Kimkim Trip Reviews for Croatia

My wife and I just returned from a self drive trip to Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia. We worked with Nikola and could not have had a more pleasant experience. He crafted our trip exactly to our interests. He is super patient, because I made many changes along the way. He is from Croatia, and is an expert. During our trip he kept up with me everyday via WhatsApp and was available to us the entire way. He responded promptly via WhatsApp to the few questions I had along the way. His choice of hotels were fantastic, and the order in which he booked our trip provided for the most time in each city. ‘Also, he sent me an APP for my phone prior to departure which detailed our trip, and sights along the drive that we could stop to visit if we wanted. It covered every detail, even how to park at each hotel. We literally felt as if he were with us the entire trip. Having his help immediately along the way, if needed, was priceless. We do not like group tours, so this option is the best for us. This is our 3rd KimKim trip, and I no longer try to plan independent trips myself anymore. I will only use KimKim as they vet out local agencies who are superb in their product. ‘Thank you Nikola. We will speak again when we return to the Balkans.

Loved, loved, loved the trip Marija planned for us. We felt well taken care of each step of the way. Marija arranged for transportation and tours in Hvar and Split and through the Peljesac Pennisula and Cavtat. The hotels she selected were charming and centrally located so we could easily walk to restaurants and local attractions. She arranged a birthday dinner for my husband in Hvar, and the restaurant treated us like a queen and king. We so enjoyed biking around the back side of the island of Hvar where we were free to explore in an unhurried way yet always having local support just a phone call away.

All of our drivers and tour guides were also well versed in the history of this wonderful country -- especially Ivana who showered us with history and antidotes of Split and all of Croatia. Ivana was a powerhouse of knowledge, energy, and enthusiasm for her country.

Marija planned the perfect holiday for us -- especially given that we had just spent the previous seven days in busy Dubrovnik with our family. Her thoughtful selections of food, tours, and transportation times allowed us to relax as well as take in the best that these areas offer. Thank you, Marija!

Hotel Review

Piazza Heritage Hotel

Split

Comfortable and beautiful hotel centrally located in Split. Highly recommend.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

So helpful and kind.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Beautiful hotel.

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Split

Split

OMGosh! Ivana was amazing! She brought the history of Split to life in an energetic and enthusiastic way. I had been to Split before yet I learned so much more from Ivana than from any of my other guides. Great recommendations for dinner, too.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private transfer from Split to Cavtat via the Pelješac Peninsula, with a stop for wine tasting

Croatia

Wonderful winery. Met some great people from Norway there.

Trip to Croatia was amazing. Equally amazing was working with Robi! He was extremely knowledgeable, helpful, responsive and seemed genuinely invested in our experience in Croatia being as fun and positive as possible. Also, his assistance with connecting us with guide Antea was wonderful. She was a terrific guide; filled with great knowledge of the history of Croatia and was fun and engaging.

Couldn't recommend both of them enough. Thank you Robi for helping us have a memorable time in your beautiful country!
Sheri

I am just returning from a ten day trip to Croatia with nine amazing women and a top notch tour leader, Antonia.
Antonia listened to all our wishes for this journey and went over and above to make sure we each had something from our list on our trip. She provided us with private transfer to and from the airport . Our accommodations at the Boutique Hotels were all beautiful, the restaurants she had made reservations at were wonderful and included local dishes that were so yummy! We traveled in a spacious, comfortable, clean, air conditioned private vehicle that transported us down the coast from Zagreb to Dubrovnik. We had a private walking tour with another of Antonia's guides through the enchanting Plitvice Lakes National Park region with its' glassy emerald green lakes. From there we traveled to Split where we had a private walking tour, tasted local wines and took a ferry catamaran to the Croation island of Hvar where we toured the island with yet another wonderful guide who also shared with us his family-owned vineyard. We sipped on wine from his vineyard and delighted in his wonderful lavendar oils his family makes. The next day we traveled to Ston where we stopped and had lunch, then to Dubrovnik. Each stop we were given private tours that included history and stories of this beautiful country. Each of our guides were filled with wonderful stories and memories that and included history of their country that they shared with great pride. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend using Kimkim for any trip you may want to make and especially Antonia and her guides. They were professional and tuned in and committed to providing you with the best experience for your personal trip!

