By Karen Quinn-Panzer
Travel Matters
Karen Quinn-Panzer
I just returned from a luxury yacht cruise in Croatia. And no, I didn’t recently win the lottery.
With over 1,000 islands and over 2,700 hours of sunlight a year, Croatia is the perfect place to cruise on a small ship. As a trending tourism market, Croatia pricing is still quite reasonable depending on the ship and time of year you want to travel.
Most of these luxury mini-cruisers, including ours, hold only 36 guests. But you can also charter catamarans and yachts that hold anywhere from six to 12 or more. The food was marvelous and the rooms quite spacious for a ship this size. Water sports platforms off the back of the ship offer jet skis, kayaks, snorkeling and stand-up paddleboards.
We arrived a day early at the new airport in Split that has panoramic views of the mountains and Adriatic sea. We soon discovered the old city is a beautiful living monument built in 295 BCE by the Roman emperor Diocletian. It has now become one of the first urban complexes to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is amazing to see the boutiques, restaurants and charming hotels that are actually built into the palace site with beautiful stone paved streets.
Since this was an agent trip, we condensed what would usually take 12 days into seven, so we learned a lot. We toured the islands of Hvar, Korcula, Vis and Brac. We spent time in Dubrovnik, where we were treated to a cocktail party with classical musicians on top of the city wall. We dined on oysters, mussels and Pošip (the local white wine) in Mali Ston, about an hour from Dubrovnik, where the world’s second longest wall is located (the first being the Great Wall of China).
Hvar was my favorite of all the islands, with a five-star resort, Palace Elizabeth, that was started 150 years ago by Queen Elizabeth I as a winter wellness retreat. We drove over the mountain with stunning views of the Adriatic Sea to the other side of the island and visited a vineyard where we enjoyed a farm- to-table luncheon with local wines.
One of the things that surprised us the most on our trip was the diversity and quality of the food and wine – fresh seafood, produce and vegetables combined with some eastern European flavors and spices. Olive oil, truffles and figs are locally sourced.
The second surprise was the dramatic beauty of these islands and coastal cities. Croatia sometimes reminds me of Greece, Italy and the French Riviera. The water is that emerald hue that you find in Greece.
The third surprise was the great hospitality and fluent English of everyone we met in Croatia.
You can plan a trip for just the two of you, or charter a larger ship with family and friends. The best time to go is spring or fall when there are fewer tourists and lower rates.
Karen Quinn-Panzer is the owner and vacation specialist at Dream Vacations Quinn Panzer Travel in Milford.