Go North and experience the real Croatia (Croatia)

Member Name: berrydelight

Product:	Croatia
Date:	21/05/09 (87 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful hidden treasures and fantastic foor

Disadvantages: The language barrier

I have been extremely lucky in the last 24 years to have done a lot of travelling (more reviews on this to follow Im sure) but a few weeks ago when it was suggested we go to Croatia I had nothing to say. It is a place I have heard banded about on these 'place in the sun' programmes but not somewhere Ive ever really researched or considered as a holiday destination. We only had four days and couldn't really argue with the flight length (1hour 50 minutes from Stanstead) or the price of the plane ticket (£20 inc taxes each way with Ryanair.) So I packed for spring weather and off we went.

I have intimated on my Ryanair review that one (if not the only) plus point of flying with them is you get to go to some different destinations, and so it was that we touched down in Pula. Due to our time constraints and the fact we wanted to do some sightseeing and some relaxing we decided to stick to the Istria region of Croatia. The Istrian region is to the North and is the largest peninsula on the Adriatic sea, the local tourist site calls it the 'Green Mediterranean ' and how right they are! Possibly one of the greenest places I have seen (after bonnie Scotland of course!). I was surprised, expecting to see the dusty, orangey landscape you get in so many of the warmer European destinations. Flying over emerald water and hundreds of little islands was a fantastic introduction. As a sun worshipper I was delighted that blue skies and sunshine would herald our arrival and when the plane doors open we were hit by the heat. 30 degrees for the whole four days meant we had to roll up those long sleeved t-shirts but at least we know for next time!

One of the great things we discovered in our four days is that there is so much to see in the Istrian region but everything is very compact, our longest journey was about an hour and it was an easy region to navigate with just a map. We hired a car and headed to Pula to check out the amphitheatre.

Now Pula itself seemed a little industrial, the docks were busy at work and although some areas of it were charming, and a must if you are a fan of Roman architecture. The main square which has been a meeting place since the Augustan era was beautiful and a perfect place to have a coffee and recharge your post-budget flight batteries with the restored Temple of Augustus looking over you.
The amphitheatre or Arena of Pula is spectacular. I have been to the Coliseum but the setting of this amphitheatre (you can view the coast whilst you sit and watch an imaginary gladiator fight) is something special. Build in the 1st Century AD (yes really) it has been well preserved and although you have to pay to access it was worth the effort. The exhibition is a little lacking but we enjoyed it all the same. With the sun baking down it was nice to sit and have a moment.

Istria was, and based on what I tasted should be, world famous for its olive oil. I love olive oil but here it was a deep green served in abundance and the Croatians are understandingly proud of it. The whole region seemed to benefit from the Italian way of eating and drinking with platters of Istrian ham, olive and cheese at every good restaurant. The Istrian's say their food is based on imagination, dealing with ingredients as they have them and making the best of situations. They are heavily influenced by many cultures but all was delicious and well worth trying something you wouldn't normally.
Truffles are also a feature of Istria but as they were out of season on my visit I had them in cheese which was divine.
As a wine lover I was delighted to try the local grapes Tehran for red and Malvazija for white and please if you go they are the best thing to drink!

The currency is the Kuna, we got just under 8 Kunas to the £ and you are looking at around 85 kunas for a good main course in a good restaurant so not bad at all. We also found that we weren't hit by a tourist tax, in most places the prices are elevated by they didn't change even when we were in rural locations.

We left Pula fairly quickly and went North, driving was easy and the roads well maintained. We hired a car from the airport which after such cheap flights wasn't too much of an expense. We stayed in a resort north of Rovinj, a beautiful little town on the coast. Amarin is already a popular resort with the Germans and Italians. It has space for 670 tent pitches as well as two star and four star villas. As it was low season we were able to stay in a four star villa which had a terrace area in the sunshine for a spot of sun bathing. The resort also had a restaurant (enormous), a beach (all stony in Croatia but not unpleasant), a pool (bloody freezing) and various childrens play areas. The Croatians seem to be big on their sports so although the activities weren't running when we were there the courts were set up for tennis school. All in all I think this would be a great place for a camping holiday!

That evening we got a boat taxi to Rovinj, we had it on good authority that in the summer this little seaside town is heaving and during late May there is a gastronomic festival which attracts a lot of tourists. A sunset walk up to the Church of St.Euphemia and seeing a wedding party was something special and this really is a very photogenic little town. I recommend the walk as the views out to see at the top are amazing. We ate dinner in a local restaurant and I urge you to eat fish, fish and more fish! When it is being caught that close to were you are eating there is no excuse really.

The following day we shunted going to Motovun which is world famous and instead opted for the northern town of Groznjan. A perilous journey up a dusty road but well worth it. You arrive in a little village with a labyrinth of little streets and red flowers everywhere! They are gorgeous peeping out of doorways and window boxes. This town (unbeknown to us) is an artists haven and in almost every doorway was a studio. We spent literally hours rambling round this quaint hill top town. Some of the items were hilarious others amazing. I bought some glass jewellery but there was some spectacular ceramics and woodwork that had we not been on hand baggage only I would have bought too much of! Seeing the artists in situ was inspiring and I had visions of never returning!

We visited Brijuni Island which was home to Tito for six months of the year (your tour guide will be very enthusiastic about this and the propaganda is quite intense) this natural island is a national park and is exquisite. I wont lie the tour was a little dull, it is organised and unavoidable but you do get to see the safari park, roman ruins and Croatia's oldest olive tree. In hindsight if I was only there for a long weekend I would pass on this but for a weeks holiday why not experience a bit of culture! The park also has deer and they allowed me to get within a metre of them which was incredibly humbling.

Our last night was spent in a hotel/restaurant called Valsabbion near Pula. It wasn't cheap but it was fabulous and has won best restaurant in Croatia for the last 9 years, cuisine like this is unmatched and the bedrooms were like a big comfy boutique. Combined with views out to see if your looking for somewhere romantic for an anniversary or proposal I suggest you go and Google!

Overall as you can probably tell I cant recommend it enough. The down side? As always there will be some......
The service was not overly warm but that did not put me off, the Croatians would probably be more relaxed conversing in Italian or German and a basic knowledge of one would be helpful but not essential. Also from what we could grasp prices and popularity soar in the summer so I recommend going either now or later in the season.

Id recommend going to the north as its off the beaten track, everyone goes to Dubrovnik! It was honestly one of the most idyllic trips I have ever had and I hope the weather holds up for all future travellers!

Summary: Going off the regular tourist route can have amazing results