Croatia: The Dalmatian Coast for Foodies

For first-time visitors, I highly recommend a locally run cruise to island hop to see the main stops among the 1000 islands of the Dalmatian coast. You can choose from different options, but we chose the Bellissima (36 passengers approx. In 18 cabins) and took a southern route. Breakfast and lunch with drinks were included, followed by a swim off the boat. This allowed us to explore our destination and to enjoy dinner at each stop. Several tours were included with the trip, which included KrKa Park, Oyster tasting in Ston and wine tasting. The trip originated in Split with stops in Trogir, Hvar (night scene), Vis, Korcula, then ending in Dubrovnik.

Oysters pulled right out of the water in Ston.

Insider tip: These cruises are not advisable for mobility issues. Every night, the boats are tied to each other. When guests go ashore and return, they have to walk on small and uneven ramps, some with several inches before stepping onto the next boat. Most times, we were eight or nine boats away from the dock. We found it fun to see the other ships but may be intimidating for less stable guests and impossible for those where assistance is needed.

View from our bow, side-tied boats at port for the night

Insider tip: Book several nights in Split and Dubrovnik before and after your trip. Be careful, there are many apartments for rent that are great for families or couples who are traveling together. In our case, it was a four-story walk-up and was not listed in the booking. In Split, most of these are outside the gated city. We found the city very safe to walk freely and a couple-of-minute walk to everything. Split was a wonderful surprise and less crowded than Dubrovnik.

Split

To Do: Both Split and Dubrovnik are history and museum rich, and we found the tickets to be reasonable. Many were ala-carte pricing, so you don’t have to go wild and pepper in a bit of this rich culture. Honestly, the people there are very generous with talking about their country. They are very proud of how they have endured and are now prospering.

Day trips

• Tour to the Blue Cave: We were told we were lucky, the only one group in the cave, which made it truly extraordinary.

• Walk the wall in Dubrovnik in the early morning, preferably as soon as they open. For Game of Throne fans — walk of shame is best in the early morning as well or plan on fighting crowds to capture your Instagram moment.

• Insider tip: Get your tickets the day before to walk the wall and get ahead of the crowd. Many cafes are open nearby to wait. Great places to sit outside and watch people.

Split:

• Breakfast/Lunch/snack (Croatians love snacks)

• Bakery Krusic

• Kanin Paulina- order Cevapi (Croatian sandwich)

• Gelateria Emiliana (one of the best in Croatia)

Dinner:

• Bokeria Wine Bar- book your table ahead of time. Amazing wine selection and every dish we had was incredible. Nice evening out!

• Restaurant Portofino - Fresh seafood, perfectly prepared. We asked the waiter to be our guide, and it was incredible. We shared sushi, octopus (we ordered everywhere, but here it was incredible.

• Vis (quiet, secluded island where they filmed Mama Mia 2)

• Jastozera- Pick your own lobster from the water and they will prepare as you prefer. Open-air restaurant built over the water.

• Insider tip: The traditional dish in Croatia is Peka. It can take up to six to eight hours to prepare in a Peka bell over hot coals. Usually with Lamb, Chicken or Octopus with potatoes and lots of love. Be sure to make your reservation ahead of time and preorder your Peka.

Not to be missed in Korcula:

• Dinner at Konoba Maha.This is a family-owned restaurant, father cooks, mother oversees service and one brother is making his famous Fig Old Fashioned. Jaksa gave us amazing service. They were kind to give us a name and number of driver to take you and pick you up after dinner, approximately 15-20min. From the taxi stand near the marina. Our group grew to 6 as a couple we met loved our restaurant recommendations. This was an evening I will never forget. This table should be booked well in advance by contacting the brothers directly. It is a small, intimate garden setting. Beautifully lit at night.

• The quote off their menu is my new motto: “I need to know the history of food. I need to know where it comes from. I need to imagine the hands that cultivated, worked and cooked what I eat. On the day when food loses its real value and history, there will be no hope for the future.”