As Novac/Dora Koretic writes on the 8th of December, 2019, it will happen a little later than was initially announced last year, but the City of Zagreb and Croatia will get their first Novotel hotel at the beginning of 2021, just before spring, which should "sprout" in the eastern part of the capital city, more precisely in Resnik.

The investment, which was first introduced to the public back in October 2018, now finally has its first visuals, a conceptual design that Jutarnji list exclusively received from the investor of the project, the company Rox d.o.o, whose founder and owner is entrepreneur Ivo Kristić.

Judging by the visuals, the first Novotel in Croatia will be located right next to the Rox headquarters in Resnik, on the plot of land owned by that company, at the eastern entrance to the city, right next to Slavonska Avenija.

According to the description of the architects themselves, the facility will consist of a multifunctional ground floor building and a smaller tower that will house hotel rooms, and the centre of the ground floor should be a central green part, a kind of piazza, or space that will serve for the daily needs of guests who will hang out, have business meetings or rest there.

In addition, the idea of ​​the architects and investors was to build a hotel in the east of the city, which would also be visually attractive from a distance, especially considering the fact that it was planned along an extremely busy road.

What is also interesting is the solution of the façade of the construction itself: it consists of horizontal lines that round off the corners or act as if they "hug the building", and due to the numerous decorative elements they create special optical effects that should visually enrich that part of the city.

The intention is also to make the guests at Novotel feel at home, which is why the interior design will be based on natural materials and colours, especially when it comes to the decoration of the rooms.

"Our idea was to build a four-star hotel for business guests, which we found to be chronically missing from the Zagreb market. We haven't timed the investment with the Croatian presidency of the EU Council, since the construction of a hotel is an extremely demanding job, but we believe that the hotel capacities in Zagreb are lacking independently of the EU presidency and that we'll be able to offer quality content to the market,'' the hotel project manager, Matej Krištić, told Jutarnji list.

Zagreb's first Novotel will be mainly intended for business guests, given the number of stars it boasts, but Krištić says that no other types of guests are excluded here, in accordance with the wishes and needs of the hotel manager with whom Rox, as an investor, entered into a separate contract.

The investors are confident that they'll be able see a return on the value of the investment within a nine-year period, and also revealed that the construction of Novotel is only in its first phase, and given that, depending on the indicators and the operation of the future hotel, they will be interested to continue expanding their business in this segment.

All of this was shown to them in extensive research, for which they had hired a separate agency, which provided information on that location in Resnik. A possibility for the second phase of investment in a service centre and a health clinic (polyclinic), as well as additional facilities into which Rox would invest, but leave the running of the businesses to other interested partners.

"We had quite a lot of land at that location, so we thought long and hard about what purpose to use it for. The research showed us that it'd be profitable to invest in the hotel business, and in this segment we're interested in further expansion, not only in the Zagreb area, but also in other commercially interesting locations. As we have contracted for this hotel with Accor, which is a really respectable company in the hotel business, we're interested in continuing to cooperate with them, since the company has a lot of well-respected and successful brands,'' said Krištić, citing Ibis, Sofitel and many others.

Accor Hotels is truly among the world's leading tourism groups with more than 4,500 hotels and forty brands under its belt, the most famous of which are Ibis (one of the world's most famous three-star hotel chains), Novotel, Mercure, Sofitel, Fairmont, Rixos and many others.

Croatia's southernmost city of Dubrovnik, where the Rixos Libertas Resort was opened in 2009, was the ninth Rixos Hotel in the world.

In addition to Novotel, however, Croatian tourism was also glad to receive the announcement last year of an investment in the first Ibis hotel in Croatia, namely the Ibis styles hotel in Rijeka, which is a strategic partner of Accor, or the Orbis hotel group, working in partnership with Rijeka Property. According to the announcements, the first Croatian Ibis' door's should open for its guests in 2021, and the plan is to build a 15,000 square metre hotel.

It will have 150 rooms, including 18 family rooms, a bar, a restaurant, four conference rooms and meeting rooms, a wellness area and parking for guests and visitors of the hotel. The investment, which would employ 45 people from Rijeka, amounts to 18.5 million euros, and the new hotel capacity in Rijeka will emerge just twenty minutes away from the popular Korzo.

Unlike the Rijeka investment, which is well known for its value, Novotel's investors don't want to reveal the price tags associated with the project at this point in time.

According to the information Novac received, the architectural design of the hotel was entrusted to the Chapman Taylor International Architectural Office, which is recognised worldwide for its work on the Port Bak Business Tower in Azerbaijan, the modular Holiday Inn Hotel in Manchester, a Shanghai retail shopping centere for which they were awarded, as well as on projects they're about to work on, which include a futuristic eco resort in Vietnam with six hotels and 500 villas, or a smart hotel in China at over 63,000 square meters.

