A WEEK IN CROATIA

I think Split and Hvar in Croatia are two of my new favourite places. I feel like I say this every time I get back from travelling somewhere but it's happened yet again! I'm writing this with severe holiday blues.

I recently went on a week-long holiday to Split in Croatia with five of my friends and we had such an amazing time. We stayed in an Airbnb villa a short taxi ride away from Split with a pool.

We flew from Gatwick to Split and the flight was only around two and a half hours which went really quickly.

What we got up to

Instead of writing the details day by day like I usually do, I thought I'd just write the highlights of what we got up to under one heading and food under another. Spoiler alert: the food was so amazing it deserves its own spot in this post.

Exploring Split

So aside from chilling by the pool in the villa, our first activity was exploring the town of Split. Split is a very historical place with beauty around each corner. Cars and taxis can only reach certain areas of Split, because when you go into the city centre, it is walking only which is one of the things that made it so unique. 

The centre of Split is a bit like a maze and I would still find it difficult to find my way around without maps even after staying there for a week.

For me, our holiday was a perfect mix of everything because we stayed in a villa with a pool, but you could actually travel to Split as a city break as well. It has great nightlife and lots of amazing restaurants.

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Krka National Park

Before travelling to Split, we had pre-booked a trip to Krka National Park which is about 1 hour - 1:30 hours drive away. The park is known for its waterfalls and it was like nothing I'd ever seen before. I'd definitely recommend visiting. There was a lot of walking up and down steep hills which I wasn't totally aware of before the trip so wear comfy shoes and pack lots of water!

On our trip, we got to visit the waterfalls, go to a nearby town for a dip in the lakes and finish off the day with wine tasting at a local, family-run winery. All of this cost just short of £35 which I think was definitely worth it.

Unfortunately, the usual part of Krka that you go to on the tour was closed due to flooding so we had to go to another part of the park. But it was still just as beautiful and didn't ruin the trip at all.

Hvar for the day

Hvar is an island about 1 hour away from Split by boat. For a return ferry, it was a little expensive - around the £40-£45 mark, but it was so worth it.

I feel like Hvar is quite a luxury place. One, because they go there on Made in Chelsea, and two, because there are lots of exclusive beach clubs where you have to pay for entry. You could easily spend a lot here but there are still lots of bars and restaurants that are a similar price to Split and there are areas of the beach where it is free to go and sit.

Hvar is one of the most stunning places I've ever been to and I would 100% recommend visiting there if you travel to Split. You can, of course, stay in Hvar too but it would cost you a pretty penny. Also, I felt like there was less to do there than in Split.

Boat Party Split

Around Split, there were lots of people selling tickets to boat parties and in principle, it sounded like a lot of fun so we went. It cost around 40 euros and you are pretty much out all day. The ticket also gets you free entry to a club later on.

Now I did have fun, but the weather turned really bad while we were on the boat and it got quite choppy which wasn't as enjoyable. Especially with drunk people slipping around and drinks flying everywhere. I never thought I got seasick until going on this boat.

I'm sure it's usually fine when the weather is good but I'd recommend checking the weather and booking it for a sunny calm day. Other than that, it was quite fun and we made friends with other people who had travelled to Split. This is probably the activity I'd recommend the least but if it's your thing and a clear day, you will probably enjoy it.

Talent Show

One good thing about staying in a villa with friends is that you can be as weird as you want because it's just you. In light of that, we decided to do a talent show one night before dinner which went down a treat. If you are planning on going away to a villa with friends or family I'd definitely recommend organising one, I've never laughed so much.

My talent was a roast and we had a good range of others like the recorder and a magic mike number.

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The Food

Now for the bit you've been waiting for ... I didn't realise that Split was going to be such a foodie destination but every meal we had was 10/10. Usually, when you go away you get at least one kind of below-average meal but each meal we had was stunning, it was just so easy to find amazing restaurants.

Here are some of the amazing meals I had and where to find them

Burger and Chips at Fig

... but not your ordinary burger and chips. I don't know how they did it but it was just so elevated and the location was amazing. The owner was very chatty and enthusiastic about the restaurant and he told us about the history of the building. It's mainly Mexican food and I'm fussy so of course, I ordered the burger but we all equally enjoyed our meals. The burger cost me 15 euros.

The Second Best Sandwich of my Life

The first best sandwich I've had was in Milan, but this proscuitto, mozzarella and tomato masterpiece was a close second. Annoyingly, I can't remember the name of the place where we got it but it was along the front of the harbour where the palm trees are and it cost around 10 euros. Go along that row and look for a place that does both pizza slices and sandwiches. Perfect for lunch.

Black Cuttlefish Risotto at Konoba GregoLevante

Cuttlefish Risotto is something I saw on quite a few menus while we were in Split so it must be a pretty popular dish and the one I had at this restaurant was stunning. I was a little put off at first by the ink making it black but it was so delicious.

The restaurant is really cute too, you go through a little cove to get to it (great for pictures if you are a little early to dinner). They also had lots of other nice dishes on the menu. I'd recommend it here if you want food that you can't really get anywhere else.

Pizza on a Rooftop at Pizzeria Sette Sorelle

I am a big pizza lover and this was one of the best pizzas I've ever had. Perfect Italian base and the fact that we were on a rooftop just made the whole thing even more special. They also had blankets for if it was cold. Comfort food at its finest.

Fritto Misto in Hvar

Once again I can't remember the name of the restaurant (I'm a terrible blogger when I go on holiday and I was too hungry to think when I arrived here) but it was on the main square by the ferry port in Hvar. We were enticed in by being offered 15% discount because we were in a group, RESULT!

Due to the area we were eating in, this could have easily been a tourist trap but we ended up having a lovely meal and we were given free Limoncello shots and a free bottle of wine to share. Also, I loved my squid and prawns. All of the chips I had in Croatia were unreal too, they just know how to do dining over there.

Creamy Proscuitto Gnocchi at Mediterraneo 

Once again, another amazing dish in Split. By this point, I was comfortable knowing that everything I had was going to be delicious and my proscuitto gnocchi was no exception.

Mix and Match Monkfish and Steak at Adriatic Restaurant Split

I would come to this restaurant just for the views, honestly someone could propose there it was so nice, especially if you go when the sun is setting. The food being stunning was just a plus. It was right on the seafront and you can watch boats going by.

Maddie and I couldn't decide whether to get the Adriatic steak dish or the monkfish so we had half of each which was the best decision ever. We also got complimentary bread before our meal and we Brits love free stuff.

It was the perfect restaurant for our final night and because I hadn't actually spent all my euros (don't know how) I got a pudding - Snickers Bomb, which was amazing but so so sweet.

Would I recommend travelling to Croatia?

Yes yes yes! I can only comment on Split, Hvar and Krka and I would definitely recommend visiting all three. As soon as I left I wanted to go back and I don't get that with every place that I go to (albeit most). It's also made me want to explore more of Croatia like Dubrovnik and Zadar. 

We all had the best time and it was amazing to go away with my friends and just have so much fun together.

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Have you ever been to Croatia?