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

spectacular! magical

Quality of Experience

great guides. engaging fun

Guides, Drivers and Staff

driver was awesome, guides were consistently wonderful. great stories very personable

Transport

Hvar Day Trip from Split

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antonia was great, very helpful with planning, clear details and suggestions, and following up so we could stay on track. All of our drivers and helpers were early or on time and very nice. The vehicles were comfortable and clean.

We enjoyed all our tours, the guides were well informed and enthusiastic

Rachael with our wine and dinner tour was energetic and lots of fun; Tara at the Plitvice Park tour was lovely and passionate about her area. And Grgo in Hvar was wonderful describing his area in such a personal way.
The final night’s Kameni Dvoraki cooking class and dinner was incredible. Beautiful family, so warm and interesting. Highly recommend it!
We all had a wonderful time in such a beautiful and friendly country 🩷

This was our second trip with Kimkim, and it could not have been better. Antonia created an itinerary for the four of us that was exactly what we asked for. Our guides were local, warm, friendly, and passionate about their home land. Grgo in Hvar, Rachael on our Lumbada wine tour, Nike on our Konavle culinary experience, Tara in Plitvice Lakes and Phillip and Marko on our boat tour from Trogir to Hvar added so much to our experiences. We learned so much. All of our drivers were friendly and always on time. Croatia is a stunningly beautiful country with warm, friendly people and we loved it.
I have noticed a few reviews mentioning that you can put a trip together on your own for less. That might be true, but for us, the tours, guides, hotel bookings, dinner reservations, and drivers that Antonia arranged for us were well worth the price. Antonia checked in with us daily to make sure that everything was okay. We will not hesitate to use Kimkim again.

Big thank you to Ivan and Sarah for organizing this trip to Dubrovnik for us. Communication with them was amazing and it made it easy to come up with our ideal trip. All the guides and drivers were knowledgeable and friendly. It was just a perfect trip!

Hotel Review

Hotel Porto

Dubrovnik

Good Location. Only 25min walk to the old town. Room were large and spacious and breakfast amazing.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Close to public transit to the old city and only a 25min walk.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Visit a family farm for an authentic Croatian meal + visit small town of Cavtat

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Boating Excursion to the Elaphiti Islands

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antonia was amazing , I have travelled a lot over the years and have never felt so well taken care and spoiled in every way . From the first day meet for our welcome dinner to every day after , Antonia calmly managed all our individual needs, diets , wish list, challenges , to make sure we each had a magical trip . Her love of Croatia shined through and the local tour guides she introduced us to were outstanding in every way. It was a trip of a lifetime that I will always remember with gratitude thanks to Antonia’s attention to detail and kindness and patience shown daily. And who gets up a 4am to see us off and wants to know when we have arrived safely home ? Above and beyond all expectations . I would highly recommend Antonia to anyone traveling to Croatia looking for a unique and individual experience . Thank you Antonia, you are a precious gem . It was a blessing to spend a week together .

Activity Review

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Loved this tour, perfect timing 2nd day with nature for grounding and fresh air after a long travel day before

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antonia is outstanding!
The most organized tour with excellent attention to detail and careful thought to activities and local tours. Every hotel, driver and tour guide went above and beyond. Antonia gave us incredible insight into the overall culture while her local tour guides - Jake in Plitvike, Ivana in Split, Grgr in Hvar and Ivan in Dubrovnik - provided fascinating insights in history, local culture and challenges of present and future. The included meals were outstanding, giving us flavors of the regions, from veal and fish in Zagreb to Vila Velebita in Korenica to a seaside restaurant in Ston. As a nature lover, the tour of Plitvike and expedition to Hvar were my highlights. Our guide in Hvar went above and beyond in coordinating a lunch with fresh caught fish stew and then wine and homemade cookies and citrus wines at his family's home. The generosity of spirit was felt in each interaction.
I would highly recommend Alivia Travel run by Antonia. The most accommodating, friendly, kind tour guide I could have ever wished for. Thank you for the memories and all the experinces I am still processsing.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Dubrovnik

Zagreb

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Time Boutique Hotel

Split

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Valamar Lacroma Dubrovnik Hotel

Dubrovnik

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hvar Day Trip from Split

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Antonia was outstanding! From the way of communicating, to taking care of every detail, to taking care of needs of each of our traveler’s needs . Everybody was happy with the organized tours, the exceptional guides. Just highly recommend Antonia and her crew

Our experience was exceptional. From beginning to end. It was clear, right from the start that Anna Maria had paid very close attention to details. Our first day we toured Zagreb with Doro, brilliant. Her knowledge of the city was detailed and she had many personal stories that made our experience even better! From Zagreb, we drove, we were driven, we ferried and we flew. Along the way we stayed in amazing hotels, had incredible guides and ate some of the best food I’ve ever had. Croatia is a beautiful country with friendly people. I loved it.