This office in particular has worked on over two thousand projects so far and received 250 awards for them, and it's interesting to note that one of their first projects, given that the office has existed for decades, was the New Scotland Yard building, designed back in 1959.

This will be the first ''trip into tourism'' for the Rox company since the company primarily operates in the wholesale and distribution segment of consumer goods, and operates on the markets of Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Slovenia.

At the regional level, Rox employs a total of 200 employees, and according to Business Croatia, in 2018 it generated revenues of just over 107 million kuna and employed around 100 employees in Croatia.

In addition to the distribution of its own and foreign brands, Rox also owns several petrol stations (two in Croatia and three in neighbouring Bosnia and Herzegovina) that operate through a partnership with INA.

Despite frequent complaints by investors about the complexity of the bureaucracy and lengthy procedures in Croatia, this company's ''trip into tourism'' has so far gone smoothly, and if everything goes to plan, in 2021 the eastern part of Zagreb should finally receive a more respectable hotel complex.

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The residents of Croatian islands often have rightful complaints about their connections to the mainland not being up to scratch in many cases, and while efforts are being made to create better, more reliable and more frequent connections between Croatia's many inhabited islands and the mainland, many remain less than satisfied.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 22nd of May, 2019, the carrier of this idea and the launcher of the line itself is the company GV Line Iadera from the Dalmatian city of Zadar which has many years of experience in navigation on important state routes under its belt.

Every single day as of June the 15th to September the 15th, there will be a fast passenger line on the Rijeka-Zadar route and this will also connect the islands of Krk, Rab, and Pag. This is otherwise the first and the quickest fast passenger line to connect Zadar and Rijeka and the islands in this manner, as 24sata reports.

This new line will certainly contribute to not only the ease of the lives of the residents of the aforementioned islands, but also to the overall enrichment of the tourist offer of both Dalmatia and Kvarner respectively, as well as to the better linking of the islands, since the islands of Krk, Rab and Pag have never been connected in such a way with each other, nor have they ever been connected in this way to the Croatian mainland.

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As Morski writes on the 2nd of May, 2019, the Croatian National Tourist Board (HTZ) has established a successful cooperation with the BBC, one of the largest and most respected media outlets in the world.

This cooperation includes the full production of three sixty second videos that will showcase the Republic of Croatia as an attractive year-round destination, the production of three articles with accompanying video footage for the BBC platform, as well as advertising and activity on all online BBC platforms from May to September on twelve key broadcasting markets.

''Cooperation between the Croatian Tourist Board and the BBC is one of the great examples of cooperation and working together with foreign entities on the promotion of Croatian tourism. We're exceptionally proud that such a large media group, achieving the reach of 454 million households around the world, has recognised the significance and potential of Croatia as a tourist destination. I'm sure that all the material shot, as well as all of the other activities, will significantly contribute to the visibility of Croatia, and thus to achieve even better tourist results this year,'' said HTZ's director Kristjan Staničić.

The BBC recording crew visited Osijek, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Klis, NP Paklenica and other destinations where they recorded eno-gastronomic themes, cultural and historical heritage, active tourism offers and other interesting tourist attractions focusing on the locations of the world famous "Game of Thrones" hit series.

Other activities within this cooperation include content placement via BBC Story Works social network channels on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and the creation of websites on BBC.com where there will be video and written material about Croatia. The markets covered by this cooperation, and on which the materials will be presented, are Germany, USA, Austria, Russia, Italy, France, Poland, Czech Republic, Sweden, Norway, Belgium and Switzerland.

It's worth mentioning that the BBC network reaches as many as 308 million individuals on a monthly basis, while on social networks, there are more than sixteen million followers. In addition, the BBC has over 472 million views on its YouTube channel. A large percentage of their users are lovers of travel, and as many as 72 percent usually travel abroad.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more on Croatian tourism.

One Croatian island has caught the attention of The Guardian, and if you're a lover of not only peace and quiet but total isolation and disconnection from the world, it should catch yours, too...

Croatia boasts plenty of truly incredible destinations from coast to continent. Dalmatia of course makes all the headlines and has done for years now, but as more and more tourists discover Croatia away from Dalmatia, venturing into Istria, the continental part of the country and even as far as the otherwise very overlooked Eastern part of Croatia, more specifically Slavonia, Croatia's amazing diversity as a country is becoming highlighted.

But what of the 1,000+ Croatian islands dotted along the rugged coastline? It's not as if they're never mentioned. In fact, as nautical tourism takes off more and more in Croatia, even the furthest-flung islands are being visited by those wanting to discover them for themselves. As the coast becomes busier with each and every passing summer season, many tourists are looking for something ''off the beaten path'' and secluded, their own private island, as it were.

