant pine forests; ideal place for cooling down on hot sunny days.

September and October are great months to do some trekking, horse riding or mountain climbing in Croatia. The temperatures are still warm, but not too hot and the beaches are not that busy after the school holidays have finished. The sea still retains pleasant temperature after the hot summer, so it is ideal to combine some beach life with sightseeing and sporting activities. Croatian nights are very pleasant throughout the summer, even in October, therefore popular for night fishing trips and al fresco dining and dancing till early morning hours.

The inland and the Northern part of Croatia are marked by completely different climate. The country’s interior is rather mountainous with winter temperatures dropping well below minus and offering a good ski season throughout the winter months. Bjelolasica is one of the best known mountains in Croatia incorporating the popular Croatian ski resort Platak, also offering good snowboarding conditions.

Croatian weather, just like its landscape or culture, is very varied; from typical continental to Mediterranean. Climate in this country plays the most important part in the development of its tourism and makes a holiday in Croatia undoubtedly one of the top choices whichever time of the year one chooses to visit.

Links:

• Croatian Tourist Board
• Dubrovnik on Wikipedia

The hotel is situated on its own beach that from either the sun terrace or the beach has lovely views out to sea, across to Split or the mountain behind the hotel. The hotel has three restaurants, one of good quality and the other two of average quality. Not far from the hotel and a short walk along the beach are several other more local restaurants all offering good value for money (a good three course meal including wine for the two of us was less than £40).

The city of Split has a lovely old city centre with many of the sites dating back to the Roman period. Its very easy to wander around the city centre and enjoy looking at the architecture and imagine the city as it would have been with the Romans. There are many bars and restaurant in the squares all with outside sitting so its easy to relax here and enjoy the atmosphere. There is also a market selling the usual tourist gifts. There is also a lovely waterfront again with many bars to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and atmosphere. Split also has a big ferry port and from here you can catch boats to the Croatian Islands, Greece and Italy.

The people are very friendly and always keen to help with a warm welcoming smile. Travelling to this area is easy as there are direct flights from Gatwick that take just over two hours, overall this region is not yet spoilt by tourism so its probably worth taking a holiday in croatia sooner rather than later.