Our Zagreb, Croatia native consultant, Anna-Maria, was intelligent, friendly, helpful, thorough, patient and always willing to answer questions concerning our trip through Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro, and Bosnia.
We felt very prepared for our trip, as our consultant Anna-Maria was a great travel consultant—a local who was knowledgeable of the counties we wanted to visit.
Communication with her was top notch prior to the trip and during! She designed a great itinerary and the booking process was seamless!
We were so happy with our accommodations, tour guides, rental car, and appreciated all of her suggested activities during our first trip to these countries. We stayed in some lovely hotels, very conveniently located and that provided some very nice breakfasts. Her itinerary allowed us the flexibility of visiting sights along the way, or taking diversions and exploring areas. The itinerary was filled with plenty of activities to do, but with time to rest. The activities she scheduled were well planned and timed. We did not feel rushed at anytime as she insured we had a good balance between activities and free time. Her Itinerary provided such beauty and diversity around every turn. Anna-Maria and all the tour guides she booked at each location were extremely helpful and prompt at answering our emails/texts and providing us with answers to any of our questions.
Our trip was a success from the moment we arrived. We did not have one issue at all with our time in these countries. Our trip was educational, fun and memorable.
We will definitely be using KimKim in the future for any travel they offer to other various locations that interest us.

Bruno was always responsive. He altered the plan with my feedback and I’m not sure how the trip could have been better. We loved hiking in the national parks. Memorable was the dinner where we picked out our fish from the 8 that were available from that day’s catch. Delicious and local.

Activity Review

Leaving Istria, visit Hum and arrival to Plitvice lakes

Croatia

Fantastic. That is all.

Quality of Experience

I’m

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This has been a memorable trip in Croatia Dalmatian Islands. I contracted KimKim because of all the agencies I called, Nikola was responsive, profesional, listened to what I wished & he made it all happen with amazing guides and drivers. Split/Hvar/Brac/Vis/Korcula/Dubrovnik
All have their charm, and it’s people. Picturesque coastline, forest, vineyards, history, architecture, beaches, cuisine. There is so much that I will have to return for more.

Hotel Reviews

Heritage Hotel Santa Lucia

Split

Location was excellent. Elegant, Clean, super comfortable bedding.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Apartments & Rooms As

Vis

This is a simple studio with everything you need. Comfortable and a great location. The Host Monika was charming

Authenticity & Character

Simple as is beautiful Vis

Location

Walking everywhere Monika’s hospitality

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Yes, quaint, clean, comfortable

Hotel Osam - Adults Only

Supetar

Everything was great as the restaurant. Comfortable bedding. Classy Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Korcula

Korčula

Exellent location beautiful Hotel

Authenticity & Character

Many famous people have stayed here.

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Villa Nobile

Dubrovnik

Exellent Boutique Hotel only 8 or 9 rooms. Large rooms, comfortable bedding. Ivana was very hospitable

Authenticity & Character

Boutique Hotel

Location

Walking distance to everything in Dubrovnik

Staff

Ivana was very Hospitable

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Private Half-Day Island of Vis Tour

Vis Island

Vis Island is a quaint fishing village. It has much History from WWII and after this war. Tito’s dictatorship built military facility. The position of Vis island was a strategic place for defense. Ammunition stored, partisans stayed. Now there are lots of vineyards and fishing. Great dinner restaurant Pojoda. With our guide visited Vis town, Vislander Winery in Milna was beautiful with Great Wines. Jastogera restaurant was fun Lobster/seafood place in Komiza another beautiful town in Vis Island. Here you have the Blue Caves. Weather was bad so could not go (April)…

