Cliffy Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I am about to start planning next years trip to Croatia so was pleased to pick up the MMM magazine off the door mat and see there was an article on travelling to Croatia. What a disappointment, the writer made it sound so boring and unattractive that I am not sure I want to go now. Expensive and massive campsites, pitches with dog doo all over, lunar landscapes, kept awake by disco and packed pebbly beaches. Another thing, why couldn't they go over 60mph in a Bessacar E435? By the end of the article, which wasn't even well written, I was completely depressed. Can someone here with first hand experience of Croatia tell me if it is a true representation, if it is we will be off to Spain and Portugal next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gypsymu Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 I haven't read the article you mention yet but Croatia is well worth a trip and to get there through Austria and Slovenia is brilliant . Do some research and get plenty of information. The scenery is beautiful but if you like wild camping it is not allowed. If you enjoy walking the Plitvice Lakes and the Krka national park is fabulous. The campsites do charge local tourist taxes but it's not bad if you use Acsi sites or even Camping cheques which are handy but we find them a bit of a nuisance because you not only pay in advance but you have to use them within 2years but do give Croatia a chance and decide for yourself. We particularly enjoyed Camp Bor on Krk Island but we wouldn't go in high season as it would be too hot for us and too expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 No longer get MMM so can't comment on its article. Personally we love Croatia. Not the bargain it was but still worth it in our view and the welcome and friendliness excellent. Do a search on this forum and you'll come up with recommendations on sites eg Autocamp Peros near Zadar. En route, a few nights at Autocamp Slapic at Duga Resa near Karlovac. Try the Peljesac peninsula. A few good sites there north and south of Orebic. I could go on...... Don't go in July and August as it's too crowded and can be oppressively hot. Incidentally we're not too keen on Istria as it's full of Italians. I've nothing against them but to see and meet so many I'd rather go to Italy. In transit through Slovenia, Autocamp Kekec outside Maribor is worth a stop. Give it a go... Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 totally agree with the above..I mean how many times can you be bored to death in a wet/damp France*-) Just get lonely planet and rough guide series travel books. we went 2011 and 2012 and loved it..lots of info if you use the "search" engine.... On 2011 six week tour (including Italy) we stayed about 4 night on 2 separate gigantic sites and they were fine!...normally prefer small sites. being an ex communist regime the sites were historically enormous to cope with all the holidaymakers who could not travel abroad.....needs putting in context! loads of cheap smaller sites around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Here is a link to one thread http://www.outandaboutlive.co.uk/forums/Motorhomes/Hints-and-Tips/Croatia-in-September/28204/ Note Croatia joined the EU in July this year. It retains the Kuna as its currency. Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Cliffy - 2013-11-12 9:50 PM Can someone here with first hand experience of Croatia tell me if it is a true representation, if it is we will be off to Spain and Portugal next year. I wouldn't take too much notice of the article myself. If you just read the summaries of the sites he stayed on you will find them a bit more positive. I would go again - but it would be in low season. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Dwight Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Croatia Boring? no way. We loved it, Slovenia as well, when we have done other trips that are on the list we will go again. Last time was for 4 weeks and that was not long enough. Ok so its a tad expensive, so are lots of other places. Motorhomes are expensive but we still buy them!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Kirby Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 What were you wanting to read about, Cliff? The author went in peak season, and seems to have chosen his sites chaotically (he plainly didn't do his homework), and not pre-planned his trip. Where were you intending to go, and what did you want to see? We went in autumn 2008, so it will have changed somewhat, but we went down to Dubrovnik via the coast road, as well as doing a loop of Istria. We didn't bother with the Plitvice National Park as, although we both enjoy spectacular scenery, we have a limited appetite for sitting and staring at it! Our main interest was the coastal towns, mainly Venetian in origin (except Split, which is an altigether different kettle of fish and definitely not to be missed). The coast is not really "seaside" territory. The land tips down from a mountain range