While the former Agrokor boss Ivica Todorić had no problem having a Croatian island (Smokvica) all to himself and his family for many years, for the vast majority of us mere mortals, that's nothing but a pipe dream, a fantasy. We fantasise about having a slice of paradise all to ourselves so much amid our stressful and busy lives that we watch Tom Hanks in the classic Castaway film and feel envious, despite his isolation and having to cure his toothache with the aid of a rock, of course.

The popular British daily newspaper The Guardian, which has sung the praises of numerous Croatian destinations several times, has published an interesting list of fifteen of the best ''off-grid'' places to stay in Europe. From lakeside cabins in Finland and organic farms in Italy to timber houses in Bulgaria and bubbles in France (yes, bubbles), the list highlights some of the continent's best destinations for total isolation, peace and quiet, and a break from it all in the most authentic of senses.

Among the likes of Ireland, Portgual, Norway and France, Croatia's Sveti Ivan lighthouse near Rovinj has made the cut. Here's what The Guardian has to say:

''Sveti Ivan lighthouse stands on a tiny islet at the southernmost point of the Rovinj archipelago. There are two two-bedroom apartments in the lighthouse building, and fantastic sea views from the 23-metre tower. The lighthouse has a water tank and solar power, but no wifi. Two beaches with shallow water on opposite sides of the islet are best for swimming, plus there are rock slabs for sunbathing, and good spots for fishing, diving and dolphin-spotting. Provisions must be bought in Rovinj, which is 30-45 minutes away by boat, depending on the weather.''

Fancy paying it a visit yourself and well and truly disconnecting with the hustle and bustle of the modern world for a while on a quiet Croatian lighthouse island? We wouldn't blame you.

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As Morski writes on the 25th of April, 2019, over the Easter holidays, 28,500 guests stayed in Kvarner, accounting for 99,000 overnight stays, which is a massive 100 percent increase when compared to the same period back in 2018, according to the Kvarner Tourist Board.

According to the official data from the eVisitor system, 28,500 guests spent 99,000 nights in Kvarner over four Easter holiday days (from Friday to Easter Monday).

The numbers from not only last year, but also from 2016 and 2017 prove the fact that during the Easter season this year, Kvarner was visited by a record number of guests. Thus, this year, 37 percent more overnight stays were realised when compared to 2017, when the Easter holidays fell during the same period of April, and even more incredible 147 percent more than 2016 were recorded, when the Easter holidays fell earlier, at the end of March.

In more than 100 of Kvarner's hotels and in as many as 25 camps, as well as a large number of holiday homes and private apartments, guests from Germany, other parts of Croatia, Austria, Italy and neighbouring Slovenia made up large numbers. German guests realised 25 percent of the total number of overnight stays, while domestic guests and guests from Austria realised 14 percent of the total number of overnight stays, with guests from Italy making up 11 percent.

Most of the overnight stays were realised on the island of Krk (32,300), followed by the Opatija riviera (23,400), the island of Lošinj (15,500), the Crikvenica-Vinodolski riviera (10,000), Rijeka and its surroundings (6,300), on the island of Rab (5,500), the island of Cres (5,300) and Gorski Kotar (850).

Nearly half of the overnight stays (49,000) were realised in hotels across Kvarner, most of which open on the Opatija riviera. 23,000 overnight stays were spent in private accommodation and in camps, most of them on Kvarner's numerous islands, account for 22,000 overnights.

In the spirit of the Easter holidays, Kvarner's hosts across the region prepared a large number of events for guests, from traditional cultural and entertainment events to gastronomic, religious and nature-related activities.

''In the last eight years, if we only look at the [main tourist] season, we're talking about a jump of as much as 90 percent, while in terms of the total number of overnight stays for the same period we've seen an increase of 50 percent. This marked increase in the number of guests, both foreign and domestic, shows us that we have a well-established development strategy based on our activities and programs, with the emphasis on filling out the period outside of the main summer tourist season.

The performances at this year's fairs and presentations on our strongest markets - Germany, Austria, Italy and Slovenia - gave us a good insight into the beginning of this tourist year and what those employed in tourism in Kvarner can expect,'' stated dr.sc. Irene Peršić Živadinov.

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Dubrovnik is no stranger to winning awards and you're probably used to reading about it, but this area in the extreme south of Dalmatia continues to fascinate the world for an abundance of reasons. From its stunning natural beauty and crystal clear sea, to its rich history and equally impressive culture, the Pearl of the Adriatic and its immediate surrounding area just keep on making the world's jaws drop.

