Dubrovnik was such a wonderful experience, I will definitely return another time to explore the city further. After our five day stay, we left for Sutivan on the island of Brac, where we will spend the remainder of our vacation thru September. Our friends, Brock and Ramon were meeting us after spending a few days on the island of Vis.
The catamaran ride from Dubrovnik to Milna on Brac was four hours making stops at Mljet, Hvar, and Korcula islands. We arrived late at night and luckily a taxi was waiting that set us up with our driver, Dennis. He was very hot...but didn't really know where he was going it turned out. I was content to ride around a while looking for our apartment while Jamie was in the back seat freaking out! Finally after calling our airbnb host, Dennis found the apartment swearing they had given us the wrong address. Really? Maybe he just liked driving us around??!!
Brock and Ramon were waiting for us in what we thought would be a large two bedroom apartment for four adults. They ended up getting their own apartment. Not the Lemongarden! (600 Kuna a night? no...Euros!) We were most excited about our apartment choice here because the pictures on airbnb looked amazing and it was the most expensive one we had all summer. Despite our disappointment, with the size, the broken patio table, the old, uncomfortable couch and the door handle falling off the door, we resigned ourselves to make the best of our situation. The best part being the view and close proximity to the beach.
The island of Brac is known for it's delicious olive oil, it's cooked lamb, sheep cheese and white stone. It has one of the most famous stone mason schools in Croatia using the old Roman methods of stone cutting. The beautiful white limestone from here has been used in the construction of the White House, Diocletian's Palace in Split, and the Parliament building in Budapest. Brac is only thirty minutes by ferry from Split on the mainland so it is a very popular holiday destination. We are staying in the small village of Sutivan with bike paths, beaches, and the center of town five minutes from our apartment.
Brock and Ramon are staying only a few days, so we rented a car to do some exploring of the island. Our first stop was the town of Bol, on the south side of the island. Bol is known for it's harbor side bars and restaurants, it's windsurfing conditions, and the famous Zlatni Rat (Golden Horn) beach.
Jamie and I were very excited to see this beach because everyday during our trip we would see beautiful pictures and posts on Instagram. Although a beautiful setting and an unusual shaped beach forming a triangular "horn" into the Adriatic, we were very disappointed. Pulling into the parking lot was our first clue. There were so many cars, a $15.00 fee to park, and you had to pay to use the restrooms. Our immediate impression was it was overpriced, overcrowded, overrated and a total scene. Restaurants, beach chairs, music blasting and the water full of every water activity imaginable. From the photos we envisioned a beautiful sandy beach reaching out into the sea, but it was another stone, pebble beach jam packed with umbrellas and chairs. We walked out to the point, looked around and headed quickly back to our car! There are so many other beautiful beaches on Brac, I would recommend not wasting your time with Zlatni Rat unless you go very early morning or late evening.
Yeah... no, it didn't look like this beautiful postcard!
We drove through the small hilltop town of Murvica, in all of five minutes! After fortifying our supply of cold water in a small cafe overlooking the sea, (notice the funny sign hanging at the bar),
we hiked down a very steep, paved road to Murvica Beach.
This small beach was beautiful with some of the prettiest water we have seen. Fortunately, being September, it was not overcrowded but I can imagine in summer it would be very popular. I loved snorkeling there with large schools of fish, and beautiful rock formations in crystal, clear water.
On our way home from a full day of swimming, we stopped for sunset at the highest point of the Croatian islands, Vidova Gora. At it's highest point you can see many of the archipelago islands and a great view of Zlatni Rat jutting into the sea. The sunset was beautiful and it became quite chilly as the sun set. Jamie and I also saw goats crossing our path during our hike.
The next day, Jamie took a "time out" so Brock, Ramon and I set out for another adventure. We visited the small town of Splitska, which our rental car lady, Mariska, recommended we stop for coffee because of it's charm.
From there we traveled to the oldest settlement on Brac called Skrip. The small village has many historical archaeological finds, dating back 3000 years. There is one of the best olive oil museums on Brac in this small village.
Heading back to the vibrant town of Bol, after a delicious lunch of sushi at Vendetta Restaurant overlooking the harbor, we stopped at Martinica Beach. It is a beautiful setting with the Dominican Monastery overlooking the small pebble beach.
There is a very nice restaurant and bar on the hill next to the Monastery overlooking the sea. We were able to find some shade at this beach and just relaxed for the rest of the afternoon soaking in the beauty.
Brock and Ramon's vacation came to an end, and set out for Dubrovnik where they had to catch their flight. They were sad to leave their apartment in the "old Palace" and we were sad to see them go. Amazing how fast two weeks passes by. They will be missed.