straight into the Adriatic, and most of the slope is steep and a more or less continual rock river. It is mainly devoid of vegetation, as the Bora blasts it clear. Same goes for the landward side of the islands, which are also stripped by the Bora. However, it is absolutely stunning: more dramatic than pretty, but the contrast between the sparkle of the sea - which is as clear as drinking water once south of Senj - the white rocks and the blue sky (unless the Bora IS blowing) is totally captivating. There are beaches, some with miles of fine white sand, some small in coves, but mainly the rock river just slides into the sea. Resorts were developed under Tito, mainly to capture foreign tourists and their currency, which is how he kept the Russians off his back while he ran a fairly relaxed version of communism. However, they are fairly unattractive and catered mainly for the cheap sun, cheap sea, and cheap plonk brigade, and many have concrete aprons onto the sea which serve as "the beach". Inland, while we were there (but we didn't go far inland), was about as he describes, with disquietening amounts of war damaged buildings. However, the locals are pleasant, the food (was) good and not over priced, and the ex Venetian towns captivating. It is like a string of pearls, with quite a lot of string to get through, but with priceless pearls when you reach them. Well worth at least one visit, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hughman Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Spot on review Brian. I've been going to Croatia for10-15 years (travelling down from Slovakia with the other half and her family),and it's exactly as you describe - bit rough inland in parts, but fantastic coastline and islands, which, despite increasing numbers of tourists from Western Europe, is still clean and beautiful. We spend a lot of time in Istria and that's still clean etc in our experience, albeit heavily populated by Italians (fair enough, as it used to be part of Italy). Not especially cheap, but there's no better coastline in Europe apart from the Hebrides, and they are a bit nippier *-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliffy Posted November 13, 2013 Author Share Posted November 13, 2013 Brian Kirby - 2013-11-13 9:01 PM What were you wanting to read about, Cliff? The author went in peak season, and seems to have chosen his sites chaotically (he plainly didn't do his homework), and not pre-planned his trip. Where were you intending to go, and what did you want to see? . Brian I expect to read something like you have just said in a couple of paragraphs. I thought it would at least inform me about things like the area, the people the architecture, whether we need any currency or extra documents, what to do at border posts if appropriate, do we need a ferry to get to the islands, all the things the guys and girls on this forum are so good at informing us about, I don't think there was one campsite that he found came up to his expectations. Most of all it could have been written with a bit of enthusiasm. I did not want to know about doggy do in the overflow area or him having to go to the air force base twice. I was feeling quite depressed when I had finished reading the article, not what I expect from a specialist magazine like MMM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snowie Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 If you've been to Spain etc repeatedly ; then why not give Croatia a try? It's well worth it, and if you take in an island or two it will be memorable. Use the search facility on this forum and you'll have plenty of info. We went in Sept 2012 and really liked it. It wasn't faultless, but what's perfect for us may not be perfect for you: but that's how it should be, Enjoy alan b Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JudgeMental Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Cliffy - 2013-11-13 10:00 PM Brian Most of all it could have been written with a bit of enthusiasm. What?......So you expect other members to plan your holiday for you, and inject enough enthusiasm to sound lie a travel brochure? contact Croatian tourist office for that kind of BS.... if you have questions how about being more specific, we are not mind readers. everything in this thread has been discussed before, revealed if you use the "search" function*-) We always go high season as wife in education and had no trouble it is fine.... West coast of Istria peninsula, has lovely Venetian towns but very busy and water get dirtier as you head north. southern tip OK. But we like Krk the next island down (toll bridge) and Baska in south, lovely town and beach to relax on for a while. But Spilt and around and the islands of coast north of them our favorites, Hvar supposedly the nicest trendy Island (near Split ) but not been yet. Indeedy... you have to get a ferry to islands! or leave van and swim 8-) details available on line if you can be bothered looking. As said the parks are unmissable and a real highlight. food not as good as Italy and people still suffer from years of totalitarianism , can be a bit unfriendly sometimes. This is why two long trips enough for a while for us, as we MUCH prefer the ambience, food and lovely Italian people and countryside to be honest..but Croatia certainly worth visiting if you do it justice and not expect to be lead by the nose..