Soul of Croatia

This was a trip of a lifetime. Everything was as we expected. The hotels were as described and matched what was important to me: location and cleanliness being high on my list, as well as reasonable cost. Our group all came from different directions so there was lots of airport pick ups and we appreciated that. The biking routes were fantastic with many picturesque views of the sea. I loved visiting the olive oil museum and had a fabulous lunch there. Another highlight was the lunch on Mljet. My favorite island was Korcula. Our guide, Borna , was great. Always waiting for us at strategic points and always making sure we had water and snacks. Plus he had a great sense humor and great music. He made it fun. He solved problems like when the navigation app was not working and when our day was threatened by rain. Overall the planning and service was great. I’d love to do another adventure with them.

My husband, 11 year old son and I visited Split, the island of Korcula, and Dubrovnik for ten days in October. It was the most amazing and perfect trip we could have dreamed of. Our agent, Robi, made a point to get exactly what we wanted to do. Everything went perfectly, from the time the driver picked us up at the airport, to the time the driver dropped us off at the airport. Robi planned a cooking class for us, a private tour of a winery, a private tour of both old town Split and Dubrovnik, a boat tour of the Elaphiti islands, and even was able to provide us a driver at the last minute for unplanned fun! The hotel accommodations were beautiful and clean. Robi went out of his way to make this a special, unforgettable experience for us. Robi’s local, personal knowledge of the area and culture really made it a memorable trip. If I could give him 100 stars out of 5 I would.

Hotel Reviews

Cornaro Hotel

Split

This hotel was clean, beautiful and had very friendly staff. The location to Old Town Split was very convenient with easy walking access to everything. The breakfast was delicious with a huge selection.

Authenticity & Character

Amazing views

Location

Easy walkability. Convenient for exploring Old Town Split.

Staff

Friendly, helpful and spoke good English.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Everything was clean. They did a turn down service in the evening.

Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President Hotel

Dubrovnik

The hotel is spectacular. There are amazing views from the lobby and the rooms. The staff went out of their way to remember us and be helpful to us. We had to catch a very early flight and the staff made sure we had breakfast to go and a bellman to help us with our luggage. The location is not walkable but there’s easy access to reliable bus transportation and we never had trouble calling an uber. There is a huge indoor pool, a nice sized outdoor pool and a fantastic beach club. The breakfast options were great with a huge variety and delicious smoothies, coffee and juices. The room was big, clean, and comfortable.

Authenticity & Character

The facility is clean, modern, and well maintained.

Location

The views are spectacular with access to a beach club. The only downside is the distance from Old Town but there’s easy access to bus transportation and taxis.

Staff

Super friendly with them remembering our names and going out of their way to be helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The bathroom was huge with a separate shower stall and tub with heated floor!

Aminess Liburna Hotel

Korčula

Beautiful views and convenient for walking. The beds were comfortable. The carpet was a little worn but clean. Good breakfast.

Authenticity & Character

Beautiful views

Location

Easy walkability.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Explore Split and Diocletians palace

Split

Our guide was super friendly and knowledgeable about the area. He spoke great English and was very accommodating to our son.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Arrival in Split and transfer to accommodation

Split

The driver wass on time, friendly, and had a clearly marked sign for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Split : Cooking Class, private or group

Split

Our chef was super accommodating to our dietary requests. My son and husband are not seafood eaters but the chef easily planned a menu around that. He took us to the markets, taught us stuff about the food and culture of Croatia and taught us three new dishes. He walked our son through bread making and taught me how to descale, gut, and cook a fresh fish. My husband, the more experienced cook in the family, even learned a thing or two. This class was one of the highlights of the trip.

Quality of Experience

The chef made a point to cater to our needs. We enjoyed the experience as family bonding time.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our chef was awesome. Taught us lots of new things about cooking, shopping in the area, wine, the culture, and more.

Transport

It was easy to find the chef and the walk around town was very interesting. The chef even went out of his way to show us the football stadium because he knew my husband was interested.

Krka National Park- 1 days trip from Split

Split

The park was beautiful. It was our only rainy day of the trip and we still enjoyed the park.

