Podstrana - Split - Omis

I wanted to share some of the highlights from the places we visited in Croatia. Although we only stayed for four nights, we were lucky to explore a few of the surrounding areas.


After extensive research, I decided to book Villa Pinocchio which is in the town of Podstrana. We flew into Split airport and Podstrana was a 30 minute taxi ride away. The hotel kindly arranged a taxi for us at a cost of roughly £30 one way. For our return journey, we actually used Uber and this was only £22.


I'll start of by explaining the area of Podstrana as this was our 'base' in Croatia.


Podstrana

As mentioned before, Podstrana is only 30 mins away from the airport. It is also only a 20 minute bus ride into the main area of Split.


The buses are fairly regular (run every 20-30 minutes) and pretty cheap (roughly £1.20 pp. each way). You can buy a ticket on the bus and sometimes these need validating.


The area of Podstrana is located directly on the Adriatic coast. The beaches are man made and pebbly (so bring your water shoes). The sea was relatively calm whilst we were there and it does gradually get deeper the further out you go (go figure...).



The area mainly has small family run b'n'b's as well as a few larger hotels. One of which is the La Meridien Lav Split which is a stunning five star hotel with it's own private marina for all those super yachts.


The area has a number of restaurants which are mainly seafood or Italian restaurants. There is also a few supermarkets (mainly the Ribola chain) as well as an excursion company which also hires bikes (£8 for six hours).


Overall it is a pretty quiet area but it has everything you'd need for a short break. We found a great place called Beach Bar Lungomare (say hi to Lulu the dog) which sells cocktails by the litre for roughly £12.


The area is great if you want some beach time but are also keen to explore Split centre. If you're heading to the Split area for more than three days then I'd say this could be a good base for you.


Split

Moving onto Split now. Although we wanted to explore the historical area of Split and see all the beautiful Roman ruins, we also wanted more than just a 'city break' hence why we didn't want to stay in a small hotel located in city centre.


The hotels in Split are nice and traditional however there's no beach in Split centre (it's on the sea but only boat trips/ferries) and most hotels don't have a pool. Some people won't mind this but I wanted the opportunity to swim in the sea and cool off in the heat.


We headed into Split one morning and found that within maybe four hours, we'd seen all that we needed to see. Diocletian's Palace is the main place we wanted to check out. We wasn't sure what to expect but it was beautiful. Lot's of little archways and allies led to the main bell tower and cathedral. We paid the £2 to climb the bell tower which dates back to the 13th century.


The views from the top were breath-taking but I must admit, I was a tad scared of the height and the rather low railings.




Split has lots of little bars and restaurants. Again the main cuisine is seafood and Italian. They are also fairly reasonably priced. Of course those directly along the waterfront or in the main square tend to be more expensive but overall we paid £25 for a main meal and a beer/wine each.

I must admit the shopping was not particularly exciting. Thankfully it wasn't full of the usual tourist tat but it also didn't feel like there was anything worth buying (which speaks volumes from the self-confessed shopaholic). We did find lots of stalls selling lavender products and jewellery made from Adriatic coral though.

Most of the excursions leave from Split centre. The boats obviously from the main waterfront and other trips from the various offices. What I found very odd was when booking an excursion, they do not pick you up from your hotel. I've always been used to being picked up directly from the hotel and dropped back so this was a surprise to me.

If you only had two nights in Split then I'd say to stay in Split centre. That way you can soak up the atmosphere at night (apparently they have live music in the main square) and simply wander around and take it all in. However, if you have a longer trip and like the beach then Omis should be your choice.

Omis

I had briefly read about Omis on Trip advisor however it was only a place we would visit if we got the chance to. We loved Omis so much that we ended up visiting it twice during our stay.

Omis is located 41 km from Split airport so would take roughly an hour to get to. On our first trip to Omis, we decided to hire bikes and cycle there. It was only 13 km from Podstrana and it took roughly 45 minutes to get there. The second time we opted for the bus which took about 30 mins (not much quicker than the bike with all the stops!).