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthur49 Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 JudgeMental - 2013-11-14 6:40 AM ...... Hvar supposedly the nicest trendy Island (near Split ) . Hvar is indeed a nice island, particularly the north end, but its more expensive than mainland Croatia. In May campsites very quiet but still one we avoided was £22/night. The ferry from Split, from memory, is about £50/60 one way though you can also arrive/depart from the south of island by ferry. Shorter crossing and lot cheaper but big queues can build up at weekends. The spine road running north/south was being being replaced when we were there this Spring and it was a dreadful experience travelling on it. But that should be finished by next Spring Arthur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomored Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 We visited Croatia in May and June 2011. It was a wonderful holiday. The people were very friendly even though not much English was spoken except in restaurants, campsites, and tourist areas. We stayed in a very nice campsite just outside of Trogir, you could walk into town to the market. Another very nice campsite that we stayed in was at Split. The coastline is very rocky and the rocks are sharp but in both of the places mentioned and in a lot of other places I would imagine they have made false beaches by concreting the rocks then covering them using small white stone chippings that we found very enjoyable especially if you had a picnic on the beach. The Plitvic Lakes were sensational, They consist of about 16 lakes I believe with waterfalls everywhere. We then went to Pula In Iseria, again wonderful, home to the second largest Roman amphitheatre in Europe. We did see quite a lot of war damage as we drove from Slovinia, but the countryside was very peaceful with hardly any traffic, and even though sad, it most certainly did not spoil our holiday. To travel over the Alps to Croatia we found a very good route over the alps using the Fern and Reschen Pass from Austria completely toll free and very easy driving. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gwyn Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 We were in Croatia two years ago in the spring, we loved it so much we are going back next year. We didn't find the sites expensive and we found everyone really friendly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 We went to Croatia for second time this year in June, July. Absolutely loved it. We ended at Dubrovnick and loved it. Stayed a long time too on the Peljesac Peninsular. Toll roads are not expensive at all and not busy. Camping can be cheap or expensive depending. Avoid all the big sites unless you are in ACSI. Some sites we used were cheaper than ACSI too. We used cARAVAN cLUB European sites book and ACSI.We stayed 8 weeks before going onto Hungary Safer than France and Spain and the sea is crystal clear. Avoid the bigger sites at peak times as they are so expensive and lack character. We love Croatia. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anesta Posted November 16, 2013 Share Posted November 16, 2013 Hi, I am a regular Croatian tourist. As it is always the case, not every place is for everybody! I love the wilderness that still exists in Croatia. Sites: it depends. There are the massive ones and the tiny ones. People are very generous and friendly if treated with respect. Croatians are very proud of being croatians (after all, they've recently shed their own blood to get their beloved Country to be independent), and they are very slow to forget both the good and the bad. So, if you are a friend of them (and I have some), you'll always be a friend. But if they don't like you...then they won't easily like you in the future, either! As far as travelling on the coast road goes, who on earth could go faster than 30/40mph anyway? We are talking of a very bendy, not overly wide road with the mountain on one side and a sheer cliff on the other ! Plus the fact that the speed limit changes as often as you breath, and not in a linear way, either! So you move from 40 Km/h to 60, to 30, to 50...and it goes on like that. Hvar: now it's a trendy place, unfortunately. My first encounter with it was about 30 years ago, and it was a different story. It did steal my heart , and now it breaks my heart knowing that the lure of money has brought a kind of tourism that has got nothing to do with what Hvar is about. There are still some isolated, reasonably unspoiled spots, but it is for the genuine nature lover to discover them. As you may have gathered, I will be going back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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