This blog picks up where the last one finished as we leave the rustic and historical town of Stari Grad, which in my opinion took us off the beaten track but gave us more of a wholesome and relaxed evening to head to the slightly more well known and definitely crazier town of Hvar, which is often used as a bit of a playground for the rich and famous. This is definitely shown by the array of expensive yachts that are seen moored here, one of which whilst we were there only cost a couple of tens of millions! Pocket change right? This place is a playground for the rich and famous, with many famous faces frequenting this lovely island but after I finished my time there, I could definitely see why this was the case.
Without any further delay, let’s get straight into it!
Hvar – Tuesday, 15 Aug
After our pleasant evening the night before in Stari Grad and quiet night of drinks on the sea front, it was time to head to our next destination that was going to bring a very different experience!
Firstly though, we had another one of our bay stops to drop anchor and bask in the sun or jump in the water. Hilariously during our last stop, one of the others had tried a backflip that didn’t go very well, which spurred me on to try it, nearly come off worse but eventually, I’d managed to get it sorted though only from the first deck. This time though, I was determined to nail it and not only nail it, nail it from the top deck! Baby steps first though and I wanted to build it up from the first deck, followed by the second deck and then finally the third deck. By the fact that I’m still here and writing this, you’ll be glad to know that it went well!
First deck? Easy.
Second deck? Needed a count in but got it too!
Third and top deck? Apprehensive, needed a count in but… Well, I’ll let you judge from the video!
Life and Travel Tip: Looking back now, this probably wasn’t the smartest of decisions and not something to try on a whim like I did. Though it’s only a few metres, if you get it wrong it can seriously hurt you! I found this out later in the day after lunch when I tried another jump, though only a front flip, I landed badly and gave myself a bit of whiplash. Turns out one of the backflips that I thought I’d nailed, it became apparent that I’d not and had some serious bruising the length of my hamstring to deal with for the next few days! So as safe as it looks, water can be dangerous especially from height!
It was during this time that I also was a bit of a hero. How? Well, one of the younger women had got a little worse for wear the night before in Stari Grad, decided that they were going to sit back on a floaty and chill out. Well, before they knew it, they’d drifted out about 300m from the boat, nearly out of the bay. They were unable to sufficiently swim back so I had to swim out and retrieve her, swimming her back in. What can I say? Not all heroes wear capes, sometimes they wear Jack Wills striped swim shorts.
I feel this episode only further highlights the dangers of water, especially if intoxicated somewhat or recovering from the night before.
Once we were alongside in Hvar, after finishing off out boat based lunch, we were heading up to Fort Fortica (or Spanish Fortress), which sits on the top of the hill overlooking all of Hvar and gives some truly tremendous views out of the bay. From the port, it’s only a 20-30 minute walk depending on your fitness level, with some parts of the trail being fairly steep. Once you’re at the top though, it’s certainly worth it, allowing you to take a breather, enjoy the sunshine and take it all in.
Afterwards was free time for us to go out and explore the town of Hvar for a few a hours. For me, it was an opportunity for me to catch up with family at home on the phone whilst I wandered around, to see what photos I could capture of this pastel coloured place. For some though, this was a chance to get back to the drinking and partying, checking out one or two of the amazing beach clubs on offer, whilst others delved into the culture here with food, a cafe stop or take a time out on the beach of quayside.
Again, this is another place that definitely needs more time to explore and I would love to head back there to spend more time, embrace the culture properly and truly explore the town and the island as a whole! There are many places inside and out of the Hvar to explore.
Whilst we were here, it was time for another team dinner, heading to one of the local restaurants offering all the cuisine you’d expect in this region of the world. Annoyingly, I can’t remember where exactly this was but I do remember sitting outside in the summer weather, thankfully in the shade, whilst tucking into my food, which was very reasonably priced. There were sitting options inside too. I just wish I could remember the name of the place! All I can recall is the fact it was next to a set of stairs leading to the fortress, sat on the corner of one of the busy streets running through.
