There’s only one non-stop flight from Florence, Italy to Split, Croatia. The 6:15am take-off makes for an early wake up but it’s all worth it because we’ll be meeting Nikki – flying in from Paris this afternoon – and then our great friends the Cane’s in a couple of days.
One the bummers about departing Florence was leaving our great airbnb called La Torres del Cestello [http://www.latorredelcestello.it/?act=home&l=en]. We only stayed here one night, but this was an amazing find. It’s in a very good location within a short walking distance to all the best sites and a view of the Orno river! It was virtually brand new, with a fabulous bathroom and a very nice sitting/TV room with leather sofas and a steal $300 in Florence!
After arriving in Split, we made our way to our next home for a few days. An Airbnb next to the beach about 10 minutes – via Uber – outside of the old town [http://www.dejaviews.eu]. It’s a new all white well equipped two bedroom, 2.5 bath place with an ocean view balcony and a great TV room which we used to binge watch about 12 episodes of Animal Kingdom. Guess we all needed a bit of down time!
Split is a big city with an old town dominated by a waterfront promenade directly on a very busy harbor.
In addition to the many cafe’s and shops, you’ll also find a number of tourism shops where you can book excursions. We booked two – the half day boat tour and river rafting.
On our boat tour – with a scary fast boat – the first stop was the quaint old town of Trogir. With it’s Roman roots and lots of cool shops and restaurants it is a definite must visit.
After a 45 minute visit we’re whizzing to the blue lagoon. This is truly a beautiful bay with incredibly clear blue water, but like most “beaches” we saw in Croatia, there’s no sand, just rocks. We spent an hour lying on a short concrete pier. Not bad, but not optimal for Californians used to soft, white sand.
The last stop made the trip! The Laganini Beach Club on the island of Clovo sits on an incredible calm bay with crystal clear water. The beach is still rocks, but the Laganini is a small paradise with plush couches and flowing curtains as your waiter serves you ice buckets of wine and delicious food while lounging. Altogether, it turned into an luxurious day and we wholehearted recommend the half day boat tour.
Two days later we woke early for our river rafting tour. We discovered that we were the only people signed up for the morning trip. So great to get a private tour! The river trip is a cool way to get away from the coast and take in the beautiful inland landscape. The rapids – class 2 and 3 – were fun, but the best part was getting out of the raft and canyoning through a cave full of frigid spring water that was behind a waterfall! Super fun day and a great way to see another cool part of Croatia.
While in Split, we also celebrated Nikki’s 20th birthday at a 1990’s villa with gardens at Perivoj [http://restoran-perivoj.com]. We ate outdoors under big white umbrellas – which were crucial since it rained really hard. Nevertheless, this is a great restaurant and a fun celebration!
After four nights in Split, we were very fired up to meet up with the Cane party crew – including our travel agent extraordinaire Tammy Cane, on their 48 foot catamaran [http://www.theartoftravelbytammycane.com/about/] -. We took the 6pm ferry 2 hours from Split to meet them on the island of Vis. We were excited to see Lawrence and our boat captain Val in the main harbor – which was completely packed with pleasure boats. We immediately met the entire crew for pizza and then went to a great cocktail bar and dancing to Tammy’s requested songs by Bruno Mars. It was awesome to see familiar faces so far from home!
The next morning we sailed around Vis. First stop was the green grotto, a popular ocean cave with a small hole in the top that allowing a focussed beam of sunlight to burn through the water. So cool to swim inside.
Next, we sail to the blue grotto. Another cave, but with a tiny opening. So small it seems that the boat which takes you in could never fit – bit it just barely does. The water in this cave is “uplit” by the sun causing it to be a beautiful translucent blue. Again, super cool.
After the grottos, Val takes us to a peaceful small harbor on the other side of Vis. I have no idea where we were, but my photos say a place called Komiza. The water was perfect for a great swim. Not too hot, not too cold, just right.
That evening, Captain Val had a surprise for us. He’d arranged for us to have dinner at a local resident’s home. We piled into a van and took a 15 minute ride up a hill to a small village where we were greeted by a herd of goats, sheep and lambs. So cute. Until they started battling over hunks of bread a woman was throwing at them. Then – not as cute – but still tons of fun to watch.
The dinner was totally authentic. The chef cooked fish, meat and veggies in a wood fired oven under several “pekas” which are basically iron lids. If I’m being honest, I thought the food was just OK, but the experience was awesome. Especially when Nikki, Maddy, Nate and Garrett were bottle feeding a lamb after dinner!
The next morning, Captain Val took us on a bit of a rocky ride – causing a little motion sickness for some of our crew (sorry Nate and Tammy) – that ended up in the most beautiful bay. Again, I have no idea where we were, but the photos say “Colta”. It was so perfect that we spent two nights here relaxing, playing cards (mostly a vicious game of “El Presidente”), paddle boarding, and swimming. So much fun!
Click on this link for a great little video of Colta from Space! FD093552-9F25-478A-BE17-B79D3D4D7BF2
Far too quickly, it was time to go. After a sizzling dance party on the way to port, we disembarked somewhere near Trogir.
The following day we took a couple of rental cars for a five hour drive to the Meneghetti Wine hotel & Winery in the Istria region of Northern Croatia [https://www.relaischateaux.com/us/croatia-hrvatska/meneghetti-istria-bale]. It’s a really incredible property – about 200 yards from the sea with a vineyard, two outdoor pools, one indoor pool, a spa and a truly gourmet restaurant. And beyond that — amazing service!
We arrived with great timing because Croatia was playing a World Cup soccer game against Nigeria that night. Lawrence did some quick research and determined that we needed to be in Pula so we could watch the game with some Croatian fans. 30 minutes later, we were in the main square – complete with ancient Roman buildings – and a giant television screen. After gearing up with some Croatian jerseys we watched the crowd of about 2000 go wild as the home team took a 2-0 victory. Great experience. Who says soccer is boring.
The following day was Father’s Day. We took advantage by watching more World Cup and the US Open on TV and then took a drive to the incredibly picturesque town of Rovinj for dinner at a oceanfront restaurant called Puntalina [http://www.puntulina.eu]. Again, if I being honest, the food was pretty good, not excellent. But the magnificent setting – and of course, the company – made it a very memorable Father’s Day.
Celebration continued the following day – Shawn’s birthday! Tammy had arranged for a van to take us into the hills of Istria for an awesome mountain bike ride along La Parenzana – an historic railway. Super fun for those with biking experience. Pretty fun for the rest. Although I do recall Maddy saying she would never ride again. 😊
After the ride, we went back to the Meneghetti’s gourmet restaurant for a tremendous dinner of steak Florentine along with an amazing cake that the hotel had specially made for the birthday celebration.
Sadly, it all ended too fast. Our wonderful friends headed back to Manhattan Beach. And we are off to Slovenia.
Love seeing your adventures😊
Happy belated birthday Shawny ❣️
And Happy Birthday to Keith this week!
XO Paula