This time however, it isn't just the famous Dalmatian UNESCO protected old city and its mighty walls which are taking home yet another award for a promotional film made about its unique beauty, but the wider area of Dubrovnik-Neretva County. This truly picturesque part of southern Croatia boasts an almost equal amount of natural beauty and history, and from Ston to Konavle next to the Montenegrin border, you'll likely have your breath taken away multiple times.

As Morski writes on the 11th of April, 2019, the brand new promotional film from the Dubrovnik-Neretva County Tourist Board, ''Dubrovnik Riviera'' continues to win awards and receive recognition from all sides. To be more precise, at the 2019 New York Festivals® International Film and TV awards festival, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, the promo film showcasing Dubrovnik-Neretva County's sheer beauty came third place and won the bronze plaquette.

To briefly recall, at the recent ''The Golden City Gate'' ceremony in Berlin, Germany, at the biggest international ITB World Tourism Fair, the promotional film came second place in the category of regional films, the film has been made by Balduci Film from Zagreb, was directed by Herve Tirmarche and produced by Spomenka Saraga. The film depicts the beauty of Dubrovnik-Neretva County from the Neretva valley, to the islands of Korčula and Mljet, and then Croatia's southernmost municipality of Konavle, which borders Montenegro.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik and southern Dalmatia you're interested in, have a look at Dubrovnik in a Page for everything you need to know about the Rearl of the Adriatic.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 8th of April, 2019, the Cerovac caves are some of the most interesting geomorphological attractions nature has to offer in Croatia, and the caves were originally set up for visitors back in 1951.

The ''Cerovac caves'' centre of excellence deals with the sustainable management of natural heritage and karst underground, and this new tourist project should be able to get completely off the ground in two to three years, writes Večernji list.

The Cerovac cave project is being carried by the the Velebit Nature Park public institution (JUPP Velebit) and the project's partners, which include the Zagreb Speleological Association, Zadar County and the public institution for the protection of nature of Zadar County, Natura Jadera.

''The total value of the project stands at 68.5 million kuna, out of which approximately 53 million kuna of non-refundable money is being granted by EU funds, and the rest of the money, along with that of the project's partners, will be provided by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Energy and the Environmental Protection Fund,'' stated the president of the Zagreb Speleological Association and historian Stipe Tutiš, who was immediately followed by architect Roman Šilje, who went on to explain the meaning behind and the ultimate goal of the whole project.

''In southeastern Velebit, in Crnopac just above Gračac, the largest natural speleological sight in the Dinaric karst, the Cerovac caves, can be found. So far, only the ipper and lower Cerovac caves were visible and accessible, but owing to the passage of time and to the Homeland War, they remained neglected. Therefore, Croatian speleologists, as the initiators of this project, have begun with all of their other partners to return to this unique karst phenomenon and give it the importance it deserves, so, back in 2010, we started with the development of this project. Five years later, the project documentation got started, which was funded by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund.

In October 2016, the project was submitted to the Operational Program for Competitiveness and Cohesion 2014-2020. The evaluation lasted from October 2016 to April last year, and on April the 4th, 2018, around one year ago, an agreement was signed with the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds,'' concluded Šilje.

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As Novac writes on the 27th of March, 2019, tourists staying in both hotels and private accommodation in Dubrovnik are on average 42 years of age, of a higher level of education and possess decent paying power. They typically spend 170 euros per day on average, which is 90 euros more than the average stands in seven other coastal Croatian counties, according to a survey taken by TOMAS Dubrovnik 2018.

This research was conducted by Zrinka Marušić from the Institute for Tourism, for the needs of the City of Dubrovnik, only for Dubrovnik, conducted on a sample of 1,600 respondents.

"Dubrovnik attracts a specific sort of guest, due to broadcasting markets that aren't specific to the rest of Croatia. According to the motives of the visits, we can no longer speak of a [typical] holiday destination," Marušić said.

Namely, while visiting Croatia's southernmost city, guests are mostly attracted to new experiences, gastronomy and cultural sights, as well as swimming, local portal Dubrovački vjesnik writes.

According to the survey's data, the average daily spending of stationary guests staying in Dubrovnik is 170 euros, of which about half or 87 euros refers to accommodation, food and drink outside the accommodation facility accounts for 43 euros, culture and entertainment accounts for 14 euros, purchases account for 11 euros, etc.

The biggest spenders are from non European, more distant countries, topped quite unsurprisingly by the Americans, followed by tourists from Australia and from various Asian countries. Two thirds of Dubrovnik's stationary guests arrive in Dubrovnik with their partner, and 86 percent of them who visit the city are doing so for the very first time.