Quality of Experience

Lots of History

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guide/Driver very genuine & knowledgeable of all the island. Great Day in Vis island

Transport

The Blue Jeep was the perfect vehicle to see all the island

Hvar Day Trip from Split

Croatia

Hvar was a full Great Day. Visited Stari Grad, Veliko Grablje, Jelsa, Picturesque scenery throughout the island. Went to a small winery & Olive oil for tasting great time. Grgo took us for lunch to a family restaurant in Svirces for “Peca” typical Croatian meal. Lavender fields though not in season yet. Lovely day in Hvar

Quality of Experience

Grgo is knowledgeable & has pride for his island

Food

Had the best “Peca” meal for lunch in Svirces

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

Ivana is a great story teller. Go back in time during the era. Is knowledgeable & hospitable

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day of Exploring Brač Island

Croatia

Brac Hotel Osam was very elegant as is the town. Beautiful homes in the area. Visited Pucisca visited & learned about stone masonry. While there a stone roof was being repaired. Interesting never seen a stone roof…went to Vidora Gora (Very Windy) visibility was not good, but on a good day it must be breathtaking from up here to see Bol & Zlatni Rat Beach. The olive oil museum experience was fun! The lunch there was tasty.

Quality of Experience

Never knew you could make liqueur from olive oil. Interesting…

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Guided Walking Tour of Korčula

Korčula

I almost backed away from Korcula. The wind & rain was pretty bad. Many ferries cancelled. Nikola made some changes & we made it & so happy We did. It is a favorite… despite the rain & wind our Guide for the city, Lea, was fabulous. Spirited, energetic. History on the walled city. It was Easter weekend, so they had processions the city was alive. Good meal at Biancura restaurant

Quality of Experience

Lea was a fun guide as well as knowledgeable on the wall city

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Korčula Bike - Food & Wine Tour

Korčula

This particular tour was done by car. Too windy for a bicycle ride. It was a great day with our guide in Korcula. Went to a Honey Bee producer Liberan & tasting. Learned much of the Bee word and delicious Honey. Visited a small family vineyard. Tasovac Winery their white wine was wonderful. They had a red one that was very good as well. Nice lunch with the family. Drove through picturesque coastline & beaches. Great day in Korcula

Quality of Experience

Young couple doing what they love. Doing hard work to make a reality of their dream.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Guides are all very knowledgeable

Transport

I am happy we went by car. It would be to much for us in the wind by bicycle.

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

The walking tour was informative. Ivan’s is an archeologist so was very knowledgeable & a great story teller of century’s back. Never thought so many people would be there in April, but it was Easter weekend. We went up on the Cable car great views had Lunch at Panorama Restaurant overlooking Dubrovnik. Fantastic day in Dubrovnik.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Ivana was a fabulous, funny storyteller

Transport

Ston Oysters Experience & Wine Tasting

Croatia

Ston was an experience. First walked around the walled in town. Saw what the Croatians call their “ Great Walk of Croatia” large fort like structure. Later was taken by boat, to a floating barge where they had the oysters & mussels strung from the barge into the sea. Had a Lunch there. Very unique experience. We also visited a very elegant winery Milo. Their red wine was delicious.,Beautiful Day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Bruno was fantastic to work with . Having an in country contact on local time made a world of difference. He proactively reached out on a daily basis to check in, reconfirm plans for the following day, and when our flights leaving the country were canceled- he offered to help us if need be with additional arrangements! White glove service all the way!

Hotel Reviews

Best Western Premier Hotel Astoria

Zagreb

Good location, spacious rooms, nice service

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Heritage Hotel Santa Lucia

Split

Beautiful location in main plaza outside old city walls. Great staff and restaurant/bar on site.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel More

Dubrovnik

Beautiful location on Adriatic - located a bit further outside the hustle of Dubrovnik Old town, but transportation easy in/out.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Zagreb - Arrival Day & Sightseeing

Zagreb

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Ljubljana and Lake Bled (one Day Trip from Zagreb)

Zagreb

Our guide Mario was fantastic-great conversationalist.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Split Walking Tour with a visit to Diocletian Palace

Split

Very knowledgeable guide who understood history and provided great information for local restaurants and things to see outside tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pelješac penisula and Ston- triple atraction.

