I have to say I never thought writing a blog would be so labor intensive. I look forward to the days when I actually know what I'm doing and can just write easily without any glitzes!
That being said, I thought I would explain how I ended up in Croatia for the summer. Due to Covid last year, my friend Jamie and I had to cancel our trip to the Canary Islands for the summer as so many of us did. Having spent the summer in Palm Springs with 120 degree days and Jamie in Nashville suffering from the heat and humidity, we swore we would never spend another summer in our home town. As the vaccine changed the look of life in general beginning of the year, we started researching where we could go, be safe, be near a beach and have a patio overlooking the water. Croatia entered the picture mostly because it was the one country that was allowing Americans to visit. They had a relatively low Covid infection rate from the beginning and we were interested in visiting one of the many islands dotting the coast of the Adriatic Sea. We started searching, "10 best islands of Croatia" https://travellemming.com/croatia-destinations/
10 best beaches of Croatia"
"Best value for your money in Croatia "
https://www.theworldwasherefirst.com/croatia-trip-cost/ and numerous Youtube videos. There is a wealth of information on the net and we utilized it all. Narrowing down our search we decided on 3 islands for 3 months, Solta, Hvar and Brac. Using Booking.com , and airbb.com we started our search for the perfect accommodations. Again, our priorities were an apartment walking distance to town (because we did not want the expense of rental car), walking distance to beaches and a patio overlooking the water. How do you know if it's the right place? What if? The bottom line with most decisions anybody makes ....you don't know. You take a leap of faith.... trusting all will work out. After all, we would be in Croatia, what was the worst that could happen?! As we all know life is a work in progress, sometimes we make a wrong turn and then you find a better route.
The first island for us was Solta, the village of Stomorska. I was alone for most of the month of July with Jamie joining me the last week. I highly recommend the apt. I rented because of it's location which is on a hill overlooking the village, The apartment is just a few stairs from town, newly renovated with a large outside patio and fantastic view.
Check it out: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/6255945?guests=1&adults=1&s=2&unique_share_id=baf35844-5580-4147-ba2d-b5d7129202d6
The owner and her husband were fantastic, going out of their way to help us get acclimated and giving us a wealth of information to explore and learn about the island. They made our stay exceptional.
Her sister and husband were equally lovely and helpful. It was so nice sharing with them at the end of the day my latest adventures!
Overall, my stay on Solta was wonderful. I loved the easy, gentle, slow paced life experienced there. I hiked and went snorkeling every day walking four to five miles a day. Unplugged from the news, adapting to a simple island lifestyle having all I needed.
Restaurants on Stomorska were very reasonable. A good dinner with appetizer, main dish and glass of wine averaged $25.00-30.00, a cup of coffer $2.00, an ice cream cone $1.50 and a good bottle of local wine $7.00.
The fruits and vegetables were delicious and always fresh.
I loved the smell of pine, sage and lavender in the air every day. What was disappointing here for me in general food wise was the cost of seafood. I found it very expensive. I would have thought the opposite. Also if you do order fish, most likely you will get the whole fish, head, tail and bones, but they do have filet options. You can buy fresh fish from the fisherman in the mornings, right off the boat, but those who know me know that never happened!
If I had to complain about one thing it would be the smoking in restaurants. You can't get away from it. If the restaurant states nonsmoking, it is never enforced. Since it's mostly outdoor seating, just sit upwind and it's fine!
I highly recommend Solta for a visit just to unplug and take in the beauty that surrounds you. It is definitely a beautiful island for total relaxation and glorious swimming.