Quality of Experience

Pelješac penisula and Ston- triple atraction - from Korčula

Korčula

Our driver/guide Robi was amazing. He lined up a private tour of a winery and took us to the salt mines which my husband really wanted to see. He gave us a personalized tour of the area and even introduced to his family. This day really made us feel special. Robi made our vacation spectacular. We could not have asked for a better time.

Quality of Experience

Beautiful scenery, delicious wine, interesting tour, and an amazing guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Robi’s knowledge of the area was unbeatable. He was a great guide for the whole trip.

Transport

The van was comfortable and easily held our luggage.

Visit to Korčula island and town

Korčula

There’s a long ferry ride to the island from Split but once you get there it’s a pretty little place.

Quality of Experience

Transport

Wine tasting on Pelješac peninsula

Croatia

The winery was very interesting even for our 11 year old. The wine was delicious!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Dubrovnik Old Town and the City Walls

Croatia

The guide was super informative and knowledgeable. She really specialized the tour for what we showed interest in and was so sweet to our 11 year old who was not nearly as interested in history as the adults.

Quality of Experience

Personalized tour with a super knowledgeable guide.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Our guide was great and super sweet to our son.

Transport

We easily met the guide on time.

Private boat trip to Elafiti islands

Croatia

The boat trip was so fun. We went in October and it was too cool to swim but seeing the islands and the tiny towns was super interesting. Our guide was very friendly and a good captain. He had a cooler full of drinks ready for us.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Super friendly, helpful and knowledgeable captain!

Transport

The boat was very spacious and comfortable. Our captain was so nice and made the day spectacular.

Goodbye Dubrovnik

Dubrovnik

Our driver was on time and helpful.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Our experience included 4 couples for 6 nights out with Robbi and his first mate Dorio . Initially we had a shaky weather forecast however the motto of this group is to go no matter what and we can't be more thrilled. While we started out with a little rain, Robbi adeptly moved our group through the day to make sure we were under cover at just the moment the weather hit. Better than that, we were wine tasting watching the big storm move in. From that point forward we had beautiful weather . Robbi showed us the best spots for a swim or hike, best food in the small fishing villages and he knew exactly when a rain storm was going to impact our bike ride. (We literally landed at Robbi's spot for lunch as the clouds opened up. )
Robbi has superb talent in remembering and telling jokes, while also demonstrating a deep knowledge of the history of Croatia, the land and sea.
Our experience cannot be complete without mentioning the work of Dorio who made coffee every morning, kept the boat safe and in his own rite a comedian.

Activity Reviews

Pelješac peninsula and Ston

Šipan

Starting here was a day to transition for everyone from other travels. Robbi had a perfect itinerary that kept us active and entertained while we settled into the boat life

Quality of Experience

It was a day of transition, the wall walk in Ston and the wine tasting were the best as the weather kept us guessing.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

On time exactly as we departed dubrovnik and made our way out.

Korčula

Ston

Robbi picked a great spot for dinner. Time the next morning for showers and stroll through the old city. One of my favorite spots in Croatia.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sailing to Mljet Island and National Park

Croatia

The hiking and food on first night was incredible.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pelješac- Dingač region and Žuljana bay

Žuljana

The best food. Fresh fish out of the Sea grilled beautifully.

Quality of Experience

Staring to relax now, the weather is great, the swim spots are terrific.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Walking or hiking in National park Mljet

Croatia

We hiked a short hike and rode e-bikes through the national park. Again. Robbi adeptly moved us in the right direction on that day to avoid the weekend crowds and to arrive for lunch just as the clouds burst.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sailing to Šipan island

Croatia

More goodness in the swim spots and relaxation of the group. Beautiful sailing weather as well.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Sailing Elafiti islands

Croatia

And out with a bang. Swim spot into cave again navigated perfectly by Robbi to keep us safe while swimming with other boats. Our last lunch of Calamari and more wine really put an exclamation point on the trip.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Roberto was an excellent travel advisor. From our first email conversation, he always seemed to know what we needed. His network of drivers were always there when scheduled. And we’re very knowledgeable. The guides spoke excellent English and led us through our adventure with all their local knowledge. Johnny was especially helpful after I forgot the vouchers for our Krka National Park tour. Within minutes, he notified Roberto and Roberto sent him the vouchers.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Marul

Split

Lovely boutique hotel of 14 rooms. It was within walking distance of all the old town. Very good morning breakfast. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Walking distance to all the old town sites.