Split

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Private Guided Walking Tour of Dubrovnik Old Town

Dubrovnik

Our guide Kim was fantastic, she was a local living in the old city. Very knowledgeable and gave us many tips for restaurants and things to do outside of walking tour

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Goodbye Dubrovnik

Croatia

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

As is usual with KimKim trips, everything went extremely well with my visit to Croatia.
My guide Robi was excellent with his itinerary planning to all the hotel and site visitations.
I enjoed every minute.

This trip was for my husband’s 40th birthday and I would say it was an incredible way to start a new chapter! We can truly say we have seen every bit of beautiful Croatia, and what a gem it is!!!
First of all, I could not have done this without the tireless hours Robi put into planning this itinerary! We went in early November and we really enjoyed the fall weather and low crowds!!! Only minor downfall was that in some of the smaller towns, restaurant options were minimal and stores were closed for the season. But we would take that exchange for the low crowds we had the entire trip!
Robi was a rockstar with the constant communication on WhatsApp the entire trip. It was like having our personal tour guide in our pocket!!! He dropped pins of sites, restaurants, ice cream shops, and parking. Kept us up to date with the following day’s agenda, time line, who we would meet, etc. He made the trip so seamless!!
Had a great tour guide in Zagreb, named Mario, that not only picked us up from the airport on our arrival, but toured us around and passionately spoke about his country and Zagreb. Just great!
Matej delivered a rental car to us, and also picked it back up in Split. He also drove us back to the airport for our departing flight home. Took great care of us!
Robi had us vouchers and times of our arrival for Plitvice and Krka National Parks and made those experiences just wonderful! The national parks and immense amount of waterfalls were just breathtaking! It was also lovely to tour those parks without the intense heat or crowds that are typical in the high season. Those parks were a big highlight of our trip.
Split was one of our favorite cities. Warm, sunny, palm trees and history! Pero guided us around the city center and did a great job teaching us all about the Diocletian’s Palace.
Robi then became our real life, in person guide for a couple days, touring us around to Peljesac peninsula, Korcula, and Ston. His knowledge of Croatia is extensive and we enjoyed spending time with him. He also took us to a couple wineries in the Dingac valley that was an experience of a lifetime! So, so cool!! Ended our trip in Dubrovnik, a beautifully quaint town! Our hotel, Pucic Palace, was my favorite! City center as you can get and such a gorgeous antique room! Antea, our guide, filled our history cup up with a great tour and then we got to explore the small town the rest of the day!
The details of the trip did not go unnoticed and I could not have planned such a relaxing trip for myself and husband without Robi’s expertise!! I will highly recommend Robi and his services to my friends in the future. Until next time, Croatia!

Sarah was an invaluable resource when planning our trip to Croatia. She had great recommendations and was a pleasure to work with. She always responded to my many questions promptly and with her ideas. This was our third time using Kimkim for our family vacations and I will not hesitate to sue them in the future as well.

