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Recommendations for Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik for September

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in early September my husband is taking our two adult children to Croatia for a "roots" trip to visit where his mother's family is from. I normally plan our trips because we are independent travelers and I enjoy it. Since I am not on this trip, for the past 12 months my husband has been telling me that he is going to plan the trip and does not need my help.

Seeing not much planning happening, I would occasionally gently nag and cross my fingers that all was going well. Well late last night the panic button was hit and my husband "begged" me to help because he has no reservations other than RT flights from the US and he "doesn't have time to reserve anything". I don't have the time to do my normal research so I am scrambling which is the purpose of my post. I do understand that many places will be booked. I spent all of May in Europe and it was much more crowded than last year and I anticipate that Croatia will be pretty crowded in September. Our budget is pretty open since last minute travelers usually cannot expect discounts or low cost hotel rooms. I am looking for either two rooms or one room that fits three people.

Here is where I would appreciate forum help with:
1. Hotel recommendations for Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. I don't really know the best area to stay in so I would appreciate advice with that issue too. Is it better to stay in the Old Town of Split? Dubrovnik?
2. Restaurant recommendations for Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik. My family is pretty adventurous when it comes to food. My daughter also likes vegetarian restaurants too.
3. In looking over Rick's suggested itineary, I see that he has "dots" along the route. Does that mean ferries between those three cities? What is the best way to get between Split, Hvar and Dubrovnik?

My husband had no suggested itinerary so I had pulled up Rick's suggestions and worked with my husband to design a trip for the 13 days he has planned for the trip.
Many thanks for all suggestions and help.

Posted by
8005 posts

I was recently on the RS Best of the Adriatic tour. Here’s the hotels where we stayed:

Split: Hotel Globo Split - this one is a 10-minute walk north from the old center of Dubrovnik. The neighborhood isn’t anything special, but the hotel rooms were nice.

Dubrovnik: Hotel Aquarius - this one requires a 10-minute bus ride to reach the old center. It has a nice but small pool out front which is great when you’re hot at the end of the day. The rooms look & feel old.

I did an independent day away from the tour group (didn’t go to Mostar), so I actually went to Hvar during the trip. I really enjoyed that location! It is expensive, and there’s hardly any places for lodging. I found mine through Booking.com. At this point, probably anything available will be what he books.

I took the Krilo passenger catamaran ferries from Split to Hvar on Hvar Island and from Hvar to Korcula on Korcula Island. Purchase the tickets on-line at least a few days ahead of time because I’ve heard they do sell out.

Good luck! It’s a beautiful area!

Posted by
4347 posts

Hi, we will also be in Croatia is September. I can help a little.

  1. Definitely stay in the old town in Split and Dubrovnik
  2. Take ferries between each place. Look at Croatiaferries.com for times. Look at Krilo ferries, then go to their website to book. I like to book ahead of time to cross something off my list.
  3. Don’t worry about restaurant reservations. Most places serve great food. Besides, there are plenty of recommendations on this forum, do a search.
  4. Look on booking.com for hotels or B&Bs. The smaller places only use booking cause they don’t have enough rooms to support a website.
  5. In Split we always stay at the Hotel Peristil. Right within the palace walls.
  6. In Dubrovnik look at Pavisa Apartments, Dubrovnik Gardens, or Bed&Breakfast Andio. They are popular so might not have room but it’s a start.

If you have defined questions ask.

Posted by
4985 posts

Yes, ferries are a good way to go between those 3 locations.
Where you stay may depend on which ferry and where it docks.
booking.com will probably be your best bet to find places. It will show hotels AND apartments.
I would definitely stay in or close to old town in Split.
In Dubrovnik, if you can’t find somewhere IN old town, you should be able to find something close.

It you look back through threads, there are great ideas about what to do in each city. But Croatia is also a really good place to relax, be and see, and wander.

Posted by
4347 posts

The Hotel Peristil in Split is a literal 5 minute walk to the ferry port. If booked or too expensive, check on booking.com for places nearby.

Posted by
139 posts

Thank you Jean, TexasTravelMom and Barbara for your replies. They were all very helpful. Unfortunately the places you mentioned were all booked up but using booking.com and really researching, I was able to find lodging accomodations. Some fortunate late cancellations by others in Dubrovnik and Split allowed me to nab those rooms/apartments for my husband and adult children. I am paying a little bit more than I want to in Hvar (Beach Bay Club Hvar) but it is worth it because this is a very special trip for my family. My husband for years has wanted to return to the Croatian villages where his grandparents immigrated from and show them to our children. The pandemic unfortunately cancelled earlier planned trips so I want to make sure this trip is great for them.

The ferry information was particularly very helpful and they are figuring out which tickets to buy.

I put my children in charge of some restaurant reservations. I bet they will have fun making them using my credit card!!

Thank you again for all of your help. At least next time I know to increase the level of my nagging if my husband is in charge of trip planning. This experience has confirmed that I should stay in charge of our family's trip planning (just did a month in Spain, Amalfi Coast and Budapest which went off without a hitch and lots of magical moments!).

Posted by
8005 posts

Regarding restaurant reservations in that area - during the RS tour, we were able to either eat where we wanted or to obtain reservations for the next evening. I mainly looked at the food on people’s plates outdoors to make final choices. I had a very nice dinner at the Adriana Hotel during my 1-night stop at Hvar with a table outdoors watching all of the huge yachts coming into the harbor.

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