Research has shown that Croatia's long-standing tourism Mecca is a distinct airport destination as more than 85 percent of the respondents arrived by air. As many as 70 percent of the southern Dalmatian city's guests stay from four to seven days.

The city's visitors are most pleased with the beauty of the city, the levels of safety and security, the hospitality, and the typically high quality of the provided accommodation. They are least satisfied, however, with local transportation, shopping opportunities and the intolerable crowding and traffic in public places and on the city's numerous beaches.

The survey also included visitors who arrived in Dubrovnik on a cruise ship and shows that they are on average 49 years old and spend on average 51 euros per day. The most extravagant among them are once again Americans, and the most frugal are our neighbours from across the Adriatic, the Italians.

As many as 92 percent of the tourists asked were visiting Dubrovnik for the very first time, discouragingly, they are mostly ''one-day visitors'' and remain in Dubrovnik for a mere five and a half hours. Most often, they visit sights and eat at restaurants, and these guests are by far the least satisfied with the shopping opportunities and the total lack of organisation of the traffic and the huge crowds.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more. If it's just Dubrovnik you're interested in, give Total Dubrovnik a follow.

The Zagorje castle, with a welcome 126 million kuna in investment, is becoming a tourist attraction.

As Bernard Ivezic/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 26th of March, 2019, in beautiful Zagorje, the very first scientific destination in Croatia is being built. Krapina-Zagorje County has launched a public tender for the architectural solution for the reconstruction of the castle and gardens of Stubički Golubovec.

This old Zagorje gem is otherwise one of the best preserved Croatian castles and the place in which this year's Seljačka buna will be held will be transformed into a "scientific centre". This is a new type of institution for Croatia, one that unites the functions of the museum, an entertainment park, and the innovation centre for the popularisation of science.

The county is planning to move the Science Educational and Entertainment Centre (ZEZ) to the castle's grounds. This is the same project that was supported by the City of Zagreb six years ago, it was ready to invest 200 million kuna into the project, transforming the castle into an Italian pavilion at the Zagreb Fair, but after much talk, nothing happened. A likely story.

Krapina-Zagorje County announced the plans for the creation of the centre last year, in addition, it has also announced the first tender for the beginning of its eventual realisation. The tender is a somewhat modest one, worth 1.5 million kuna, but is an introduction to an eventual investment which is currently estimated at a massive 126 million kuna.

A similar centre exists in Finland, Heureka near Helsinki, attracting an average of 280,000 visitors per year, it has become the most popular recreational destination in the country. In 2012, the AHHAA Science Centre in Estonia (with more than 500,000 visitors) was the strongest tourist attraction in that country, too. This new addition to Croatia could bring fruit, and a lot of it.

The are more and more similar institutions popping up in Europe. If this move in Croatia manages to see the numbers Finland saw, it would mean that ZEZ would exceed the number of visitors to Dubrovnik and its museums, which according to MDC's data on visits to Croatian museums in 2017, came in fourth place. With half a million visitors to the science centre in Estonia, ZEZ would become the most visited cultural destination in Croatia, overtaking the incredible Pula Arena (486,966 visitors), Diocletian's Cellars in Split (357,745) and Klović's Palace in Zagreb (314,767 visitors).

Željko Kolar, Krapina-Zagorje County's prefect, says that when taking into account examples from other countries and cities across Europe, the opening of the ZEZ Zagorje Centre represents a great development potential.

"Krapina-Zagorje County, Donja Stubica and the ZEZ cooperative, as partners in the project, realised that there's a need to popularise science and education in Croatia, and that the establishment of a scientific educational and entertainment centre would provide a good basis for that very popularisation of science and education, scientific institutions, and the economy, supporting entrepreneurship and directing young people towards science,'' stated Kolar.

He added that they are entering the modernisation project slowly because they want to preserve the rich cultural heritage of the castle and the gardens.

Davor Komerički, ZEZ's initiator, says he is now finally satisfied with the pace at which things are moving. He pointed out that the gross value of the project stands at 126 million kuna, and 85 percent can be funded from EU funds.

"We've been developing this project for a long time, and we started it in 2010, and when the EU evaluated projects that Croatia could apply for EU funds for before the accession of Croatia [to the EU], our project was one of the 20 best rated ones. We were in the eighth place out of all of the projects from Croatia,'' Komerički noted.

He also stated that their aim is to prepare the necessary documentation by September in order to retrieve the aforementioned funds. "If everything goes to plan, in two years Zagorje's ZEZ centre will be open in the castle," Komerički said.

According to the currently available data, Zagorje's ZEZ centre will occupy 5,000 square metres, of which 3,200 will be in the castle area itself. An additional space of 1,800 square metres will be built next to it. There will also be a science park with exhibits in an arboretum of 5,000 square metres. The centre itself will have as many as 30 different facilities.

