And the long awaited trips begins! With so much anticipation I was honestly ready to burst by the time we headed out. Some of that was probably anxiety over flying across the world and being afraid I’d get stuck in a strange place with COVID. But I’ll tell you the ending now – we all made it through and home safely without any need for the pricey insurance I bought! So let’s get to it.

LAX  AMS  SPU

There were no direct flights to Croatia from the US when we traveled. Common routes include layovers in London, Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Munich, etc.

I told you in the last blog that I was so glad we chose the route through Amsterdam and here are a few reasons why.

• Pros:
  • KLM was not fully booked from LAX to AMS and we were able to score the center 4 seats to ourselves (we got the same thing in 2019 to Italy!). Great service getting this arranged, too!
  • I was really surprised and happy to find that one of the KLM snacks was a Gluten Free brownie. I know – it’s the little things!
  • Our layover was SUPER easy. The AMS airport does not require you to go through passport control or carry-on luggage security during your layover. Instead, you remain in the terminal and easily move around with plenty of time to make it to your next gate! Amsterdam also didn’t require a negative COVID test or Vaccine card to layover there. If you’ve never been through a layover in London Heathrow, I promise you don’t want to. The lines are long and it takes forever. Plus, they’re ultra-strict on liquids, which causes big problems when you’ve purchased something at the previous location’s airport to keep in your carry-on. The only trade off is that the food at their airport is better than what’s available in AMS.
• Cons:
  • If you book through Delta, their seat selection process does not transfer well to KLM. Our original seats were actually given to someone else and we got the wrong, junk seats assigned when we arrived at the airport. Our gate agent helped us relocate to the better, fully empty center 4 seats.
  • We were not impressed with the AMS food options or with their lounge. The lounge was dirty, totally packed, and the food and drinks were pretty limited. In addition, the chairs weren’t conducive to actual lounging or sleeping. Definitely not what we were hoping for. Instead, we probably could have been more comfortable in the lie down chairs at the bottom of the elevator from the lounge that we didn’t notice until we were on our way to the gate. There were less people, it was quiet, and it would have allowed us a chance to actually nap!

Friday, August 27

Split

We arrived in Split, passed through the immigration process, and picked up our luggage without issue, and our driver was waiting for us when we exited the baggage area. He was a coordinated ride through the cruise/travel agent, and drove us the 40 minutes from SPU to the Cornaro Hotel where the rest of the travelers were also staying.

Cornaro Hotel (4.5/5)

Check in was easy, and we found the rooms to be very large for a European hotel. And the bathroom! Shower AND a tub…really roomy, plus they had plenty of sink and counter space to put toiletries and all that. The bed was firm and very comfortable. Pillows were pretty nice as well. We were impressed! The only thing I’d recommend is that they create USB port charging stations near the beds. That would be convenient for travelers. Even though we have an adapter, it’s always nice to be able to quickly plug in a phone/iPad without messing with the adapter, charger, USB.

We met our friends in the lobby after a quick shower and were so excited to start our adventures in Croatia!

It was raining off and on the day we arrived, and we were able to borrow umbrellas from the front desk which was great. They also helped us grab a cab to a nearby restaurant. Our ride was probably ~20 minutes long in a van with 6 people, and it only cost about $7 USD equivalent!

Dvor (4.5/5)

Friday’s dinner at Dvor was reserved well in advance by our friends. It’s a seaside restaurant and Michelin recommended. The only bummer was that it was dark when we dined, so we couldn’t see the view!

My friend and I had intended on getting the tasting menu, while the other couple and our husbands were planning to order off the menu. Unfortunately, the restaurant only offers the tasting menu if the whole table gets it. That was kind of a bummer, but our server ended up accommodating us by giving us shared plates that were the same or similar to the tasting menu, and it worked out perfectly.

Yummy dishes:

• Tuna goose liver appetizer
• Ceviche
• Sea Risotto
• Lamb
• Whole fish (grouper)
• Tiramisu (the best Tiramisu we’ve ever had – even better than Italy!!)

And then there was:

• Cannoli. Meh.
• Panna cotta. Meh.

After dinner, we took an Uber back to the hotel and it was even cheaper than the cab ride there.

Saturday. August 28

Split

The next morning we were supposed to do a walking tour with the group around Split, however due to concern over more rain (it never came), the travel company postponed it until the end of the cruise. We ended up walking around with a small group of folks in our group instead, and found the city very walkable with shops, restaurants and of course, a very busy boardwalk.

After walking through the Old Town via Diocletian’s Palace and along the alleyways, we ended up grabbing drinks and appetizers at a little spot in the square full of restaurants.

This is where I had my first Hugo Spritz, which basically changed my life!

The drink has sparkling wine, soda water, elderflower syrup/liqueur, mint, and lime. So tasty, so light, and easy on the alcohol. It became a staple drink on this trip alongside its older brother the Aperol Spritz. (I also immediately ordered St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur when I got home and proceeded to introduce the Hugo Spritz to all my friends.)

After drinks we met with the group and headed to the port to board our beautiful ship, the Black Swan!

Black Swan Yacht (5/5)

After a quick check in on the rear deck, we were provided our room keys, so we took a quick peek at our rooms and explored the boat decks as it pulled away from the Split harbor.

When we booked the trip, all of the larger upper deck rooms were already taken, so our only option was the lower staterooms with the port holes. Despite being assured that the room was nice and a good size, we were concerned that it would be challenging to cruise with such a small room with tiny windows.

Upon arrival, however, we were quite impressed and our concerns disappeared. While small, it was really quite comfortable and even the bathroom accommodated both of us at the same time, proving to be bigger than some of the European bathrooms we’d been in on other trips! While the portholes were small and high up, there were 3 and they let plenty of natural light in. Truthfully, we spend so little time in our rooms the entire trip – only sleeping, bathroom breaks and showers, etc.

In addition, we learned that the rock and roll of the ship is actually reduced in the lower decks, so while we didn’t have issues with being seasick, it would be something to consider. Oh! And almost all of the upper decks’ cabin windows looked out onto the decks, so in order to have privacy, they needed to keep their curtains shut. For us, as long as we were at sea, no one could see into our room.

The ship overall was absolutely stunning. And it turns out, it was designed by the captain’s wife. She has designed over a dozen yachts that cruise the Adriatic Sea, however this was the only ship her and her husband spent time on themselves (at the time).

After some initial exploring, we enjoyed lunch while the crew took care of loading all our luggage into our respective rooms. Lunch was a delicious introduction to the chefs’ style and flavor – a mix of veggies and lentils atop 2 pork tenderloin medallions.

It turned out to be one of our traveling buddy’s birthdays that day, and the crew did a great job with a cake and sparklers to celebrate!

Shortly after lunch, on our way to Hvar, the captain dropped anchor for our first Swim Stop of the trip. It was honestly still a little overcast and cool, and the last thing I wanted to do was hop in the water. A few guys went in, but many of us remained watchful from the back of the boat.

Then, as everyone dried off and went back to their rooms to clean up, the Croatian sky gave us the most beautiful sunset! It was the perfect transition for us from the fun of the day into our overnight port.

And that’s where I’ll leave this post. Next up: Hvar!

XO,

J