DESTINATIONS — CROATIA & THE BALKANS
The Garden Festival, Tisno
festivals – Soundwave, SunceBeat, Stop Making Sense and Electric Elephant – will keep the party going throughout July and August. Completely Croatia has seven nights at the boutique Heritage Hotel on Tisno’s seafront from £889, including flights, private transfers and breakfast. The three-day Ultra Europe
dance festival makes its third visit to Split in July, when boat parties get holiday revellers in the mood before the main event at Poljud stadium. But the Riva, the waterfront in Croatia’s second city, buzzes all summer, as do the cafes squeezed into the ruins of Diocletian’s Palace just behind. Less than a 10-minute walk away is the sleek Hotel Luxe, where Anatolian Sky offers three-night breaks from £399 including flights, transfers and breakfast. Ultra Europe even spills over into
Hvar, with a giant beach party on the island. But nightlife in Hvar – particularly Hvar Town – is lively enough on its own, helped by bars and clubs such as Veneranda, Hula Hula, Carpe Diem and Riva. Guests will find plenty of places for a sunset – or even a sunrise – cocktail. Transun offers a Heavenly Hvar package that includes a private boat excursion to the secluded island of Palmizana as well as dinner in the so-called ghost village of Mali Grabje. Three nights at the waterfront Hotel Villa Dalmacija cost from £665, including flights, private transfers, breakfast and a guided tour.
22 January 2015 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 67
l BEST FOR . . . ACTIVITY Croatia’s coastal landscapes lend themselves to most activity holidays, from diving and sailing to hiking and biking. Rovinj in Istria has a fascinating underwater world of caves, walls and shipwrecks for divers to explore. Clients can head out to the shipwreck of the Baron Gautsch, a passenger liner that met its tragic fate in 1914. In the heart of Rovinj’s old town is the romantic Art Hotel Villa Valdibora, where Selective Travel has a three- night break from £230 including
private transfers and breakfast, but not flights. The many coves and bays
tucked into Korcula’s indented coast attract sailors and sea kayakers keen to get a different view of this exquisite island and its neighbours. Clients can learn the basics at sailing school or hire a skipper to take them farther afield. Thomson offers the self-catering Grgic Apartments above the sheltered bay of Zrnovska Banja, which have their own swimming pool. Seven nights cost from £572,
including flights and car hire. There’s a gentler pace of life on the forested island of Mljet. This lush national park north of Dubrovnik is criss-crossed with bicycle trails and has a couple of lakes where guests can cool off with a dip. Bicycle hire is easy to arrange in the village of Pomena, where Hotel Odisej overlooks the pretty harbour. Prestige Holidays has seven nights’ half-board at the Odisej from £385, including flights, transfers and admission to the national park. TW
PICTURE: CROATIAN NATIONAL TOURIST BOARD; TURNMASTER TIM
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92