"The goal is to be self-sustainable, both energetically and financially. In addition to being a great tourist bait for Zagorje, it's located just 200 metres from the section of road that connects Zagreb with Stubičke Toplice,'' Komerički said.

"Krapina-Zagorje County is the best continental destination of 2018, and with this project we'll further develop our tourism offer, of the county and of the entire region,'' Željko Kolar added, stating that he expects a major impact of the centre on both tourism and the economy in Krapina-Zagorje.

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Click here for the original article by Bernard Ivezic for Poslovni Dnevnik

After more than five years working on various motor yachts and gulets sailing Croatia, my husband and I wanted a change; the winds of the Adriatic were beckoning and we wanted to answer their call by hoisting our sails - sailing Croatia as it should be, and our season did not disappoint.

The boat was everything we had hoped for and there is absolutely no comparison between motoring and sailing (maybe I will go into the differences another day) but what we didn’t expect was the type of clientele we would get aboard.

There was a vast price difference between the boats we used to crew and Sinbadsan, so we assumed that this would reflect on the type of guests we attracted. Turns out, quite the opposite was true. We had very affluent guests, from people topping rich-lists to a celebrity with his family.

And the best part? Everyone was so damn humble and down-to-earth. I put it down to a sailing yacht attracting a certain kind of people. While the Scorpio 72 is gorgeous and a very unique sailing yacht with her beautiful wooden interior and detailing, she is not a luxury motor yacht with a 4 – 8-person crew and all of the bells and whistles. Sinbadsan is humble and so it seems like attracts like.

Our guests’ interests in sailing Croatia also varied; some wanted to explore the highlight destinations, some wanted a mixture of active activities and relaxing, others were interested in the gastronomy scene in Croatia – creating an entire itinerary based solely on which restaurants they wanted to visit along the Dalmatian coast. We even had two groups that didn’t actually care where we went, they simply wanted to follow the wind – these were seasoned travellers who deeply understood that it isn’t always about the destination but rather the journey.

This should answer a question we always get asked – “doesn’t it get boring doing the same thing every week?” No. Not on this yacht anyway, no two weeks are ever alike. We adapted to all of our guests’ wishes, creating personalised itineraries depending on what they wanted.

When sailing Croatia, one of the first few decisions you will need to make is – what region? Most first-timers choose to sail in Central Dalmatia, as this is where most of the highlight destinations that flood your news feed are. Images like the lavender fields in Hvar, Stari Grad – the oldest town in Europe, the blue cave (Biševo/Vis), Zlatni Rat beach (Brač), the gorgeous fortressed town of Korčula, the blues and greens of Mljet National Park to the grandeur of Dubrovnik. The majority of iconic images associated with sailing Croatia, you can find along the Dalmatian coast – though don't let this fool you, sailing a Northern route has plenty of its own charms and fewer crowds.

 A typical sailing Croatia itinerary goes something like: Split – Šolta – Brač – Hvar – Vis – Korčula – Mljet – Elaphiti – Dubrovnik (a central Dalmatia highlight itinerary)

Even so, each of these islands and destinations has a number of towns, villages and paradise-like bays to drop anchor. Exploring the main towns or simply relaxing in nature, all of our guests had their own idea of what a holiday meant to them.

Now, with all of these picturesque destinations and centuries of history, coupled with some incredible gastronomical highlights (read our Sailing in Croatia Michelin Guide here), you would think that the highlight moments of sailing Croatia would be obvious. On the luxury yachts we worked on, I could have said an easy and emphatic – yes. But again, the setting of our sailing yacht Sinbadsan created something that money can’t buy and brochures can’t sell.

The simple pleasures.

As humble and grounded as our guests were, they were all still very well-travelled yet it was all of the ‘simple pleasures’ from our week at sea that they all quoted as moments that will stay with them. These are the top 5 highlights mentioned from our charter guests.

Top 5 Surprising Highlights Sailing Croatia

1. Sitting beneath the sails

This is where the difference between a motor yacht and sailing yacht comes into play, there is nothing that comes close to that moment when you hoist the sails and switch the engine off. Sitting beneath full white sails, pitched against a bright blue sky, watching the sunlight dance across the azure blue Adriatic, outlines of islands in the distance (destination unknown)… with nothing but the sound of gently lapping waves against the yacht’s hull and lines rhythmically tapping against the mast, while the sails sing their own song with each gust of wind – filling and folding, propelling a 40-tonne yacht along the water with ease and grace.

