Croatia was was an amazing destination and Ma...
Croatia | Jul 21 - Jul 28, 2024

Kara
Kara D.
Madison, NJ | Reviewed on Sep 04, 2024

Croatia was was an amazing destination and Marija created an itinerary that was perfect for our adventure loving family. I love Croatia is still a bit undiscovered. Each city had something magical. I loved that we were able to combine history, outdoor adventure and relaxing beach time all in one vacation. Most of all I was mesmerized by the architecture and mix of old and new.

Hotel Reviews
Plitvice Holiday Resort
Grabovac

We loved being in up in the trees. We've never stayed anywhere like it. The grounds were beautiful with fun things to do for the kids.

Authenticity & Character
Location
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
It's very modern. Just a bit small in the bathrooms
Royal Neptun Hotel
Dubrovnik

This was a lovely way to end the trip. It was very luxurious with multiple pools and restaurants. We loved the beach access and the ability to "cliff jump". We wish there were more lounge chairs.

Authenticity & Character
Infuse the property with more Croatian history/art
Location
A bit far from the city center but we wanted to be by the beach so we made the trade-off
Staff
Cleanliness & Comfort
We're spoiled as Americans - this felt like a high end American hotel. Good beds and spacious
Hotel Luxe
Split

Too modern for my personal tastes but the location is perfect. And we loved our balcony. The air conditioning wasn't really working.

Authenticity & Character
Just a matter of taste it was very modern
Location
Walking distance to all the restaurants, waterfront
Staff
They tried to help with the air conditioning. The breakfast staff was friendly and helpful. The front desk helped us find our rental car pick up.
Cleanliness & Comfort
It was very spacious. Very clean.
Best Western Premier Hotel Astoria
Zagreb

This hotel has old world Croatian charm. The rooms are smaller so we had to rent a separate room for our kids. The breakfast was the best on our trip. Something for everyone!

Authenticity & Character
It felt old world and charming.
Location
A bit of a walk to the center of town with the restaurants
Staff
They allowed us to store after we checked out. They called the airport to try to find our lost luggage.
Cleanliness & Comfort
The rooms were small.
Activity Reviews
Private afternoon Zagreb walking tour
Private afternoon Zagreb walking tour
Zagreb

Joseph was amazing. She had passion for her country and culture. Shared her own love of sports celebrities from Croatia. Shared the concert locations she loves to frequent. She shared where she likes to vacation. And of course she was wealth of knowledge about Zagreb's history, architecture and all the little secrets. I really loved the story about where the Nazi's stored their weapons and how it was flooded. We loved the furnicular. And it was so special to be there when locals dressed as historical book characters and stopped to talk to you in that time period. Joseph told us about the books and how she read them growing up. This was so special.

Quality of Experience
Guides, Drivers and Staff
The guide Joseph was amazing
Transport
Our guide met us at our hotel which was very helpful
Sea kayak tour of Split - group tour
Sea kayak tour of Split - group tour
Split

Red Adventures was a terrific outing. The equipment was well maintained. Rami was knowledgeable and fun. We absolutely loved the cliff jumping. It was our 16 year old son's favorite part of the trip.

Quality of Experience
Cliff jumping
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Transport
We took an uber - Kim Kim made it very clear where to go. Kim Kim could inlcude the name of the tour company and they could have a sign at the location. We didn't find them right away.
Full day small group speedboat trip from Split
Full day small group speedboat trip from Split
Split

This was my favorite excursion. The blue cave was captivating and were there at a great time for the light to be vibrant. The wait was really long but ,maybe those who run the caves can pre-book the tours at a certain time. I loved island hopping. The check-in experience prior to leaving wasn't great. The woman said they didn't have my name when it was clearly there and she was rude.

Quality of Experience
I loved having time to go swimming and stop at a beach bar. I also loved walking up to the fort on one of the islands for the spectacular view. Loved everything about it.
Guides, Drivers and Staff
Our guide booked us a restaurant which was amazing. And it was so helpful for us to go directly to the restaurant vs. trying to pick the best one. We didn't have to walk around reading each menu and deciding.
Transport
I loved our boat - nothing fancy. It was open air with the sea water splashing from time to time. So relaxing
Private afternoon Dubrovnik walking tour
Private afternoon Dubrovnik walking tour
Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik is the most striking of all the cities we saw. The layout and town center really made you feel like you went back in time. Our guide Mr. Alberto was such an interesting person. He played piano professionally and spoke about the arts in Croatia. He had such love for his city having grown up there. He also spoke about the challenges with the increase in tourism. He recommended dinner locations which is always helpful.

Local specialist: Marija Mance
Marija
Marija Mance
Local specialist in Rijeka, Croatia | Replied on Sep 05, 2024

This is truly a great review. It is very helpful for both us and the travellers when someone rates accommodation and experiences, and explains so nicely what they liked and what they didn't like and why... and the photos are just amazing!
Thank you Kara for everything, it was a pleasure to be your "host" - to you and your wonderful family!