Hi Guys,
I’ve tried to be as lengthily descriptive as possible without too many spoilers, and I hope this helps those of you about to enjoy your hols with Just You. This was my 3rd JY trip, and definitely not going to be my last!
Day 1 – Arrived at Heathrow and met the JY rep at the BA check-in desks who advised me not to use the check-in machines, but to go to Group check-in desks. Got checked in and went through security ok. Once boarded on the plane, I discovered that JY people were all sitting together so we all met on the plane. When we landed in Zagreb, we were met at the airport by the famous ‘V’ (for Vladka) who was the best tour manager I’ve ever had on a Just You tour. The transfer from Zagreb to the resort took 3 hours. The hotel check-in was smooth and then we were off to settle in and make our way to dinner.
Day 2 – Day started with Opatija walking tour and chocolate tasting and then we had free time for lunch and sightseeing before transferring back to the hotel around 5pm.
Day 3 – Day started early with a 3 hour transfer to Plitvice Lakes. We stopped for lunch around 11:45am. Please do eat something or grab a sarnie or two for later, as there are no more ‘food breaks’ till dinner at 7:30pm. We walked around for 2.5 hours from one end of the park to the other. We did have some spills along the way but nothing major and all ages were able to keep up. Then we transferred back to the resort for dinner.
Day 4 – Transfer time today took about an hour and we had a nice easy walking tour of Pula, then a 20 minute transfer to Rovijn where you cant miss the wonderful Old Town and delicious ice-cream flavours. Enjoy lunch in your 1 hour free time as there are no more food breaks until dinner. We got back to the hotel around 3pm so most headed off for a late lunch at the local fish restaurant in Lovran which was dirt cheap. Langoustines plus sides plus bottle of wine set me back £20! Suffice to say most of ended up coming back here for lunches and dinners for the rest of the week.
Day 5 – Todays transfer to Ljubljana - which is in Slovenia so please take passport and Euros - took around 2.5 hours and we had an easy walking tour when we arrived. A 3-course lunch was included at a taverna and then we had 1.5 hours free time to wander around. This was the only day we had rain…more like spits and spots than actual rain and most of us just walked around as normal. Then we transferred back to the hotel.
Day 6 – Todays transfer was by boat and it took around 2.5 hours to get to the first island. There is an uphill steep 15 min walk, or you can get in a little van that takes you up to the top. We had a good walking tour and then returned to the boat. Then another hour to get to the second island and we had around 2 hours free time here and most people headed for the pebbled beach. You have to buy jelly shoes to walk on the beach and to swim with, else you risk getting stung by sea creatures. There are only man-made pebble or paved beaches, no sandy beaches.
Day 7 – Our transfer to Motuvun took 2 hours. This is not a strenuous day at all. There is light, easy uphill walking for 10 mins, the rest of the time you are on a bus. If you can do the Plitvice Lakes, you can do all the tours in this package. We had a walking tour, then around 1.5 hours free time for lunch and sight-seeing. We then went to the truffle farm and had some light bites, before transferring back to the hotel for 5pm.
Day 8 – After breakfast we left early to get to the airport where V checked us all in and said goodbye at the security gate.
Some additional/ personal notes
The coach usually departed early around 7:45am and got back around the same time in the evening, though some days were earlier/ later depending on traffic, distance etc. The coach stops approx. every 1.5 hours for comfort breaks (5-10 mins means for comfort, 15 mins means you can grab a coffee and cake/ sarnie to go, 20-30 mins means you can have a quick sit down meal but these longer breaks are rare).
At the hotel, the people who booked the standard room complained about the noise from the road and surrounding area, and asked for an upgrade to sea-view rooms. The sea-view room is worth it, for the views and for the quiet. In the bathroom, the bath tubs are a bit high and you need to hold on to the handles to get in and out. The AC in the room didn’t usually work but you can leave the terrace door open for a nice cool breeze, no mozzies in May apparently.
If you have a strict diet, get ready to have it (mostly) thrown out the window as there is not a lot of healthy options at the coach stops. It stops at roadside places with toilet facilities and you only have cheese sarnies, ham sarnies, muffins, cakes i.e. junk food. Those are your options at these places and that is out of anyone’s control. I am mentioning it so you are prepared.
On the flight out to Zagreb, BA ran out of food on the M&S cart so most people didn’t eat breaky till our first comfort stop outside Zagreb. The same happened on the way home. Apparently this is common when flying BA, I personally haven’t flown with them in about 5 years so was caught unawares, so please ensure you eat at the airport or purchase sarnies after security to take onboard. Do not rely on BA to provide you with paid/ free food/ drink on your short 2.5 hour flight.
Near the hotel, there are 2 supermarkets – one to the right and one to the left - where you can get food, drink, local wines and beers. Some of us enjoyed after dinner nightcaps around the pool or on our balconies.
Lastly, if you are a smoker like me, you can get cheap ciggies at any tobacconist. Whilst touring, you can also drop back behind the group to enjoy a ciggie whilst not disturbing your fellow travellers.
Enjoy your hols, Croatia is amazing and I’m already planning my next holiday with JY.