Top 5 reasons to visit Dubrovnik in October

Dubrovnik is dubbed the ‘jewel of the Adriatic’ for its old town (or Stari Grad) set within city walls, which was built from the 13th century onwards.

A Unesco World Heritage listed site, it is made up of cobblestone streets, forts and museums. Despite being bombed heavily by Yugoslav forces in 1991, the city has been well preserved and is Croatia’s prime tourist destination.

Interested? You should be. And it’s getting close to one of the best times of year to go. Why? Here are five good reasons.

We’ll see you there…

1. There’s plenty of sun!
Not ready to wave cheerio to summer just yet? Luckily you don’t have to. Croatia’s dose of sun lasts longer than ours and Dubrovnik is the perfect place to enjoy an extended summer season. While the temperatures might not be as sweltering as they are during the months of July and August, the days do get up to the mid 20s (Celsius); just perfect for me to top up the old tan. Spoilt with pristine natural scenery, an ancient walled town and a very warm Adriatic (the sea in October maintains August temperatures), your days could be spent swimming, exploring and sipping sundowners at the Buza Bar, a bar hewn out of the cliffs (the name means ‘hole’), which is a famous Dubrovnik spot where everyone’s welcomed as a local, come dusk.


2. Ticket prices are much cheaper
Dubrovnik doesn’t claim to be a budget destination. It’s a fairly pricey holiday to plan though you realise the money spent is well worth it as you peak at the turquoise waters through your window when you’re coming in to land. But a little sensible spending is a good thing. Getting to Dubrovnik in October though is up to 60% cheaper than booking a ticket for the peak summer months! That’s no idle boast. We compared a four night/five day trip from a Wednesday to Sunday in August and a trip of the same duration in October and were astounded at the savings. We also checked three airlines (EasyJet, British Airways and Germanwings) and all three came back with substantial discounts.


3. The accommodation is cheaper too!
You’d have your work cut out for you if you wanted to spend time in Dubrovnik in the summer but left booking hotel accommodation ‘til the last minute. It goes quickly. Come early autumn though, the crowds disperse and the hotels make their rooms available at reduced rates. Whereas before you’d book a double room, you’re now able to afford a suite for the same rate. A lot of the hotels come with breakfast included in the nightly rate, which keeps costs down to a manageable level too.


4. Plenty of things to do
Banje Beach is the famous Croatian beach that appears in all the postcards. It is a lovely beach, and won’t be crowded. There are other beaches to explore too, with Cavtat and Plat close by (you’ll need to call a taxi or hire a car or motorbike to get to them). Just be forewarned, both Cavtat and Plat are naturist beaches so bathers can go naked should they wish. Mljet Island is also close enough for a visit. Dubrovnik houses 17 cathedrals and a synagogue within its walls and a walk through the town reveals stunning architecture. There are also lovely craft shops to visit and I can pick up the clothing item the country is known for, a cravat. All this vacation activity and fresh sea air will lead to a healthy appetite for sure...


5. Food
Dubrovnik’s cuisine has a noticeable Italian influence: risotto and pizza are local favourites, while olive oil and garlic feature heavily. Mea Culpa is a pizzeria in the Old Town where patrons are seated in the cobbled alleys and the size of the pizzas is legendary. Thanks to its location, the seafood is also unbeatable and one of the best places in town is Proto, which once hosted Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII. Croats love their ice cream too and Dubrovnik isn’t short of ice-creameries –word on the street is that Dubrovnik’s ice cream offering gives Rome’s a run for its money - so make sure you leave from for dessert.

PS., If you like beer, get used to saying “pivo”. Try Croatian beers Zlatorog or Ožujsko, which aren’t too bitter and are usually served on tap.