As soon as you see the rocky mountains against the green gorge and blue sea - it's heaven. Omis has various shops, restaurants and bars. It has a lot more to offer than Podstrana.


There are two Forts in Omis. Mirabella Fortress is probably the first one you'll see. It sits pretty overlooking the town. You look up and think it's nice and easy to get to. It is quite steep and getting right to the top did require a harsh talking to (they seriously do not know anything about health and safety here) however the views were worth it. It cost roughly £2 to explore.


The second Fort, Starigrad Fortress, is a sneaky one. I didn't actually see it at all to begin with. Peter did and wanted to find it. After cycling (ok part cycle and a lot pushing the bikes up hill - thanks Peter) we came to a tiny sign staying Fortress. We locked the bikes up and set off on foot.

After walking up steep steps for about 100 meters I looked up and realised just how high we had to go, the air promptly turned blue. After giving myself another harsh talking to, we continued on. The hike was approximately 3km to the top and I believe 300 meters high.

Although it was blistering hot, it was really worth the effort. We of course had to pay an entrance fee (only £1.50pp) and were greeted by a lovely man who also sold water (thank god as I was starting to ration our supply).


Other than the lovely (albeit hard) hikes, Omis also has a stunning gorge where you can rock climb and raft down the river. It also has the most stunning coast line. There is another large island opposite so the sea is incredibly calm and also sandy. You could walk out pretty far before it got deeper so this made it a lot safer for children.


Omis had a traditional holiday resort feel to it but without the tacky tourist. A lot of the people there were locals or seem to be from Germany and Italy. I feel bad saying this but thankfully there wasn't large families of noisy Brits.

I would happily visit Omis again. I think the kids would have an amazing time playing in the sea and enjoying the gelato.

Croatia had been on my 'country list' for a few years now and I definitely wasn't disappointed. I always assumed I would do a sailing trip around Croatia and although we did a boat trip to the blue lagoon and a lovely little island which name escapes me, I wasn't that impressed.

Having been on quite a few different boat trips on holiday before, I have been spoilt seeing some gorgeous places and snorkelling in some great locations. Maybe other places in Croatia are better for sailing than Split but either way it was a great experience.

Biking, hiking and strange creatures

Our first holiday together has been wonderful so far. 

Croatia is an amazing country. The countryside is beautiful, a mix of dryness with the limestone rocky mountains and the stunning crystal clear Adriatic Sea. 

The people have been very friendly so far. The area we’re staying in, Podstrana, is right on the sea but doesn’t feel like a typical tourist destination. 

There are lots of small family run b n b style accommodation. It’s much nicer than commercial areas with huge hotels. 

We’re staying at Villa Pinocchio. I loved the name of the hotel and it’s about 15 meters from the sea - bliss.

We explored Split yesterday. We took the bus into the centre and discovered the area. I wanted to see Diocletian’s palace and it didn’t disappoint. 

Wandering through the small archways exploring the hidden treasures Split has to offer was fantastic and (yes I’m going to sound soppy) it’s been even more magical having Peter by my side. 

For years I’ve loved travelling. I’ve enjoyed my own company, I’ve loved my own agenda and answering to only myself however when you have the right person by your side, things just perfectly click into place. 

Peter loves being active, just like me, so we did a great workout on the beach yesterday. One legged squats and far too many hip exercises. 

After yesterday’s workout, I had the grand idea of hiring bikes. I wanted to visit Omis which is 13km away from our hotel. I figured it would be a nice flat ride. My god it was hard work. 

I’m used to riding my lovely light carbon fibre Specialize bike. Not this mammoth uber heavy mountain bike. Needless to say, my butt is sore. 

The cycle along the coast was lovely and didn’t take too long (maybe 40 mins). When we got to Omis, it was breathtaking. 

