An Autumn Holiday in Croatia
Disclaimer: this holiday was a gifted press trip in collaboration with Jet2 and the Dubrovnik Tourist Board. I was gifted this trip in exchange for an honest review of my experience, and all opinions expressed are my own.
At the end of September, I visited Croatia for the first time. I was so excited for the trip, not only to experience a part of the world that was unfamiliar to me, but also because this marked my first trip abroad since lockdown started in 2020. It was quite an emotional experience to dig out my passport and board a plane once again! I was invited by Jet2 to be part of an influencer trip to Dubrovnik, in collaboration with Jet2 and the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board. There are regular Jet2 flights to Dubrovnik, and we caught an early morning flight from Manchester Airport. I’d been wanting to visit Croatia for a long time, as so many of my friends had raved about the country to me. A popular tourist destination, the Adriatic coast is home to turquoise-blue stretches of sea, pretty historic towns, amazing seafood and ancient architecture. Jet2 offers package holidays to Croatia for those drawn to its beautiful landscapes and fascinating culture, and there are great offers for anyone wishing to indulge in a bit of luxury, with Jet2Holidays offering a luxury holidays range, which includes some top-rated hotels. If you’re interested in visiting the Dubrovnik area, then it’s worth checking out Jet2Holidays’ list of Dubrovnik hotels, which offers a range of price-points for different budgets.
Our group of bloggers was lucky enough to be booked into one of Jet2Holidays’ luxe hotels, Hotel Croatia, which is a 5* resort in Cavtat (an attractive small town conveniently located for both Dubrovnik and the airport), with rooms offering sea views and spacious balconies. My room was very comfortable: blissfully quiet, with a roomy double bed, a large bathroom, desk and sitting area, and - the best perk! - a lovely balcony overlooking the ocean. Hotel Croatia was the perfect base from which we set out everyday to explore Dubrovnik and the surrounding area. We had a schedule packed with fun activities: quad biking through the countryside, sampling local wines, boat trips, swimming, oyster tasting and more! Below, I’ve shared some of my many highlights from the trip:
Exploring Dubrovnik’s Old Town
Visiting the Old Town of Dubrovnik was on our itinerary for our first full day in Croatia. The weather was unseasonably rainy and cold, but the low-hanging mist and wet, glistening streets only added to the incredible atmosphere. Any Game of Thrones fans will recognise Dubrovnik as the main filming location for King’s Landing, but it is also an ideal destination for those interested in history and culture with its incredible medieval architecture and long, fascinating history. The seaport city is recognised as a UNESCO world heritage site, and I was very eager to walk the city walls, which offered breath-taking views over the red rooftops of Dubrovnik and the Adriatic sea beyond.
It was hard to put my camera down for any length of time as we walked through the narrow streets flanked with Dubrovnik’s signature light-stoned buildings. We managed to make time for a little shopping, and I picked up some embroidered napkins, as well as an embroidered bookmark from a small shop away from the hubbub of the central streets. I’d read that embroidery was a traditional craft of the area and was very keen to find something to bring back as a gift for my mum. Our city-guide also took us to a market stall selling sugared almonds, orange peel and dried figs, which she explained were traditionally eaten alongside an aperitif (often brandy!) before meals. We sampled some of the sweet fruit and nuts, and I bought a packet to bring home with me, which was greatly enjoyed!
As well as being incredibly picturesque, Dubrovnik is filled with many tempting restaurants and bars. We had lunch at Kopun, which served traditional local cuisine. Many of the dishes were based around capon (cockerel), which is a regional speciality, so I plumped for black truffle and capon gnocchi. It was rich and delicious, and I enjoyed every bite before setting off for another stroll through Dubrovnik’s pretty streets.
Oyster Tasting and Local Wine
One of the most memorable experiences from the trip was having a private oyster tasting tour in Mali Ston Bay, hosted by Mali Ston Oysters. A family run business, oysters have been farmed in Mali Ston Bay (about 59km northwest of Dubrovnik) for generations, and we were treated to a fantastic boat ride in the bay as we sipped glasses of crisp white wine and learnt about the maturing process of the oysters captured in the nets that swung lazily before our eyes, matching the swell of the boat as it gently rocked on the waves. The weather had brightened up a lot, and the sun sparkled on the water as we sat on long wooden benches, sampling a few oysters each. They were fabulous: beautifully fresh and full of the tang of the sea.
Seafood is a specialty of the area, and throughout the holiday I enjoyed tucking into many incredible dishes of squid, sea bream, fresh and fried oysters and squid ink risotto. However, the charm of eating oysters fresh from the boat, out on the water with a light breeze blowing through my hair, was very hard to beat, and our outing to Mali Ston was an unforgettable experience.
After our oyster tasting, we journeyed the short distance into Ston, a medieval town situated on the Pelješac peninsula and famed, not only for its oysters, but also its saltworks and encompassing walls, which stretch between Ston and Mali Ston and are the longest fortress system in Europe (and the second longest in the world, only surpassed by the Great Wall of China!). The walls stretch for 5km, punctuated by towers and fortresses. Whether you feel up to walking the walls or not, Ston is a charmingly unspoilt town to visit, with a good selection of cafes and restaurants. We stopped off for a meal at Konoba Bakus, where our driver & guide helped us to order an appetising feast of local specialty dishes: octopus salad, breaded oysters and seafood risotto.
After our meal, we had yet another gastronomic delight in store: wine tasting! The Pelješac peninsula is known for its wine, and we visited a local winery to sample various whites and reds. I was so impressed by the delectable wines, I made sure to buy a couple bottles in the airport on my way back to the UK, which we used to toast my birthday and my Dad’s visit a week later.
Visiting Mljet Island National Park
Our final full day in Croatia was devoted to getting a speed boat to Mljet Island, the southernmost of the larger islands situated in this part of the Dalmatia region. Mljet Island is known as Croatia’s ‘greenest island,’ with a National Park located on the western end. Visiting this peaceful oasis of natural beauty provides the perfect contrast to the hustle and bustle of Dubrovnik’s busy streets. Filled with lush vegetation and salt water lakes, the island hums to the sound of cicadas, and it’s a stunning destination for nature lovers. There are opportunities for hiking, cycling, kayaking and swimming. I enjoyed walking along rocky paths shaded by pine trees, admiring the beautiful views and visiting the island’s Benedictine monastery, which was founded in 1198.
It is easy to see how Mljet Island made its way into Greek mythology: legend has it that it was on this island (named Ogygia in Homer’s Odyssey) that Odysseus was detained for seven years by Calypso. I would want to linger on the island too, and spending an afternoon walking and reading in such beautiful environs made a very special memory for my first visit to Croatia.
All too soon, it was time to head home. I feel exceedingly lucky to have had such a marvellous first visit to Croatia, and I was truly impressed by this trip. Our flights ran smoothly, were on time, and my luggage was almost the first off the plane on each end! All of the activities organised showed a different side to Croatia, and I appreciated getting to see the scope of experiences on offer. There is certainly something for everyone, whether you love coastal holidays or city breaks. I already can’t wait to go back, and if you’d like to see more of my trip, then do check out my youtube vlog I filmed in Croatia.