In the fast-paced world we live, there are very few moments which allow us to sit and be without a multitude of tasks at hand and on our minds. This. This is what the sea gives, a chance to fully immerse ourselves in our surroundings, succumbing to nature’s charm and total presence.

I feel more connected and present at sea and I watched each of our guests find this for themselves.

Sailing Croatia, Photo Credit: Tash Pericic

2. A day spent anchored in a bay

Cobblestone streets well-worn by thousands of feet over centuries of history, every town has its own unique charm and many winding alleys to explore. It’s truly a shame not to. And while our guests were taken with Croatia’s beauty and history – more so than the glossy images do justice, some of their favourite moments were spending an entire day anchored in a bay.

It makes sense. Think back to your favourite travel memory of when you were the most relaxed – was in when you were heel-to-toe with tourists lining up to see Michelangelo’s David in Florence, shopping on Oxford Street in London, bartering in the Bazar in Turkey? My guess is none of the above.

 Don’t get me wrong, I loved these experiences during my travels but I can hardly describe them as relaxing. Besides the incredible sights, sounds, smells and tastes our senses encounter in travel, my favourite memories from travelling were always the ‘in-between’ moments and they were always related to nature (and generally very little human contact).

Spending one full day anchored in a bay away from crowds is exactly what the doctor ordered to nourish your soul. During the 7 day charter sailing Croatia, this was the day that no one anticipated or planned for, yet it is precisely what everyone needed and appreciated above all else.

Sailing Croatia, anchored in a bay; Photo credit: Tash Pericic

3. No-frills restaurants

Croatia has an incredible gastronomy scene, even endorsed by Anthony Bourdain in 2012 on his series ‘No Reservations’; on Croatia and its cuisine, Bourdain had this to say:

“I’ve had no idea what Croatian cuisine was. Zero! I’ve had no picture in my mind. This is world-class food, world-class wine, world-class cheese. The next big thing is Croatia! If you haven’t been here yet, you are an idiot! I’m an idiot!”

This was six years again and it seems people are still just clueing-on to this fact. Sailing Croatia offers you the best possible way to explore the coast AND indulge in some of Croatia’s best restaurants – many of which are only accessible by boat.

Like I said, many of our guests came here with the sole intent of wining and dining along the Dalmatian coast, with their entire sailing Croatia itinerary based on which restaurants and wineries to visit – the foodie in me adored these trips, especially as Croatia is now on the Michelin map.

Yet still, it was the ‘no-frills’ restaurants that our guests quoted as their favourite dining experiences ashore (I will get to dining aboard next). For example, one restaurant we started frequenting this past year is not only unassuming but being tucked away in a small bay, if you don’t know the coast you would sail right past it and there is no chance of 'stumbling upon it' without a yacht. This is one of the many reasons we love it but that’s barely scratching the surface.

The restaurant itself is made up of a few wooden tables, scattered around a quaint stone beach – no tables crammed so near to each other that you can feel your neighbour’s breath… One table even stands alone at the water’s edge, inside an old wooden boat! It is run by a father, mother and son; the mother stays tucked away in the kitchen inside, taking care of all of the sides – fresh vegetables grown from their garden, while the father (who has the most exceptional moustache I have ever seen) mans the grill and the son – a giant man with a wicked sense of humour and contagious bellowing laugh, takes orders. There is no music, there is hardly a menu – the son will you lead you to the grill to show you their fresh catch from the day, which will be placed immediately on the grill. To je to. Sides are simple – salad, vegetables, potatoes, the wine is homemade and the rakija will blow your top off. It is heaven.

I am not even going to mention the name of this restaurant or where it is because quite frankly, I do not want to ruin this tiny piece of paradise. Those who know, know. (Another reason an experienced, local crew is important to your sailing Croatia holiday).

Many of our guests, especially our USA guests professed never having dined anywhere like this in their lives and that it topped any Michelin restaurant they have ever dined in. Now, to be fair, there is no comparison to between this restaurant and a Michelin-starred restaurant, they are in completely different categories but it just goes to show that an authentic, no-frills experience is sometimes all we need.

Sailing Croatia, no bells, no whistles, just fresh local goodness - "od mora do stola". Photo Credit: Tash Pericic

4. Simple, fresh, domestic food aboard

Along the same lines as above, our guests who were all well-travelled and have dined in some of the best restaurants around the world, raved about the food we served aboard, particularly the dishes which were the simplest.

