Cavtat, Sipan, Mostar & Dubrovnik
We enjoyed plenty of swimming in the sea and mooching round the shops, exploring the quiet back lanes, climbing up to the Racic family mausoleum, which must have the most stunning setting for a cemetery, and trying out the local restaurants in the evenings whilst watching the blazing hot sun melt into the sea. Our verdict – perhaps we should have just stayed in Cavtat!
From Cavtat our journey continued on to the delightful Sipan, the largest but least developed of the Elafite Islands. Arriving by private water-taxi we knew we’d made the right decision as soon as we saw the brilliant white Hotel Bozica set into the hillside just outside Sudurad. An island idyll, exactly what we needed to completely unwind for a few days. Just about 10 minutes’ walk from the hotel is the small, quaint harbour where locals sit in the shade chatting and laughing, watching the world go by, fishermen bring in their catch and the ancient castle fort stands guard. Without exception, all the staff at the hotel were excellent, the food good and the views stunning, out across the turquoise and deep blue sea towards the island of Lopud where we ventured for a morning.
Lopud is the proud owner of one of the few sandy beaches in Croatia and the vibe is completely different to the haven of Sipan, much livelier and very popular with Italians. We found the beautiful Gjorgjic-Mayneri Park, just off the seaside promenade, which offered sanctuary from the buzz of the beach and some cool shade from the blistering sun. Needless to say, we beat a hasty retreat back to Sipan for a refreshing dip, a couple of mojitos and an afternoon snooze under the parasol. Our verdict - bliss, perhaps we should have spent the whole holiday at Hotel Bozica, Sipan!
With heavy hearts we soon found it time to leave Sipan, to the last stop on our discovery trip – Dubrovnik. Hotel More on the Lapad peninsula, just a few miles from the city itself, was our home for the last four nights. Lapad is a resort in its own right with a lively strip of shops, bars and restaurants although we were visiting for a healthy dose of culture rather than a party!
Dubrovnik is a stunning city and can be appreciated from many angles so we decided to take the easiest first and ride the cable car up to the top of Mount Srd, being rewarded with a breathtaking panorama of the city, old and new, with the nature-reserve island of Lokrum just off the coast. We made great use of the Visit Dubrovnik Card and visited the historic Rector’s Palace and Maritime Museum, wandered down narrow streets, climbed up and down numerous stairs - and always tried to stay in the shade as it was so hot!
Our penultimate day was to be a very long one – a day-trip to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. En route we visited the much-conquered Pocitelj, an ancient medieval town, before arriving in Mostar. The iconic single span, stone arch Ottoman bridge, Stari Most, which was reconstructed after being destroyed in the 1990’s war, is a must-see, not just for its beauty but also to witness the crazy bridge-divers leaping from the side and plummeting into the icy cold water of the Neretva River below, no doubt to impress the ladies! Mostar is a beautiful city, now mostly recovered from the scars of war and the areas around the bridge and along the river are especially attractive. Mostar is reputed to be the hottest city in Europe and I can well believe it - 42 in the shade takes some beating!
Our final morning in Dubrovnik and another early start, ostensibly to avoid the hot sun, but this was futile! We walked the entire length of the city walls first thing and whilst it was tiring in the heat at least there were a few opportunities to find a bit of shade and refreshment. The views both out to sea and within the walls were worth the effort. After visiting a few galleries, the Rupe Ethnographic Museum, the largest building within the old city, and sampling the delicious ice-cream we headed back to Hotel More for our final swim - a much-needed and well-earned cool-down in the beautiful Adriatic Sea. Our verdict - unmissable!
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my brief journal. Please do get in touch if you’d like some help and ideas planning your own Croatia discovery.