Read more: TNT Magazine

Oznake: dubrovnik

The acid test for the future of Hvar Town as tourist destination

The party tourism debate continues to dominate on Croatia's premier island of Hvar, and a unanimous town council decision brings clarity. But will its wishes be implemented? As another perfect day begins for many under azure skies on the island of Hvar, an open letter to the CEO of party tourism enterprise The Yacht Week on August 21, 2014, has once again highlighted the debate about the uneasy relationship between the island and its growing reputation as one of the world's leading party destinations. Home to the oldest public theatre in Europe, birthplace of organised tourism in Europe and the only island in the world with four UNESCO heritages, Hvar also suffers from an embarrassment of natural resources and beauty, and is known as the lavender island and also the sunniest in all Europe.

With such a wealth of natural and cultural heritage, the arrival of party tourism to an already successful tourism destination seemed initially to be one more string in the offer of the exclusive island, whose recent visitors have included Tom Cruise, Beyonce, Prince Harry and Ellen DeGeneres, but there have been growing concerns in recent times that the rapid rise of drunken party tourism was threatening both the image of the destination, as well as driving away tourists who enjoyed Hvar for its cultural and natural charms.
The most successful and high profile business of this new party tourism was The Yacht Week, an extremely professional and intelligent concept, which sells week-long sailing holidays around Croatia, with a heavy emphasis on drinking and partying from morning to the following early morning. The highlight for many is 'Hvarday', where the programme starts with first drinks at 10 a.m..

Hvarday continues with a party on the waterfront bar Carpe Diem from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m. where up to 500 party-goers enjoy three hours of loud music and boozing to the detriment of the quality businesses in the neighbourhood, before being free to do some sightseeing (many of them cannot see at all by this stage), drunkenly and loudly roaming the streets of what many see as a family destination, until the organised party continues from 1 a.m. until dawn at a club on an island a short water-taxi ride away.
The party excess on Hvar was famously likened to Sodom and Gomorrah last summer in the national press, and the new deputy mayor of Hvar, Fabijan Bronzovic, said that The Yacht Week would not be back in 2014. It was a decision that was reinforced in January when the town council unanimously against The Yacht Week.
Despite such local decisions and pronouncements, The Yacht Week returned to Hvar in 2014 on schedule, with an extra boat party before the 5 p.m. party on the waterfront.
Complaints increased, with the residents of Sveti Klement, a small island off Hvar where The Yacht Week boats were moored, complaining that their businesses were being devastated by the effect of the party tourists on the island, and they petitioned the mayor to ban them from Palmizana.



In an interview with this Digital Journalist, The Yacht Week CEO William Wenkel dismissed the petition:
"These petitions represent a small fraction of the society. We do our best to work directly with the communities, but as with any situation, there will always be people that oppose some ideas. If the situation arose where the authorities requested we change or cancel certain elements for the welfare of its residents, of course, we would abide - the welfare and beauty of Croatia is at the heart of our company and our foundation."
The "small fraction of the society" was represented at the latest town council meeting in which the petition, with the resulting unanimous decision of the 13 council members, the elected representatives of the people of Hvar:
"It is recommended that all possible measures should be taken to ban the manifestation called Yacht Week and similar events of the kind from the territory of the municipality of Hvar (not just from the centre of the town), because they lead to constant infringements of legal and moral norms.
"(NB the territory under Hvar Town’s jurisdiction includes the area just past the tunnel to the North, Sveta Nedjelja and the Pakleni islands on the East and West of the island)."
In the open letter, CEO Wenkel was asked whether or not — in the light of the unanimous decision of the elected body of the people of Hvar — he would abide by his interview commitment:
"If the situation arose where the authorities requested we change or cancel certain elements for the welfare of its residents, of course, we would abide."
No answer has so far been forthcoming, and it will be interesting to follow events, for in many ways, this particular issue is one which will define the future of tourism in Hvar Town. If a company which claims to care about Croatia and is respectful of the wishes of local authorities refuses to implement the wishes of its hosts, that is one thing. But if the unanimous decision of the elected council of the people of Hvar cannot be implemented, what does that say about the future of an island, which would then clearly not be in control of its own tourism development agenda?

Read more: digitaljournal.com

Oznake: hvar