The mountains were huge and so exposed. Set against the beautiful blue waters in the sea and green waters in the canyon.

We wanted to visit the Fort. We realised there were two. After getting lost multiple times, we set back along the path (I may have told Peter is was wrong before).

After abandoning the bikes, we headed along a rocky path. I then looked up and saw the Fort. It was bloody miles away up high. I may have turned the air as blue as the sea - oh dear. 

However, being the stubborn cow that I am, I persist and despite my dodgy foot (soft tissue damage thanks to pole), it took us about an hour to get to the top. I made a joke that we better not have to pay to look around. We did have to pay, 150kn (about £1.75).

There was a little room at the top with a lovely man called Neina. He has to make that journey each day that he works. He was telling us he sometimes sleeps overnight, I don’t blame him. 

After taking in the magical views, it was time to head back down. Thankfully this was a lot quicker than coming up. Although it was a little more risky as the stones were marble and slippery. 

By this point it was around 3:30pm and we were starving. I definitely think we worked for our lunch so we stopped at a little restaurant in Omis. We ordered what we thought was a burger and chips but it turned out to be a more traditional dish, it was lovely. 

After lunch it was time to head back to our hotel. After the cycle here and the little hike (plus yesterday’s squats) my legs and butt were a little tender. 

Surprisingly it didn’t take too long to get back. Although it was later in the day, I couldn’t wait to head into the sea for a swim. 

Because there were thunderstorms overnight, the sea was a little murky but it was still beautiful. 

In the evening, we decided to walk along to the marina and we were admiring the incredible yacht’s when I noticed something black swimming in the sea. At first I thought it was a type of jelly fish, then maybe a squid and then after an extensive google search we discovered it was called a sea hare. 

These sea hares are native to the Caribbean so we have no idea how it came about to be in the Adriatic Sea. 

I can’t believe how quick the holiday has gone. This was always just a quick break (four nights) but I’m sad how fast it’s going. 

We’ve got a boat trip booked to explore the blue lagoon and some other islands so that’ll be fun. It’s been nice spending time with Peter and exploring country 49 together. 

Country 49 coming up...

I've been having holiday withdrawal symptoms. I've been back from Australia for nearly two months now without leaving the country. We booked to go to Croatia back in March (bold after only being together for about a month) and it's come around so quick.


Croatia has always been on my list of places to travel to. I always assumed I would end up doing one of the sailing trips around all the islands. I nearly booked a boat trip last year but I decided to book a slightly larger boat trip instead, the Royal Caribbean cruise.


I've seen many gorgeous pictures of Croatia on Istagram. Lots of turquoise seas and cute pebble beaches. And some amazing looking food dishes, plenty of fresh seafood and locally produced wine.


We decided to ease ourselves in and booked a four night stay at the adorable Villa Pinocchio. This is situation about 7km outside of Split and right on the beach.


I love the idea of having the best of both worlds. Being right on the beach, being able to relax in a quieter seaside resort (I have a feeling it'll be similar to Marina di Pisa) but then being  short bus ride away from both Split and Omis.


I understand parts of Game of Thrones was filmed in Split. The stunning Diocletian's Palace is a famous place where filming took place. I'm not a fan of GoT however I do love surrounding myself in history.


Although I'm a huge planner (there's an itinerary and check list for most things in my life), when I'm actually away I simply love wandering around and taking it all in. There's nothing better than wandering around cobbled streets and people watching under the hot sun.


It's been a busy year so far in my life with the new job, the wonderful new man (whom I can't wait to enjoy our first holiday together) and my pole dance competitions. This break came at the best time. However, me being the fool I am managed to full blown kick my pole during training and I now have soft tissue damage to my foot and I'm hobbling around on crutches.


I'm really hoping a few days rest will do the trick and I'll be fine to wander around those cobbled streets. Otherwise it will be a much more different holiday and I won't want Peter having to do too much for me.


Either way a few days in the heat, enjoying Croatia will be just what the doctor ordered.