Croatia is a beautiful country with lovely people. I have been before, to the Dubrovnik area so I was really looking forward to this tour. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t kind to us with 2 full days of heavy rain and thunderstorms and temperatures below average. The tour manager said it was very unusual weather for the time of year. Cold and wet…like UK!
The hotel, Valamar Sanfior, has recently been refurbished, and in fact some work is still ongoing, particularly in the grounds. It is a lovely hotel with indoor and outdoor pool, and a spa. The rooms aren’t very big but they are very clean and comfortable. You need to upgrade if you want a balcony. It is situated at one end of Rabac with a 15 minute walk to the harbour. Meals are buffet style and the food is fine with plenty of choice. The dining room gets quite busy and noisy and service for drinks can be a bit slow. It’s the same in the bar where there was live entertainment most nights. All the staff are very friendly and helpful.
I was disappointed with Rabac itself. It is a very modern resort with no character and seems to exist purely for tourists. There is no real centre, just a strip of cafes, bars and souvenir shops. However the small medieval town of Labin on the hill above Rabac is well worth a visit. It’s a 10 minute bus ride away, and if you’re feeling energetic you can walk back down!
On our first full day we were taken on an included excursion along the Istrian coast to the towns of Pula, Rovinj and Porec. They were all lovely and I couldn’t help wishing we were based in one of them. The day ended with a visit to ‘somewhere in the countryside’ where we were given ham, cheese, bread and wine by the gallon! It was a long but enjoyable day.
The trip to Plitvice Lakes was also a long day. 7.30am start and back to the hotel at 8.30pm. It is a long journey and we were only actually at the Lakes for about 3 and a half hours. It was very busy and you are constantly making way for other groups of tourists. Some in our group found it hard going so be warned. You need to wear suitable shoes and be prepared to walk along uneven boardwalks and footpaths for a few hours. But the scenery is spectacular. You have to decide if the long journey and the crowds are worth the reward of beautiful lakes, waterfalls and lush vegetation.
The Island Cruise and BBQ trip was marred by bad weather and rough seas until we reached the shelter of the bay at the island of Cres. Some people felt a bit seasick. There was no BBQ as such. We were served a meal on the boat consisting of mackerel and salad with ‘a pint of wine’ or beer! There were meat (pork) and vegetarian alternatives. We docked twice in a small village and then a larger town, both of which were very pretty. The sun came out for our journey back and the sea was a lot calmer.
I didn’t do the other excursions to Venice or Lipica stud farm and the caves. However those who did said they enjoyed them. The Venice trip is a very long day with a 6.00am start and returning after 9.30pm.
I agree with previous comments about our Tour Manager ‘V’. She is lovely, very helpful and full of knowledge about the country.
I hope this gives you a flavour of this particular holiday. Please ask if you want to know anything else.
Jean