Staff

So very helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Valamar Collection Dubrovnik President Hotel

Dubrovnik

Huge hotel . Around 500 rooms. Our room 3049 was about a quarter mile to the elevator. The room was very nice but the view of the beach was obscured by shrubs. The view overlooking the Adriatic and the sunsets was great. The beach was quite nice and the staff was helpful.

Activity Reviews

Arrival in Split and transfer to accommodation

Split

Explore Split & Diocletian's palace

Split

Krka National Park- 1 days trip from Split

Split

Beautiful drive up to the park and back. The ferry ride up to the falls nice. Not too long, just 15 minutes. The white swans were so elegant. The hike up the falls was a bit steep but the history of the power house was enlightening. A very pleasant tour.

Our custom trip was everything we hoped for and more. The accomodations were well located, charming and intimate (sometimes only three rooms for whole hotel). We frequently had balconies and outdoor spaces in our hotels. The support crew was excellent, vehicles new and well kept and response time from Robert during the trip was excellent. Arrangements were made for interesting side trips, and the selected bike routes offered stunning views. All in all a top notch experience.

My husband and I, along with my two daughters and their spouses, just spent 2 weeks in Croatia and we had the most amazing time! Robi could not have organized a more perfect trip for us. Planning was so easy with Robi - always extremely responsive, thorough and communications were very clear and detailed. He organized all of our local travel. connections, accommadions as well as local guides for tours in Split and Dubrovnik (Peter and Paulina respectively, were also so knowledgeable, helpful and fun!). We loved the complete flexibility in the schedule, activities and personalized itinerary he created for us.

Highlight of our trip was definitely the 6 days we spent sailing and exploring the Dalmation coast on a catamaran with Robi and Borna visiting Ston, Mali Ston, Slano and the islands of Mljet (with its beautiful National Park), Sipan and Lopud to name a few. We visited wineries in the Peljesac wine region and discovered many incredible wines that we enjoyed throughout our trip. Lots of hiking, biking, walking and climbing countless fortress walls, tasting fresh oysters right out of the sea and soaking in the sun and spectacular scenery. Robi is an incredibly skilled captain and guide, taking us to many “hidden gems” along the coast for swimming, paddle boarding and exploring.

Great food was a priority for us and Robi made sure that we enjoyed a wide range of the best Croatian culinary experiences. His restaurant and food recommendations were fabulous. We sampled so many wonderful regional dishes (oysters, mussels, octopus, calamari, peka, black risotto, pasticada, cevapi, brodetto, and of course Ston cake!), at both charming local and fine dining establishments.

We have so many wonderful memories, we cannot thank Robi enough. He is so personable, fun, professional and passionate with such in-depth knowledge of Croatian history and culture. His top priority was for us to have a fun filled, stress free and safe holiday. We thoroughly enjoyed every single minute and we would strongly recommend kimkim and Robi's services and catamaran tour.

Robi was very kind. He was available at all times with maps, pins for meeting places, the next day activities, and recommendations. Every driver for transfers was kind and helpful. hotels were well located, very clean and extraordinarily hospitable. We were very happy with the food, wine, and so many very personal experiences.

The trip was absolutely amazing!
Roberto (Robi) did an unbelievable job getting it all organized, it was truly a trip of a lifetime. From the moment we got there we felt welcomed and very well taken care of from our wonderful drivers (Matty and Dino) to our tour guides (Petar and Antea). All, including Robi, were very gracious with a great passion and wealth of knowledge for their country. I would highly recommend Robi to anyone as much for his professionalism as well as his genuine heart and above and beyond service that shines through, often checking in with everyone to make sure all are enjoying their experience. Unforgettable trip!