After dinner, we had some more time to ourselves before the partying for the night started, with a bar crawl on offer with the boat and of course, this meant joining up with the other boats we’d been coming across as we went round the islands, just with the pack shuffled. The location on this bar crawl was Kiva Bar, which was a very busy affair! Not only with our boats there, there were bar crawls with the local hostels too, leaving this place so busy, that it was standard to spill out into tight alleyway, mingling with other bars in the same alleyway. So if it’s dancing you’re wanting then you’re going to have to fight to get inside or else it’s better to socialise outside. A little tip: if you can’t get in through the door… the window is always a viable way in! It was at this bar that I ended up bumping into one of my friends that I went to college with, which was pleasant surprise! It was great to catch up after not seeing each other in so long and gave me a different night out, compared to a night with the boat.
The main destination for us this evening was the highly acclaimed nightlife experience in Hvar that is Carpe Diem Beach. There is a bar located in Hvar under the same name and part of the same brand and it is from outside here that you take the taxi boats, which are included in your ticket, out to the separate island which plays host to the true place to party in Hvar. I personally didn’t venture into here as I went from the bar crawl to the boat and then headed off to the beach element but from what I’ve seen looking at the place since it looks like an awesome place for you to hang out and is open for the whole of the day, offering meals, drinks and terraces for you to kick back and relax in. To find out what’s fully on offer, head to www.carpe-diem-hvar.com!
Again, I didn’t realise it at the time but Carpe Diem Beach is open during the day to allow you to have the same experience but in the sunshine with loungers, terrace, bars, pool bars, and restaurant so you can make it an all day event. Alongside this, there’s sporting facilities with diving school and beach volleyball courts! For more information, check out www.capre-diem-beach-hvar.com! There was a lot of other nightclubs, beach clubs and areas for you to enjoy your day and/or night at so be sure to check them out before heading out and work out where you’re going! With only a day there, it was a little hard for me to give you a review on them all!
As this amazing night ended and it was time to head back across the water to Hvar, I was treated to a pretty sunrise as we queued for the boat taxi back across the water. Knowing that our boat was due to leave at around 0630, I managed to get back with about half an hour to spare, where I could enjoy the rest of the sunset but it was time to get myself to bed for… well a nap before breakfast in a couple of hours! I may have been short on the sleep again but the evening was such a good one!
Korcula – Wednesday, 16 Aug
I’ll be honest, most of the morning was spent sleeping again, though very limited again, as we headed towards the island of Korcula to port in there on the island, enjoying the sun on the sun deck, sharing some of the crazy stories from the night before, such as a semi kidnap and escape, thrilling nights at the various clubs and bars, and for some, enjoying the company of others until the early hours of the morning, if you know what I mean!
Upon arrival to the island, we had an opportunity to have some free time to explore the island. For me this was an opportunity on my own to see the sights of the island and have some quiet time after the crazy last few days that I’ve hd on this trip. The port town that we were in was full of historic buildings for you to explore, see and get plenty of amazing pictures of this place.
Not only did you have this popular town that gave you everything you would want on a trip away, such as history, picturesque scenes and good nightlife, from what you could see outside of the town that we were in, there are plenty of outdoor adventures to be had. With beaches nearby showcasing beautiful blue seas, dense forests and hills to explore, and some interesting natural creations to check out, this place will give you plenty to get your teeth into.
The evening here was one of the main events whilst here with it being our fancy dress night, with the whole of the boat dressing up as pirates! The first bar that we headed to was where we met the other boats that are in Korcula with us, play a few games and get suitably ready for the evening ahead.
The final place that we headed to was a nightclub called The Jungle, which sits just outside the town of Korcula, leaving you either a taxi ride up there that’s 5 minutes or a decent 20 minute walk. Thankfully for us, we had coaches to take us there and back but this annoyingly limited the time that we had there.
Don’t worry though, we definitely made the most of it! The club itself is all outdoors on a covered terrace, allowing you to still enjoy yourself if the weather isn’t great. Throwing down your usual selection of popular party music and from what I remember, being reasonably priced, this was a good place to enjoy after a bar or two to warm up.
This evening wasn’t as crazy as that of Carpe Diem from the night before but it was still one that we all thoroughly enjoyed before it was bedtime and we set sail on to the next location for us to reconnect with nature.
