Hi I am going to Croatia and Bosnia from July 17thlooking forward to it, have been to Zagreb before and that was great. I will post a report when I get back.

We have just returned (June 14th) from our first visit to Croatia, we stayed in Rovinji at the Hotel Eden, What a fantastic place this was, set on the edge of a national park,crystal clear seas,and the town of Rovinji itself was to die for. We did a day trip to Venice and boat trips to some of the islands, Unfortunately for us it all went pear shaped the second week when i fell over and broke my leg,but everyone was SO kind, we are definately going to go back to 'finish' our holiday next year as there were so many other things which we had planned but were unable to do.My advice to you is go for it, you won't regret it.

As I live on 'the continent' I often book my own DIY holidays, and had high hopes of visiting Croatia this summer. All my planning was in place ... the itinerary, where to stay, when, for how long and all I needed to do was to book my accommodation.

I sent 16 emails to the correct email addresses of the hotels I'd hoped to stay in and got two replies - one offering me a double room without ensuite facilities and without breakfast at a cost of 68€ a night (which is really pricey for a room in a private house) and the other asking me to contact them in a month's time (this was mid-June asking for the first fortnight in August) as they were unable to say if they would have accommodation available or not.

The other 14 did not bother to reply (and these were 3* or higher grade establishments) and I've decided to shelve my plan for this year at least.

I have to say that I am most disappointed by the response, and from what I have subsequently learned, Croatia is not yet ready for flexible DIY tourism, preferring to deal with agencies and tour operators directly and to block book their accommodation. I understand fully why that benefits them, but would have liked to have at least a reply from the major hotels!!! And although camping is probably easier to arrange, I cannot use such accommodation as I need mains electricity at night for my 'sleep' machine.

I wish others hoping to holiday in Croatia more luck than I have had at present - and would love to hear how they got on - especially as regards hotel costs.

Am travelling to Korcula on 31 July, staying at the Bon Repos Apartments. Has anybody visited Korcula or stayed at the Bon Repos and is able to give me any information?

Many thanks.

Penny

Going to Dubrovnik in a couple of weeks time, can anybody tell me what the prices are like for drinks, meals etc, I have heard that it is quite expensive.
Thanks

We were there in June and went into Dubrovnik for the day. I didn't find the prices too bad to be honest.....80p coffee, £1.10 a pint.

Hi all ,
Just back from a great 2 weeks in Turkey and thinking about next year already !.
Fancy a change next year - what are the best brochures/companies to look for ?.

Also - we like the beach but also like to get out and about - what are the best Resorts ?.

Hope you can help.

Toffeemen

Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2005 2:08 pm Post subject: Croatia ?

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Hi all ,
Just back from a great 2 weeks in Turkey and thinking about next year already !.
Fancy a change next year - what are the best brochures/companies to look for ?.

Also - we like the beach but also like to get out and about - what are the best Resorts ?.

Hope you can help.

Toffeemen

How about menthol ciggies how easy is it to get them???

Hi,

It'll be my first visit to Croatia (Makarska area) in September and I've been looking on the web at car hire prices. These have been the most expensive I've seen anywhere! In other countries I've usually waited till I got there; with local car hire shops that are not part of an international chain, the prices are much lower. Can anyone tell me if I'm likely to find any of these in Croatia? I don't want to find out the hard way that they don't exist!

By the way, I've found very reasonable private accommodation (apartments) on the web for Croatia, and had a very good response from those I sent questions to.

Hi - it sounds like you are doing similar to us - and I'd also like to know more about car hire in Croatia, as we hope to hire one for a few days.

We booked a flight with BAmiles and found an apartment in Cavtat through http://www.dubrovnik-online.com for 280 euros for the week. Will report back how well it all goes when we get back.

We are just back from Croatia and Bosnia which I loved and we paid £279.00 from Hertz for 8 days uplifted from Split airport and returned there. There is quite a few car hire places at the Airport.

Hope you enjoy your holiday.

Linda

hi sweepy2, I'm going to croatia on sunday I smoke menthol ciggies so i will let you know when i get back on the 29th aug.

Hi Linda

Were there any problems driving from Croatia into Bosnia? If we hired a car in Croatia would it be a hassle to drive over the border for the day?

Thanks, Maria

Thank you for your replies. Linda, I'm just not used (or in a position) to pay those sort of prices. I think we may just get a bus from the airport and take our time shopping around for car hire.
Maria, I'm sure we're both going to enjoy it having seen some pictures of the lovely scenery and hearing all the reports of friendly people!

Actually jay-aitch, I tried various UK car hire brokers for Croatia, and was rather stunned by the prices! Not sure that you'll find better there - from what I suspect, Croatia isn't a particularly cheap destination ......

As for appartment hire, and replies from local agents I am delighted that you had more success than I did!! Please let us know how your holiday went, especially about accommodation! I might even get there myself - NEXT year!!!

Have a great time.

Hi Alsacienne

I too was astonished by the prices; usually the UK is the most expensive place for anything on wheels. This is one instance when prices on the web are often higher; they hope to catch your custom before you get to your destination and realize the locals do things cheaper (I know we can't rely on that but somehow doubt they'll be dearer).
As with those package tour reps who are keen to meet up on the 1st day of your holiday because they want to sell you excursions at about double the local price!
Will report on the holiday and the existence or not of reasonable car hire, when we get back.

Hi Maria

We drove from Split to Metokovic, stayed a couple of nights there, used as a stop of point so we could go to Dubrovnik for the day because accomodation was cheaper, when you drive to Dubrovnik you go into Bosnia's only coastal town Neum and drive right through, border patrol hardly glanced at us. After that we drove to Mostar in Bosnia for three days again not a problem at border control, we went for the day to Sarajevo, after Mostar stayed in Biograd and then Trogair, we did not have a problem anywhere driving other than once got stopped by the police but they checked our papers and then we left.

Not sure if all car hire companies let you take their car into Bosnia but ours was not a problem.

Hope you all enjoy your holiday, we loved it.

Linda

Hi, sweepy 2, yes they do sell menthol ciggies in croatia, the main brand are call RonHill, costs vary from 120 kunas upwards,which is about £1.20.