Plitvice National Park (Waterfalls) Our Trip to Plitvice

I was expecting a lot from Plitvice Lakes based on the many reviews I’ve read over the last few years.  But really I thought it would just be a larger version of the Krka lakes in Sibenik.  I was wrong. The place is such a delight and I feel very lucky to have been there.  That’s not to take away from Krka it’s just a different experience.  Krka is special in another way :)

Our family decided to take the trip up while on our holiday in Split.  I made a packed lunch the night before to have when we got there.  The trip up from Split takes about four hours, you head up towards Zadar and keep going.  It’s pretty much a series of motorways and tunnels cut through the mountains.  One of the tunnels we went through was 8 kilometers in length!!  Even though it’s a big motorway the scenery on the way up is one of the highlights for me, just so picturesque.  The mountain range is nothing short of beautiful.

When we reached the Lakes we parked up and had our lunch in the wooded car park.  We joked about the wolves and brown bears stalking us.  We were hoping to spot them but they were not to be seen unfortunately.  We paid (110 Kuna they also have a student and senior rate of 80 Kuna) and headed towards the park.  We were told of the many different routes you can take through the park, some 3 hours and others 5 hours plus.  We opted for the shorter route as we had a long drive back, however my uncle came up the idea of a shortcut.  5 hours later we were leaving the park.  But we were all so glad of the “shortcut” as it meant we saw everything!!  You walk through a series of wooden bridges with hundreds of small and large waterfalls at every turn.  It is a calm and quiet place even with lots of tourists around.  The fish and ducks are so familiar with people they come up to say hello and hope for a bit of bread in the process, in fact they fight over it.  The ducks seemed to be the champions the day we visited.

All in all it is somewhere I think if you visit Croatia, it most definitely should be on your to-do list.

Enjoy it if you do :)

Contact me directly for your accommodation needs in Croatia, we’d love to have you as a guest :)

Alison McDonnell

ARC Rentals

+353868018264

www.split-rentals.com

rentalscroatia@gmail.com

Travelling to Croatia in the Off Season

I spent two weeks over there in mid September.  It was so hot, the hottest it has been in years.  Some days were close to 40 degrees!! Makes for very difficult working conditions but if you’re holidaying then happy days.

The area of Ciovo, where the properties are situated is a small island attached by foot and car bridge to the mainland.  This allows for hassle free arrival onto the island, no ferries are needed to catch after you arrive to the airport from which is 15 minutes away from the apartments.

The apartments are less than 5 minutes walk from the beach and many of them only 3 minutes away.  We have top and second floor options, all have breathtaking sea views and are 5 minutes away from Trogir (driving).  Trogir is a medieval town over 2400 years old.  An episode of Doctor Who was filmed here which was supposed to be Venice in the show.  The apartments feature A/C, DVD, CD, TV and an extensive cd and dvd collection for guests to use.  The kitchens are equipped with all you need to make meals with the local produce (spices included in all of the apartments). 

We usually have some availability later in the season and I have to say the area in September/October/November really allows for a chilled out holiday.  The low season also allows for a cost effective holiday everything – from accommodation to tours – will be much cheaper. Credit-crunching aside, there’ll also be fewer foreign tourists and places will feel more relaxed.

By travelling in a group, you can not only share experiences, but also cab fares, petrol costs, rent and so on.  Self-catering is an ideal way to immerse yourself in a place while saving money.

Contact me directly for a discount on a stay.  We’d love to have you as a guest :)

Alison

+353868018264

www.split-rentals.com

almcdonnell@hotmail.com

We like to post about the organic markets in Trogir and Ciovo every now and again. It’s a treat.

The market in Trogir has everything you need for cooking in and the bonus is that everything is organic. The fruit and veg is of a different quality in Croatia, no joking, everything just seems to taste better. You could nearly buy a handful of beef tomatoes, put them on the heat and have a beautiful tasting soup half an hour later. Well not quite but it’s a start at describing the quality of the produce in Croatia. A good stock you’ll find in the supermarkets is “Vegeta” (You’ll find it in a blue air tight package).

You’ll find everything from bananas to passion fruits, fresh flowers to figs to alcohol.  The sellers offer an array of cooking oils which are to die for so we highly recommend these. They have some of the most amazing cherries and you’ll get a large bag (1 Kilo) of them for 30 Kuna (€3/€4).

Right beside the market in Trogir you’ll find a number of butchers with meats, fish etc. The veal and beeftek (fillet steak) are some of our guests favourites. Also a fish market is located across the street. It’s advisable to arrive early morning to get a good choice of the best pieces. It opens as early as 6am.

Happy Eating!

Contact me directly for your accommodation needs in Croatia, we’d love to have you as a guest :)

Alison

+353868018264

www.split-rentals.com

rentalscroatia@gmail.com