Mjilet – Thursday, 17 Aug
This was our last island stop of the tour before we were heading back to the main land and porting in Dubrovnik for us to have one final day and night of fun before we all went out separate way. The location of our stop this time was that of Mjlet national park, which takes up the Northern quarter of the Mjlet island. It was a day set aside to become one with nature again and explore the island’s beauty, with its plush greenery with trails meandering through, scenic views across the lake with its church situated on an island in the middle and its beaches and rivers for you to dunk yourself in and cool off. To be able to explore this place, it costs a mere 125 kuna (roughly £15, €16.50, $19.50) but is truly a day out for you to enjoy.
There are two ways you can go about exploring this place, going either by foot or on a bike, costing the following prices:
- 1 hour – 40 kn
- 3 to 6 hours – 120 kn
- 0900 – 1900 – 180 kn
- 24 hours – 240 kn
- 1 week – 650 kn
If you wish to, you can ride tandem with your travel partner on a bike for a higher fee. If you do get bored with the land element of the national park, you are also able to go via the water, with canoes and kayaks on offer for those travelling solo or as pair.
With most on the boat heading off in little groups on their bikes, I decided that having not run for a while (and not doing great on bikes but that’s something for another time…), it was time for me to unleash the legs again, grab plenty of fluids and go for a nice long run around the park, exploring all the areas I could reach on foot. For me, this was a fulfilling way to explore the national park within the time limit that we’d been given and afterwards, I was feeling great. It also gave an opportunity for me to race some of the those that were on bikes, which always ends up with laughter (even if nothing comes out due to being breathless!).
One of the main attractions, leaving you plenty of amazing shots is the church that sits on the island int he centre of the lake, surrounded by deep blue water. This can be explored if you grab yourself a boat to head over to it but wasn’t something that I did. Don’t worry, the national park isn’t completely void of refreshments requiring to carry something for the day in the hot weather, as there’s a small cafe that’s not too expensive along with a few small houses, serving chilled drinks and food should have time to sit back and bask in the sun, eating your fresh lunch, looking out over the scenery. Other landmarks in the national park are the bridge in the middle, giving you some lowered banks for you to sit by the water ways that connect the sea to the lakes, and at the very far end, there are a collection of beaches and rocks that you can wander across as the water meets the sea. As for the views that are on offer, you can see a collection of photos below for you to enjoy.
The evening unfortunately didn’t end in the way that I wanted it to. After feeling not too great after my journey around the national park, I was a little confused as to why this was the case. The night went on, the appetite went which is always a sign that things weren’t great and then as we relaxed on the sundeck, my stomach didn’t feel grand at all, leaving me with the only option to head to bed and curl up. From what happened thereafter, whilst sparing the details, it was clear that it was food poisoning and nothing else. Thankfully for me, there was nurse on board who could give me something to settle me down and rehydrate my body in this heat.
At least the sunset, as shown above, was nice whilst I was about. Anyway, swiftly moving on to the next day…
Dubrovnik – Friday 18 Aug
My final day on board was a write off. I was weak, tender and not in any position to be part of the final day activities that were on offer. For this interested in how this tour should have ended, in the day time, we were given free roam and advised on a variety of things that were on offer such as the Wall Walk, a Game of Thrones tour or taking the cable car to the top of the hill overlooking. Giving plenty of hours for those who were in my state, the whole trip was rounded off with a final dinner together before heading out for some drinks and finish off the night at Revelin, which is an amazing nightclub, ranked 75 in the world (DJ Mag, 2020). Alas, I wasn’t able to join in with this which was hard to take but I simply didn’t have the energy to join in so spent the evening resting and sleeping on board to make sure I was OK for my final few days.
It wasn’t the best way to finish off such an awesome tour and I’m sure that the evening would have absolutely terrific. When it came to the next morning, it was time to pack up, say my goodbyes to this amazing group of people that I’d come to meet on this trip and disembark, still feeling a little tender to head to my final hostel of the trip. This has really been an amazing experience to have in my overall journey through Croatia and was a brilliant way to both meet new people, see the nation from a different angle and to see lots of places in quick succession, all bringing their own experience.
Hopefully this gives you the insight needed to want to do one of these trips and take one of your next trips away to the next level. I would highly recommend it and feel that from the two part series, I’ve given enough evidence for it and I’m sure you’ve enjoyed reading about it. If you’ve really enjoyed it, then make sure you both hit the social media links below to make sure that you’re following me and hear about my posts as they are released as well as use the “Travel” tab at the top of the page to see what other blogs that I’ve written from various locations around the world.
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