Croatia Islands, Pros and Cons
Pros
SCENERY. The scenery is beautiful. There are pine forests coming down to the shoreline in many places, limestone escarpments and waterfronts. The water is clear and clean and relatively full of life. We have had several dolphin sightings and even a sunfish waved it's fin at us. We also saw more fish while swimming at the SE end of Mljet island than anywhere else in the Med so far.ANCHORAGES. Anchorages are plentiful and for the most part attractive. See beaches however. There are enough anchorages to provide refuge from the sudden strong winds that can crop up.
WEATHER AND FORECASTING. The climate is such that long range forecasts are notoriously inaccurate and do not in any event warn of the sudden winds. Split radio issues accurate weather warnings on Ch 16 and you usually have a couple of hours warning before a big blow.
TOWNS & VILLAGES. The small towns are very attractive. Korcula, Hvar, Stari Grad for example. The villages are even more attractive than their larger siblings, and all are less spoiled by tourist treatment than elsewhere in Europe. In many towns signage is kept to a minimum (Dubrovnik for example) and some streets are pedestrianised. Vbroska and Jelsa are good examples of lovely villages that retain all that they once had, without bowing too much to the pressure to become "postcard pretty". We immediately noticed how quiet everything is in these villages and provincial towns (June 09). So different from Greece where there is incessant scooter traffic, animated conversations everywhere, someone shouting about something and music in the streets. By contrast Croatian villages are so quiet it is almost somber. The locals are not very much in evidence. You will see them walking to or from their houses, but they do not seem to spend time socializing in the cafes and in the streets like the Greeks. Perhaps it is oversimplifying to relate this to the recent war, but there does seem to be a sense of enjoyment of the peace and calm that currently exists.
RESTAURANTS. Food in restaurants is cheap. Restaurants are cheaper than Greece, possibly cheaper than Turkey and with better standards of hygene. Fish is cheaper than in most of Europe. Wine is cheap and quite good, especially the reds, even small islands such as SV Klement in the Pakleni Island group have reputable wines. As you would expect prices go up in the more touristed towns.
VISITORS. Although there are quite a few charter-boats cruising these islands, most of them are smaller than we are used to seeing, with very few catamarans and there are not as many charterboats as, for example, the BVI's or the Ionian. Croatia's sheer number of islands and their size makes it quite possible to avoid the areas where the charterers tend to congregate if that's your preference. Around the islands most land-based travellers are independent travellers, the back-packing hostel and cheap hotel type, lots of cyclists and hikers. Of course the larger towns have their fair share of package hotels and coach tourists. We only saw cruiseships in Dubrovnik and Hvar.
Cons
PRICES. It's expensive to come here with your own boat. First there is the cruising permit fee of over $350 just to enter the country. (Compared with $45 in Greece and nothing in the rest of Europe). Harbour dues once you arrive are more expensive than Italy and over 10 times the normal price in the nearby Greek Islands! harbour fees ranged from $55 to $100 per night. This is just for a tie up on a harbour wall - not a marina which were invariably more expensive and we avoided them except where it was unavoidable in Dubrovnik ($125 per night with an extra charge for boat washing water!). Almost always the harbour fee includes electricity and water. Mooring balls are installed in some harbours and work out at about $25 a night. Sometimes and in some locations you will be charged for anchoring. This is the only place in all our travels where a charge has been imposed for using one's own anchor. Perhaps because of the se factors, we saw very few liveaboard cruisers in the Croatian islands.BEACHES. In the parts of Croatia that we visited there are really no beaches, if by beaches you are thinking of sand, paddling, a safe and comfortable place to hang out. Most beaches in Croatia have no sand. Some beaches have small pebbles or have been seeded with limestone chips, but most are rocks or rocky ledges. The rocks extend into the water so sea-urchins can be problem and water shoes are necessary almost everywhere. We quickly found that in Croatia every place where the land meets the sea without cliffs is called a beach. Many of the 'beaches' are in fact sloping, near-horizontal limestone ledges, smoothed in places by wind and waves. We have so far visited 2 of Croatia's top 10 Island beaches. One had no sand, just sharp limestone rocks, the other a small patch of sand and mud. Neither were worth sitting on. The archetypal beach experience for us here, is find a small cove with no one in it, beach the dinghy and look for a smooth rock to lie on for a while. When it gets too hot, retreat to the cover of the pine trees or go for a swim, with shoes on.
RESTAURANTS. Although restaurant food is cheap, it is not very original or very well prepared. Most Konobas (taverna-style restaurants) serve from a huge menu of mainly ersatz italian dishes - Lasagna, Spaghetti 20 ways, Pizza 20 ways - you get the picture. There does not seem to be a national food identity or pride in the food prepared in restaurants. Fresh vegetables are hard to find everywhere in the islands. The Pizzas aren't bad and are the Naples style with a thin crust, but heavier on the toppings than you would find in Italy.
FOOD SHOPPING. Supermarkets in the islands are woefully short of fresh produce and there is a dearth of vegetable markets in the smaller towns and villages. Certainly nowhere near the quality or selection that we would expect to find on a similarly remote Greek Island.
ANCILLIARY SERVICES. In Hvar the laundromat was $13 a load for a small domestic Euro washer! The most expensive anywhere in our travels so far. We were told that car rental is also expensive but did not investigate further.
WEATHER. During our visit in June the weather was decidely mixed. We had a number of cloudy and rainy days. Of more concern to us we had several days when the wind was too strong for pleasure sailing. One day of 56 knots and one of 40. These are serious winds and since they can come up with very little warning it is important to continually monitor the weather warnings on the VHF.
NUDITY. Not sure whether this is a pro or a con! There is a great deal of public nudity in Croatia. Apparently we have to thank our British Royals for starting it all with Edward and Wallis Simpson's visit to Croatia. Anyway if this offends, you will have to deal with it or stay on the town beaches. Some beaches and a couple of entire islands are designated nude areas, but that by no means serves as a limiting factor and people feel free to get back to nature wherever they get the urge.
CONCLUSION
So what did we think?
Joan "As much as I enjoyed the beauty of Croatia, I wonder was it the jouney and the places visited; or the friends we met along the way that made the difference? Definitely it was the combination of the two that made the whole experience that much sweeter. I know I will always treasure the memory of our short stay there".
Alan " It definitely did not push my buttons. The scenery is very attractive, as are the towns and villages and the efforts that have been taken to maintain the original look of those places is to be applauded, but there is something missing. Where is the heart and soul of Croatia? Certainly not anywhere we visited. Dubrovnik old town is as pretty as I expected, but it has been cleared of everything not directly related to the tourist visitors. No wonder we didn't see many locals - there was nothing there for them."
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