Highlights:
* Day 1 -Our Hotel and view from our room in Dubrovnik was amazing! The many options for meals (which were delicious) and the beautiful views from those areas were great! The beautiful pools, and the safe places to jump into the Adriatic and swim was really exciting!
* Day 2 - Our friendly local guide, Alberto, was SO knowledgeable about the history and people of Old Town through the centuries. He shared great tips for our own self-touring that afternoon. An extra highlight was that we were able to meet
Marija, in person that a.m. as she was there with another group and made a point of finding us to meet in person. That was a fun surprise.
* Day 3 - Marija planned our seamless arrival of our rental car and we were on our way to Split. Our local tour guide, Ivana, met us at our boutique hotel and it was a convenient walk to Diocietian's Palace. Ivana, who grew up in Split, was a great guide and pointed out the amazing features of the Palace, as well as sharing her experiences as a young girl growing up during the 5 year war.
* Day 4 - We had a beautiful drive to Krka National Park. The waterfalls there were spectacular and this day was a highlight of our trip! On to Zadar where we checked in to the Hotel Bastion, with views of the harbor nearby and easy
walk to experience the Roman and Venetian ruins on the Old Town peninsula. Lots of restaurants to choose from as well!
*Day 5 - Drove to the most famous National Park in Croatia, Plitvice Lakes where Marija had already provided tickets for
us to tour the area. Again, the waterfalls were stunning, and were so worth the walk, in spite of the cloudy day! Then on to
the capitol, Zagreb. We had another seamless transfer to our hotel after dropping off our rental car. Our driver was a great young man who shared his perspective about the 5 yr. war (at my urging). He had been a "celebration baby." His
father had survived the war, married his mother and he was born. He shared that every year they go back to the city in Eastern Croatia, where his father had fought alongside other Croatians to remember those who were lost, such a poignant story.
*Day 6 - Met up with our local guide, Josie, at our hotel and got a great tour of the center of Zagreb. Josie is a vibrant and energetic young woman who loves her city and was so excited to show the many highlights and learn from her about Zagreb's history..... from the City Square, to the famous Cathedral of Zagreb, St. Marks Church, the Dolac Market (amazing daily fresh produce, meat markets, bakeries, wine/olive oil specialties galore!), and riding the Funicular Railway from the upper town back down to the lower town. It was a FUN last day and we topped it off with having an authentic Croatian dinner where the locals go to have a great meal (one of Josie's favorites that she recommended to us). We were not disappointed!!! The BEST local food and great people!
*Day 7 - Marija arranged for our on-time driver to pick us up at 4:30 a.m. for a short, relaxing drive to the Zagreb Airport.
We had plenty of time to relax, buy a few more souvenirs and talk about what an AMAZING trip we'd had.
THANK YOU MARIJA!!!

Hotel Reviews

Royal Neptun Hotel

Dubrovnik

The Royal Neptun Hotel in Dubrovnik was absolutely amazing! Located at the north end of the city, it offered stunning views, especially at night with all the beautiful lights. It was a wonderful start to our vacation.

Hotel Luxe

Split

The Hotel Luxe in Split was in a great location for exploring the city, only about a ten-minute walk to major attractions. The hotel itself was lovely with a wonderful breakfast. The only downside was the parking situation, as it was very challenging to navigate the narrow one-way road to the hotel's parking area.

Bastion Heritage Hotel—Relais & Châteaux

Zadar

The Bastion Heritage Hotel in Zadar was absolutely beautiful. It was conveniently located just a five-minute walk from the stunning Roman ruins. The hotel offered a great breakfast, and despite some rain, the view of the inner bay with yachts was spectacular.

Best Western Premier Hotel Astoria

Zagreb

The Best Western Premier Hotel Astoria in Zagreb was nice and located conveniently near a major square.

Activity Reviews

Private Guided Walking Tour of Dubrovnik Old Town

Dubrovnik

The Private Guided Walking Tour of Dubrovnik Old Town was fantastic. Our tour guide, Alberto, was incredibly knowledgeable and seemed to know many of the locals. His stories and insights into the area's history made the tour so interesting and memorable.

Private guided walking tour of Zagreb

Zagreb

The Private guided walking tour of Zagreb was fantastic, led by a passionate and knowledgeable local guide. I loved learning about the city and visiting so many great places. Being shown where the locals eat was a wonderful touch, and the dinner was delicious.

We had an absolutely amazing vacation in Croatia! Our travel agent, Antonia ( and her assistant, Sara )were so helpful and truly made our travel so enjoyable and carefree! We wanted to see the highlights of Croatia and Antonia and Sara developed an itinerary where we visited 6 places in Croatia plus a day trip to Montenegro!
The "Trips Plans" app that we downloaded to our phones before we left the states was very helpful. A great way to be able to review our itinerary on a daily basis! And such an added bonus that Antonia and Sara would message us every evening to make sure we were set for the following day!!

We had a wonderful group of guides! A couple in particular that we felt went above and beyond to make our experience special were:
Ivana - our guide at Plitvice Lakes Park - she truly gave us a wonderful tour and she had so much knowledge about the park.
Grgo - we loved our day on the island of Hvar! Our guide, Grgo drove us around the island allowing us to visit many of the small villages on the island and it was a highlight to visit his family owned winery, enjoying the wine along with a home cooked lunch!
Mirna - Our tour guide in Split! She was very knowledgeable on the history of Split and the Diocletian Palace.

Hotel Reviews

Amadria Park Hotel Capital

Zagreb

We were greeted warmly as we arrived to the hotel and this was nice as we were definitely tired from the long flights from the states. Wonderful breakfast the following morning!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Only a short walk into town and the main square in Zagreb with restaurants and shops!

