Letter 108

Island hopping on an organised sail trip is very popular in Croatia, but you can also do it on your own. As I was pushed for time at the end of my stint in Croatia I went from Split to Brač and then over to Korčula before Dubrovnik. I liked this little route however I did miss out the most popular island Hvar for similar reasons that I didn’t stay in Split. (You can read about that here). So let me tell you about these Adriatic gems!

 

Brač

Out of the two, Brač was my favourite. Immediately I felt at home on this charming island and that may be due to the wonderful Croatian family I stayed with. The hostel they own was virtually empty so I had a lovely dorm with a balcony to myself and they even invited me to join them for dinner. It was a great place to spend a few days, and I wanted to stay longer. The hostel was called Central Studio Apartments.

I had two pretty full days there but could’ve spent a week. On the first day I took a 6km walk around the coast to Splitska. This is a sleepy harbour town with very little tourism and a perfect place to relax. On the way I passed a number of quiet bays and stopped off at the nearest one to the town, where I had a part of the beach all to myself. On the way back I stopped at the others. This pretty much took me the whole day but when I returned to Supetar (largest town on the island, and connected to Split via ferries) I had a wander round and headed up the tower for the sunset. It was the first day I’d had to myself in a while and I enjoyed it so much.

The next day was also my last day (thanks to 2 night quick stays), so my main job was to get to the other side of the island where my catamaran would depart from. Bol is the side of the island near the famous beach of Zlatni Rat so I decided to get a bus in the morning to Bol, accompanied by my backpack, and spend the day on the beach before catching my ride to Korčula. Luckily, a nice guy in a tourist information centre let me leave my bag with him and head off to relax on the stunning beach. As a last image of Brač, it was a nice one, although I have to say I preferred my empty beaches of the previous day. Brač was a pretty special place and I was pleased to have some alone time here enjoying the beauty of this gem. If I went again I’d do the hike Vidova Gora which is the highest peak amongst the islands. Definitely on my list to return!

 

Korčula

I arrived in Korčula pretty late to a largely empty hostel again which, after nearly a week by myself, I was a bit disappointed with. The hostel wasn’t the greatest which also tainted my time there. However, it’s a very pretty island with a charming town, sparkling beaches and inland hills and vineyards to offer, but without a car it can be difficult to reach these things. I managed a walk up to a village and then down to some beaches, stopping off in a nature reserve, and then back over to the old town. It was pretty stifling in the heat, but had great views and a glorious dip in the sea at the end.

 

So there you have it, two Dalmatian islands to escape to from the bustling cities on Croatia’s coast. If you’re in the country you have to get to at least one island, I recommend Brac personally but both are beautiful and the others are equally desirable. Of course Hvar is the most famous and busiest, but I skipped it. One I really would’ve like to visit is Mljet which I’ve heard is stunning!

Just a quick note – I am way behind on the letters, I am currently 10 days into my Montenegrin stay and leaving in just under a week! I’ll catch up soon!

Happy Travels!

From Lou

About Me