To be totally honest with you all, Matt and I didn’t know a whole lot about Croatia when we booked half our honeymoon there. We both have friends who had nothing but wonderful 
things to say, the Internet seemed to agree and after looking at some photos and doing some research on the food, we were sold. We stumbled upon an incredible travel company, JayWay, based in Croatia that would help us to plan the most wonderful vacation of our lives (so far) for MUCH less than we had budgeted to spend on the trip. All signs pointed to “yes.” As is the theme of this three blog series, I have endless things to say about our experience in Croatia but for now, I will keep things food related.
We flew from Paris to Dubrovnik late Wednesday night. Our travel agent had arranged the trip down to every detail so the entire process was insanely simple. We were immediately greeted by a private driver who took us to our hotel, where we had been upgraded to a two bedroom villa as a “Happy Honeymoon” gift. He also gave us some restaurant recommendations and, as if he could read my mind, informed us on which gelato shop in town was best. I can tell you now, after trying most if not all of the gelato in Dubrovnik, that he was correct. Matt and I spent a couple hours strolling through the old city, which is walled and looks like something out of a fairy tale before heading to bed.
The next morning, we were greeted by the local travel rep at breakfast. She went over our itinerary, equipped us with a local cell phone in case we needed her, sipped some of the best coffee I have ever had and before she left, gifted us with some local chocolates and a bottle of wine. Breakfast, by the way, was no grab and go continental breakfast. It was complete with with cheese and charcuterie, fresh eggs, bacon and sausage, fresh picked fruit (from the garden at the hotel), pastries, fresh squeezed juice, hot coffee, and bread with homemade olive oil. This was the case every day – with one exception, which I’ll get to shortly.
You know how Paris was all about rich and decadent foods? Well Croatia was the opposite. If you ask anybody in the coastal cities of Croatia what the locals eat, they will all just respond with, “fish.” Kind of obvious, right? I mean, we spent half our time sitting on cliffs looking out to sea. All of the seafood we had was incredible and I learned that the best topping for fresh fish is fresh olive oil and garlic.
The olive oil – that’s the other thing. You’ll get great olive oil in any Mediterranean country but with all my travels, I have never had olive oil as rich and tasty as the olive oil I had in Croatia. Unreal.
Anyway, we spent time in Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split before we flew back to Paris. We ate seafood and gelato and olive oil in every city but there were two more dining experiences that really stuck out to me.
Most of our time in Hvar was spent on a boat exploring different caves and islands. It was amazing and we had some great meals while out and about! But I think Matt and I were both most excited to see what our hotel had in store for us for breakfast. Our travel agent informed us that Hvar was our most romantic destination so we splurged and went with a five star boutique hotel and a room with huge shuttered windows that opened up the the water. The dessert tray waiting for us in the room was enough to make us both the happiest humans, but breakfast the next day took things next level.
We went down to eat before meeting the boat captain only to find that our table was set with champagne and fresh juice. Breakfast was buffet style with entire tables filled with locally made cheeses, cured meats, egg and omelet stations, homemade yogurt, seasonal fruit, every type of grain and oat you can imagine, smoothies, breads & butters, fresh jam, crepes and essentially anything else you could ever want. I mean, they had me at champagne on the table but it really was all incredible.
From Hvar we took a ferry to Split where we spent our first day walking and learning about the city and hiking trails comparing views. There was a lot of food and shopping local markets involved and then we were picked up in Split by a private tour guide early on our last day.
He drove us about three hours to Plitvice Lakes National Park. It was really cool to see the landscape (and the temperature) change as we drove up, through and over the mountains away from the coast. The lakes were absolutely stunning – and luckily empty since we came after the tourist season. The colors blew my mind and even now as I look back on photos, they feel fake!
Anyway, we didn’t eat inside the park. We ate on our way back. Our tour guide/driver asked us if we minded if he picked the restaurant. Of course, we didn’t and we were pleasently surprised when he pulled up to a tiny little restaurant with huge smokers outside. You could smell the wood before the car was in park and we instantly knew we were in for a treat.
Since we were up in the lake region, the owner recommended trout. I didn’t take much convincing so I ordered it immediately and then waiting, mouth watering, as they fired up the smoker outside. Matt ordered a lamb stew that looked, smelled and tasted incredible too. The meal was delicious but that’s not what makes it stand out. Our guide sat and ate with us, which I loved because I still had a ton of questions I wanted to ask him. He showed me how to swiftly and properly de-bone the entire fish all while chatting with every employee and every guest that walked by. He was clearly a regular.
Every bite, snack and meal in Croatia was one for the books. You just cannot beat fresh caught seafood and local foodie advice. It took less than 24 hours for us to decide that we would be back as soon as humanly possible.
Have you ever been to Croatia? What was your favorite meal?
Rebecca McKinney
I wanted to create this blog for a few reasons. First and foremost, to share tips, tricks, and knowledge about the food and beverage industry in general but also to help people see a different side of the restaurant world. Every restaurant has a totally unique culture and world within it. I want to help open people’s eyes to more than how fast the service is or how easy or hard it is to secure a reservation.
So, thanks for stopping by! I welcome your ideas, input, and feedback and hope you enjoy!
Eat well & travel often,
Becky McKinney
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