Staff

Ivana at the front desk greeted us with drinks and chocolates when we arrived - Nice touch!!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Bastion Heritage Hotel—Relais & Châteaux

Zadar

A wonderful small boutique hotel with a nice view from our hotel room. The front desk lady ( I don't remember her name though) was very helpful. She provided me with a package of throat lozenges and hot tea as I was feeling the affects of our long travel day to Croatia! She went above and beyond to make us feel welcome to Zadar!

Authenticity & Character

Small Boutique with personal service!

Location

Super close to walk to the Sea Organ for the Sunset and the restaurants and historic sights in Zadar!

Staff

The front desk lady - see above!

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel Ambasador

Split

The Hotel Ambassador was truly our favorite hotel. The service was wonderful! And the view from our hotel room was amazing!! We had a wonderful balcony looking out at the Sea where we were able to enjoy a drink with the beautiful view!! Niksa ( a server at breakfast) helped to make our mornings wonderful as we enjoyed the delicious breakfast! The special breakfast items that could be ordered ( not on the buffet) were delicious!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Perfect location to walking to the Palace, many restaurants and the nightlife in Split!!

Staff

See above on my notes about Niksa ( Breakfast server).

Cleanliness & Comfort

Our hotel room had wonderful amentities!! And the rooms were very spacious! Loved our view from our hotel room balcony!!And our king size bed looked out to the Sea!! Beautiful!!

Aminess Korčula Heritage Hotel

Korčula

We loved the small and quaint island of Korcula, but the Aminess Korcula Heritage Hotel is very tired and needs to be renovated! The rooms are extremely small and the bathroom shower is way too small! I would suggest guests are not booked at this hotel until the renovation can be completed!

Authenticity & Character

The hotel needs to be renovated!

Location

Location is great - perfect for walking around the quaint island!

Staff

The front desk staff were very welcoming and although the hotel is tired looking, the staff helped to make our experience at the hotel enjoyable!

Cleanliness & Comfort

The hotel needs to be renovated- bathroom ( shower) is way too small!!

Hotel More

Dubrovnik

Beautiful hotel with wonderful views from our hotel room as well as the Cave Bar! We actually enjoyed not staying in the walled city - It was only a 10 minute Uber ride from our hotel to the walled city. We went to the walled city to walk the walls as well as for dinner one evening when we were in Dubrovnik. The hotel is confusing though to navigate the floors for the hotel rooms, breakfast, etc. It took us a couple days before we understood the layout of the hotel!

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful views

Location

Very convenient and easy to get an uber ride from the hotel to Dubrovnik's walled city.

Staff

The hotel staff could have done a better job of showing us the pool, hot tub and restaurant location. It took us some time to navigate the hotel property.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Hotel rooms were very spacious and the views from our hotel room balcony was wonderful!

Activity Reviews

Private Walking Tour of Plitvice Lakes National Park

Croatia

We definitely recommend touring the Plitvice Lakes Park - absolutely beautiful!! We really enjoyed having a private guide - Ivana (our tour guide) was very knowledgeable and helped to make our experience so enjoyable. She was able to show us areas and give us information on the park that would have been difficult if we didn't have a guide!

Quality of Experience

Beautiful Park and a great way to begin our vacation in Croatia!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Allan did a great job of driving us from Zagreb to the Plitivice Park.

Gourmet Experience at Local Winery

Croatia

We loved this experience! The staff at the Ante Sladic Winery made our experience very special! We were able to meet the wine makers ( Ante and his grandfather, Yure). We even were able to take photos with both of them! Simon did a wonderful job of guiding us through the wines he was serving with the homemade lunch!

Quality of Experience

Food

The Homemade lunch served with the Ante Sladic wines was delicious!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above on the guide and wine makers from Ante Sladic Winery!

Transport

Duga was our driver from our hotel in Zadar to Krka National and then onto the Ante Sladic Winery and finally to our hotel in Split! He was a great conversationalist as we drove to the various stops for the day!