On our yacht, we do half-board – which is breakfast and lunch served aboard. Now, when chartering and sailing Croatia, the difference in the food you will be served aboard varies dramatically depending on the style of yacht. Mini-cruisers serve good food, but considering it is prepared for 30 - 50 people daily, it is not necessarily the best or freshest cuisine - let's call it hearty, pub-style food. Gulets and motor yachts have full-time chefs aboard to prepare all meals with care and attention, transforming some boats into a floating fine dining restaurant! Bareboats – well, are bare unless you request a cook, and smaller crewed sailing yachts come with a skipper and cook but this can be a mixed bag as to what you will be served; if they are local you are bound to get traditional dishes and seafood – I know one skipper who is everything, she sails, dives, cooks and serves gorgeous, fresh cuisine aboard for her guests – a one-woman show! While some keep it super-basic, serving up sandwiches, wraps, simple plates of pasta etc. If food is important to you, this is an aspect worth researching before you book.

This was our first year working together aboard Sinbadsan as a 2-person crew, before this we always had a chef onboard with us. Cooking for guests was actually an area we were most nervous about because neither of us is a chef but we both know how important food is to travel and an overall experience. So, we cooked what we know – fresh seafood, traditional Dalmatian dishes and ‘simple’ dishes with the best ingredients.

We bought high-quality beef fillets, excellent pieces of fish for a traditional stew (brujet), truffles from Istria for a pancetta and truffle pasta, cuttlefish for black risotto (crni rižot) and while the guests were wowed with these dishes, one of the meals that really surprised them was our ‘cheap and cheery’, very local dish of sardines and anchovies.

We do the fish two-ways, the sardines are lightly dusted in flour and grilled, while the anchovies are cooked ‘lešo-style’ – in a vegetable and white wine broth.

Our American guests were always the most apprehensive about this dish because a) anchovies and sardines are considered cheap catch (which they are) and b) Customarily, Americans aren’t used to being served the whole fish – seeing the eyes and all, they are used to seeing everything as fillets. But once they got over these reservations and tried it, they were all wowed. Drown it all in olive oil, mop it up with bread and wash it down with wine (this is the meaning behind the dalmatian saying – a fish should swim 3 times in its life).

One of our guests describes it as ‘a tiny, bite-sized piece of heaven’. “The best thing I have ever eaten”. “I will never look at sardines and anchovies the same”. “The greatest surprise, sailing in Croatia”.

All of this for a dish that is so simple, yet the epitome of Croatian cuisine and the simple, “po malo” lifestyle we live here. It is actually our favourite meal too. You can keep your foi gras in the likeness of a mandarin, give me fresh grilled sardines or lešo anchovies any day! And it seems, our guests felt the same way.

Sailing Croatia - fresh-caught sardines at a local fish market. Photo Credit: Tash Pericic

5. A good crew

At the risk of sounding conceited, this is still something that needs to be mentioned and it comes from years’ of experience. Ask most charterers what their highlights of sailing Croatia were and among the list of highlights, they will undoubtedly mention the importance of a good crew. For better or worse, the crew can make or break your sailing Croatia holiday. Last year I interviewed more than a dozen return charterers to Croatia, to ask them not only why they choose to sail Croatia again, but also why they choose to return to the same boat. They all listed the usual suspects when it comes to Croatia highlights - nature, history, gastronomy... but without exception, they all mentioned how important the crew was to their sailing Croatia holiday (read the full story here).

Our personal experience also attests to this. Every year, we made lasting connections with our guests and this year aboard Sinbadsan, even more so. We put it down to the intimacy that a sailing yacht creates. On Sinbadsan, even though we are professional in every aspect and are there for their every request, there is still a closeness that is formed by shared moments sitting in the cockpit versus standing to attention in the peripheries of a larger luxury yacht.

I will share one quote from one of our guests this year; it was touching for us but I think it also sums up the crew-guest experience:

“I had many expectations for this sailing Croatia trip and I could have anticipated anything, except for you two. We will remember the coast and our fabulous sailing days but most of all, we will remember you, you’ve made this holiday a trip we will remember forever.”

It’s enough to make you choke up and because I am an emotional human, I did and still do. But the point is – in life, it’s the connections we make with others that stay with us long after the photos have faded.

So, don’t underestimate the difference a great crew will make to your experience. I would almost say, this should be the first thing to consider when choosing a charter yacht.

Sailing Croatia on yacht Sinbadsan, one of our wonderful groups from the season. Photo credit: Tash Pericic

So, when are you booking your sailing Croatia holiday?

There you have it, these are the 5 surprising highlights from sailing Croatia but this is just the tip of the iceberg. Recently, a journalist from Elite Daily wrote about how her sailing Croatia experience changed her life - quoting the food, living a simpler life and having time to clear her head as some of the reasons. Take it from someone who has now spent six years sailing Croatia (and still not sick of it) - it really is all this and so much more. So, when are you booking your sailing Croatia holiday? 

From where you'd rather be... Photo Credit: Tash Pericic