Spotlight on the amazing accommodation on our Croatia Adventure!
THIS TOUR HAS SINCE BEEN CHANGED TO A 7 NIGHT ADVENTURE WITHOUT A VISIT TO DUBROVNIK
Read on for more details about our luxury 4* accommodation that I've lined up for our 10 night Croatia Adventure, including:
A heritage hotel in the 1700 year old Diocletian palace walls of Split!
A seafront hotel overlooking the Hvar harbour!
A traditional, grand villa overlooking the stunning City of Dubrovnik!
You can find out what I get up to behind the scenes to scout out the best accommodation for every Travel Queen group tour for women in my blog post here.
Our destinations of Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik
On this luxury group tour for women we explore the beautiful cities of Split, Dubrovnik and the island of Hvar on Croatia's Dalmatian Coast. Croatia has become one of the most popular European countries to visit in the last few years; I think that's because it still holds a bit of mystery compared to the more frequently visited countries of Spain, France and Italy, and, well, it's stunning!
All three of our destinations feature stunning 'Old Towns' at their heart, and that's where we want to be, with all the amazing sights, bustling harbours and array of bars and restaurants that line the gorgeous plazas and hidden stone alleyways right on our doorstep.
Finding the right accommodation (that's not up a thousand steps!)
Speaking of steps, that's another prominent feature of Croatia's Old Towns! They are part of what makes these incredible places so picturesque. Think hilly coastlines sprinkled with terracotta roofed buildings that stretch from the pretty turquoise harbours up the hillside, overlooked by dramatic, historic fortresses. Beautiful. And, if you're staying in one of the many apartments tucked away in these terracotta roofed buildings or city walls that make up the majority of accommodation options in Croatia, absolutely knackering to get to!
I remember arriving in Hvar Old Town, being blown away by how gorgeous it was, then realising that the apartment I'd booked that was 'just a 10 minute walk from the harbour', was in fact at the top of several hundred steep stone steps on the way up to the fortress. Now, I'm 37 and in okay shape, but that climb in 30 degree heat with my backpack really made me question whether I was in fact too young to have a heart attack, or not!
After a few stops along the way to let my heart rate return to a safe level, I reached the top, and also, my first conclusion about the extra criteria for our accommodation for the Croatia Adventure. Somewhere that's much more leisurely to lead a group of women with heavy suitcases to, so they don't all arrive angry with me and in need of a cold shower!
So you'll be pleased to know that all of our accommodation in Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik is in fantastically central, ground level locations, that are a much more pleasant, short walk away from the heart of each town or city.
Our 4* heritage hotel in the Diocletian Palace walls of Split
Split's Old Town is nestled amidst the walls and alleyways of the 1700 year old Diocletian Palace, built by the former Roman Emperor to live out his days here in luxury! Most of the accommodation options in Split consist of tiny apartments crammed into the Old Town, or larger hotels further away on the outskirts of the city.
We spend 3 nights here in a pretty rare find of a luxury, heritage hotel with spacious rooms, right in the heart of the palace walls and overlooking one of the Old Town's main squares.
We couldn't be more central to the surrounding historic sights, cafes, bars and restaurants and the beautiful harbour front promenade is just a short walk away too!
The rooms are modern and luxurious with ensuite bathrooms but also feature original stone walls as a reminder of exactly where you are in this historic location. Breakfast is included daily.
This is where everyone will arrive on the first day of the tour and we'll get to know each other by enjoying some food and drink in the square before spending time exploring this beautiful and friendly city on the doorstep of our fab hotel.
Our 4* harbour front hotel on the island of Hvar
In Hvar, we stay in this beautiful four star hotel, built in the stone used throughout the Old Town. It is literally right on the harbour front and less than a minute's walk from where we arrive by boat from Split.
Of course, we explore the town and to do that we climb the steps up to the fortress for amazing views, but doing it without our bags and not several times a day is much more enjoyable ;-).
If you imagine you're stood in the fortress looking down on the harbour in this gorgeous photo below, our hotel is on the left hand side facing all the swanky yachts! We couldn't be more central and closer to all the great little bars, restaurants, shops and the pretty little historic plaza.
This is one of the typical stylish bedrooms that we stay in at the hotel...
And the sea views from the rooms out to the harbour...
Our luxurious private Croatian villa overlooking Dubrovnik's city walls
This grand villa is our home in stunning Dubrovnik just a short walk away from the Old Town: we can actually see the amazing World Heritage sight of the City Walls from our rooftop terrace!
I was pretty happy with myself when I discovered this place! As with other parts of Croatia the accommodation options tend to be very small apartments in the old town, or larger hotels (usually with distinctly less character) that are further away on the outskirts of the city.
As we have just 3 nights here and the best of Dubrovnik is in the Old Town, being close by was really important. I actually did the walk to what is marketed as the popular place to stay in Dubrovnik; Lapad. It's a good hour's walk, didn't really inspire me and could have been anywhere on the Med. So for me, staying near the Old Town was the only option and finding this spacious villa so close to the Old Town made my day!
There are five individually decorated bedroom suites within the villa with their own bathrooms and living areas, and some with doors opening onto the terraces.
We have a large kitchen where breakfast will be provided daily and several dining areas, a fitness room and sauna, plus a pretty amazing rooftop terrace complete with sun loungers and hot tub!
This is a beautiful, traditional, local family owned Croatian style villa that gives us our very own private oasis close to Dubrovnik's Old Town but away from the hustle and bustle of the many tourists that flock here.
The full Croatia Adventure itinerary
Check out the day by day itinerary for our Croatia Adventure, including all the trips and activities included, here. Our next trip is the 1-11 June 2019 and we have just a few places left!
If you have any questions about any of our accommodation please just get in touch!
Mel x