Private Walking Tour of Split

Croatia

We had a morning walking tour of Split with a private guide, Mirna, She was very knowledgeable as we walked through the Diocletian Palace ( lots of great information about the history of the Palace and the Roman Emperor Diocletian) and the downtown area of Split. She was also able to give us suggestions of other areas of Split we could tour later in the afternoon ( the Marjan Park with beautiful views of Split).

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Hvar Day Trip from Split

Croatia

Our day on the island of Hvar was one of our favorite days! Grgo, our tour guide met us when we got off the catamaran boat ( coming from Split). We had a wonderful day as he drove us around the island visiting many of the small villages and learning about the history of the island of Hvar. We ended our day enjoying a lunch at the Matkovic Winery ( Grgo's family winery) with a homemade lunch made by his mom and enjoying the wines. We did not spend anytime in the town of Hvar. As Grgo suggested, it was more enjoyable to see the more remote areas of the island!

Quality of Experience

Food

The homemade lunch was delicious!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

We really enjoyed our Guide, Grgo!

Transport

Private Walking Tour of Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

We had a couple hour tour with a private guide (Ivana) in the walled city in Dubrovnik. It was important to have the tour to learn more about the history of the walled city. So when we returned to walk the walls, we had a better understanding of the history of the city and its amazing walls!!

Quality of Experience

After the couple hour tour of the walled city with Ivana, she walked us to the Cable Car. This was a wonderful experience - taking the cable car to see the beautiful views and enjoy a delicious dinner at the Panorama restaurant. We highly recommend making a reservation at the Panorama restaurant. The food was wonderful and the views spectacular!!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Ivana was very knowledgeable and helpful!!

Transport

Our driver, Peter picked us up at our hotel and drove us to the walled city to meet our guide, Ivana.

Private Lumbarda Wine Tour & Konoba Dinner

Korčula

We really enjoyed our morning time by ourselves on the quaint island of Korcula! In the afternoon, we met our guide, Damir at our hotel and he drove us to the Lumbarda area for a personal winery tasting at a local winery. Since we travelled in late Oct to Croatia, many of the wineries were closed for the season. We enjoyed the small winery tasting and tour but it was our understanding that we would be touring a couple wineries with a pasta dinner at one of them ( that was what was stated on our Trip App). After we visited the one winery, Damir drove us back to Korcula and we had dinner with him. We would have preferred enjoying dinner by ourselves since the 2nd winery was not an option.

Quality of Experience

Food

See above regarding the food and wineries availability

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Damir was a good guide showing us the area of Lumbarda

Transport

Sea Kayak Tour on Korčula

Korčula

Super fun to be able to go Kayaking in the Sea! We enjoyed our guide, Mislav. He was full of great information and very funny!! During our kayak trip, we stopped at an old island of Vrnik ( with an old limestone quarry). Super cool to see that and learn more about the history of the area!

Quality of Experience

See above!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

See above about our guide, Mislav

Transport

A taxi driver picked us up at our hotel and delivered us back to our hotel after the kayaking

Private Day Trip to Montenegro - Perast & Kotor

Dubrovnik

Montenegro was spectacular!! We were so happy that we scheduled a day tour to see the country!! Our guide, Mirjana was wonderful. She was so very knowledgeable -we toured both Perast and Kotor! The small boat trip from Perast to see the "Our Lady of the Rocks" old church was wonderful! After touring Kotor, we had a choice to have lunch in the town of Kotor or take the cable car to the Forza restaurant at the top. We were so happy that we chose taking the cable car and we loved the beautiful views and the lunch from the top!!

Quality of Experience

See above!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide, Mirjana was wonderful!

Transport

Our driver, Peter did a wonderful job of driving us across the border ( we only had a 45 minute wait getting through the border crossing between Croatia and Montenegro.

Konavle Region Culinary Experience (small group)

Croatia

The cooking class and experience in Konavle at the Kameni Dvori family estate was a wonderful way to spend our last evening in Croatia!! The guides and family members (Nike and Katarina) made the experience of helping to cook our dinner so much fun ( we made homemade bread and pasta)! And we had lots of laughs with the 2 other guests that we met! We even walked through the family farm to pick vegetables and fruits for our dinner!

Quality of Experience

See Above

Food

The food was delicious and it was fun taking part in the preparation and cooking of our meal!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The Kameni Dvori family members are full of so much love for the area and the farm that they live on!!

Transport