Many years ago, I visited seven islands in the southern Caribbean on a massive cruise ship with oh, just a few thousand of my fellow passengers. Most of our time was spent on the boat, we did little to impact the respective local economies, and I left with very few memories of actually experiencing the individual personalities of those beautiful islands. I decided I’d never set foot on a ship
There’s nothing worse than arriving at your dream destination, succumbing to a nap, and then finding yourself up half the night – and subsequently ruining your sightseeing plans the next day. I lived in Hong Kong for the better part of a year and made regular trips between HK and San Francisco, allowing me to experiment with various remedies to combat Asia’s special brand of extreme jet lag. Unfortunately the
Rovinj. For as long as I’ve been visiting Croatia, this idyllic Istrian coastal town has eluded me – after all, central Dalmatia (where I stay) is a 6-hour drive away. Armed with a travel itinerary conjured the night before, an equally unassuming travel partner and a supermini car that required temporarily switching off the A/C to climb daunting hills, we were ready to hit the road. We booked boutique accommodations in the center of the
Have you spied the handmade posters promoting “fish picnic” excursions in coastal Croatian towns with a marina? Though the name always makes me laugh, this half-day excursion is seriously fun! We simply walked onto the boat the morning of our fish picnic this past June, but reservations are usually recommended during high-season. And by reservation, that simply means giving the captain a head’s up the day prior – most of these excursions cannot be
The drive from Rovinj to Motovun took less than an hour and offered postcard-worthy views of unspoiled nature on narrow, winding roads. Renting a car in Croatia is well worth it, despite the almost unreasonable costs associated with renting automatic transmission vehicles during high-season. Accessing small towns in inland Istria is more complicated sans car and besides, you’ll fondly look back on the experience of getting lost on Istrian back roads. For me, it’s about the journey and the destination!
Croatia has become a very dog-friendly destination: you’ll often see man’s best furry friend lounging at the beach, relaxing under a café table, and enjoying the sea breeze whilst perched on a boat. And most of the dogs I saw were tourists, not locals! But before bringing your dog on Croatian holiday, you’ll need to take care of some legwork to ensure a smooth stay. Travel: Whether your dog travels in the cargo hold or
You’re likely scratching your head right now, wondering ‘who goes to Zadar for only six hours?’ We did, after making it our en route destination heading back to Dalmatia following three nights in Istria. Our tight schedule afforded us only a brief dalliance with the gorgeous medieval town, but we’re not ones to pass up a brush with fleeting adventure. We pulled up to the edge of the old town and easily found parking
Like any wine-producing region in the world, Croatia makes a lot of great wine – and also, some not-so-great wine. But everyone owns a unique taste profile, and I tend to gravitate toward dry and acidic white wines and medium-to-full bodied reds that are easy on the tannins. Thanks to wine importers like Blue Danube Wine bringing Croatian wines to the U.S., I’ve had the opportunity to become acquainted with wine producers such