Croatia you beauty !

Croatia has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. The gorgeous beaches, fantastic music festivals, and hot guys from their national soccer team has definitely caused me to be interested in visiting the country. My best friend and I had a bit of an adventure trying to reach Split from Mostar; our bus was scheduled for 10 AM but it didn’t show up on time, so we were put on another bus at around 11 and had to change buses somewhere in the middle as well (the entire process was made more challenging due to the language barrier). We made it to sunny Split around 4:30 PM and fell in love with the place by the time we checked into our cute guesthouse. We stayed at Apartments Fontana, which was located 2 minutes away from the Promenade. It only cost £230 for 3 nights which was crazy affordable for Split, but it was because we made the reservation in January for our stay in July. PRO TIP: BOOK EARLY!

After checking in, we went to the Promenade to grab a late lunch. We were both a bit tired of the heavy cheese-based items and grilled meat that Balkan cuisine seems to revolve around, so I opted for some spaghetti with fresh mussels. The slight hints of lime in the spaghetti made it the perfect lunch under the scorching Croatian sun, consumed while watching the myriad of interesting people making their way down the promenade on this nice summer day. After lunch, we made our way to Split’s old town and walked around Diocletian’s Palace. This ancient structure was built around 4th Century AD, and makes up around half of the old town. It is more of a fortress than a palace, and it was formally used for Emperor Diocletian’s personal use and to house the military garrison. We also did some shopping there, and walked around to discover small boutique shops and cafes. For dinner, we went to Terminal F, which is located right off the Promenade. This place had a really fun vibe, and the shrimp burger was phenomenal! We actually went back there again during the trip (which is something I rarely ever do while travelling), it was really that good! There was a nice bar and sheesha lounge upstairs, which was a nice way to unwind after a long day of travelling.

We had booked a cruise the following day, so we woke up bright and early to make sure we didn’t miss it. We chose the Blue Lagoon by Three Island Tour on TripAdvisor, and it was around £50 per person for the day. The cruise went around three islands on the Blue Lagoon, and included lunch and an open bar! The day started off a bit cloudy with a slight drizzle, but by the time we got to the second island, it was bright and sunny again. The island of Maslinca Solta was stunningly beautiful; we ventured off into a more secluded side of this fisherman village and had a full photo shoot because it was such a gorgeous place! There was a stop at Necujam for an hour of swimming and snorkelling around sunken ship, and the Blue Lagoon stop was gorgeous as well! I fell asleep in the sun while lounging on the cruise on the way back, and was thrilled to see that managed to get the nicest tan ever!

On our final day in Split, we went to a larger mall around 20 minutes away, and did some more shopping. We visited some museums and art galleries, and also the Bačvice City Beach, which wasn’t the best option but the nearest beach, as we were quite tired as we were nearing the end of the trip and didn’t want to venture out further. Finally, we had made dinner reservations at Zoí, a Michelin plate restaurant that is located on the south wall of the Diocletian’s Palace. The beef tartare was excellent, and the mushroom risotto was creamy yet light, with the right amount of flavour without overpowering the senses. The tagliatelle was fairly good, but as someone who is overly picky about any kind of pasta with red sauce, it was my least favorite item from the restaurant. However, what some of the food lacked in flavour, the restaurant made up for with the ambiance. The moonlit night was the perfect end to this trip to Croatia.

My visit to Split was in July, during the Ultra Music Festival (which I didn’t attend as my friend is not into festivals), so it was definitely a bit busy in the area. I would say that Croatia (at least Split) is more expensive than its neighboring countries, possibly due to its booming tourism industry. We managed to save a bit on accommodation due to booking six months in advance, but even hostels can be more than £50 a night during the peak season. It is fairly walkable, and there are smaller kebab shops and cafes where you can find food for less than £10 per meal, so if you want to plan a trip on a shoestring budget, it is definitely possible. We booked our tickets through getbybus.com, and it cost £15 to go from Mostar to Split, and £12 to go from Split to Zagreb (which is the capital of Croatia, and the city our flight to Brussels was from). We did not have the time to visit Dubrovnik or Istria, which are cities in Croatia that I’m keen on visiting in the future!