Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast

Customer Reviews

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  A TourRadar Traveller

  · June 10th, 2018
  The variety in the itinerary
  Trip date: June 2018
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  Chris Newman

  · November 10th, 2013
  Our first Exodus experience exceeded expectations and provided a superb introduction to Croatia and the cities, countryside and culture of the Dalmatian Coast. An ideal mixture of city tours, countryside walks, free time and jolly evening meals with the "team".What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Difficult to pick just one, but first entering Dubrovnik in the evening, with the walls floodlit and alpine swifts screaming overhead takes some beating.  Trogir, Diocletian's Palace at Split, Korcula Island (Agroturismo Grubinjac evening meal not to be missed!), Ston, and everything about Dubrovnik will linger long in the memory. What did you think of your group leader?Marija was extremely knowledgeable about the area (she lives in Split) and about Croatian culture and history in general. She inspired confidence from first meeting at the airport and kept everyone informed and supported individuals as and when required. Her varied choice of restaurants provided the venue for an entertaining group meal every evening if desired. She ensured that the group gelled from the first evening at the Tragos Hotel in Trogir Old Town.  The city guides she fixed up for Split and Dubrovnik were excellent. Do you have any advice for potential travellers?If you stay at the Hotel Liburna in Korcula, try to get a sea-view room from an upper floor; these were (reputedly) very nice.  Our ground floor room facing in the opposite direction, looked out on an overgrown grass bank and the bathroom was smelly, with original communist era fittings and plumbing.  The room itself was fine and the Hotel interesting in style and ideally located. Walking shoes/boots advisable for Korcula walk on loose stones for much of the way.Is there anything else you would like to add?Great fun from start to finish with an amazingly diverse gang of people who quickly blended into a sociable and entertaining group - a great advert for Exodus style holidays for our first venture.
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  Trip date: November 2013
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  Helen Mf Jones

  · January 25th, 2012
  My friend's first Exodus holiday - and I understand she's recommended a colleague to travel with you as she was so impressed. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The different boat journeys were fantastic, especially the voyage to Mljet. Lunch at Ston was delicious.  The trip to Mostar was fascinating and moving. The real impact of the recent war was visible. Seeing once-luxurious modern farmhouses lying deserted and ruined, raised inevitable questions about the fate of their owners.Looking down on Dubrovnik from the hills. I also loved a fabulous fish meal by the sea near the Dubrovnik hotel watching the sun set - my friend and I decided to stay around Lapad one evening. What did you think of your group leader?Krsto Lukic was a great guide who managed to maintain apparent objectivity about the troubled history of the region. He was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The journey to Mostar gave him particular scope to introduce us to the complicated tensions which had never meant much to me before. Is there anything else you would like to add?We were rather unimpressed by the Hotel Sumratin but realise that Dubrovnik is more expensive than other towns.
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  Trip date: January 2012
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  Kathleen Macey

  · July 11th, 2011
  Sunshine and laughter, warm seas, cold beers. Peaceful idyllic islands, hectic Dubrovnik. Cutural, classic and unhurried.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The serenity of Mijet Island National Park.The hustle and bustle of the "cruise ants" around Dubrovnik.Food, glorious food - freshest seafood, crispy pizzas, gooey pastries, gelato of every flavour imaginable!What did you think of your group leader?Dalibor was excellent, professional and efficient.  Underwent his duties with care, consideration and with hissense of humourDo you have any advice for potential travellers?Don't bother taking Kuna's - you'll get a much better rate of exchange once you're there.Travel light - it's all very casual.Is there anything else you would like to add?I would have liked an extra night in Trogir, a really pretty harbourside old town.We all ate together every night, which although great fun we did pay the price - not in Kuna's however, just the length of time it took to for meals to appear, but hey ho we're on holiday and when it did arrive it was scrummy.  We just had to have another glass of wine whilst we waited - no hardship there!Croatia is still very unspoilt in parts, beautiful islands, bays, scenery and people - a world away from your "bucket and spade" brigade.  Hospitality was generous and gracious.Put it on your "to go" list - and make it soon!!
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  Trip date: July 2011
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  Richard Rogers

  · June 6th, 2011
  A relaxing week with plenty of time to slow down and appreciate Croatia's cultural heritage and coastal scenery.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Eating fresh fish while on a boat anchored in a bay off Mljet, after a beautiful walk... Wandering the streets of DubrovnikWhat did you think of your group leader?Friendly and helpful; always willing to answer questions.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The walking trails can be quite stony - for that reason, if I were packing again, I'd be taking "proper" walking boots rather than the softer ones I actually took.You can drink the water form the fountains in Dubrovnik, so don't buy bottles there!Is there anything else you would like to add?This is a great trip if you just want to chill - there are no long travelling days, and there's time to explore everywhere (make sure you get out in Trogir in the afternoon/early evening on arrival though, as there's not much time to do it the following morning before going on to Split).
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  Trip date: June 2011
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  Colin Maw

  · May 18th, 2011
  Croatia was a real gem with beautiful walled towns, lovely people and reasonable prices (as not in the Euro)What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?All the towns seem to have been frozen in time. Korcula, on the peninsula is a beautiful small walled town, with plenty of places to walk, and great restaurants.  Dubrovnik is stunning.Split and Trigor are great for wandering around the narrow streets and finding local bars.What did you think of your group leader?Krsto was excellent.  He was professional but laid back at the same time so never felt like he was in your face.  Everything was organised perfectly.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?The day trip to Mostar in Bosnia is a long trip, but worth it.  But take Euros - you seemed to get the same exchange rate for Euros as Sterling.Is there anything else you would like to add?Great week trip - you see and do loads, but because distances arent too far, you dont feel rushed and you have plenty of time to see everything.  Also Trogir is only 10 minutes from the airport so you are quickly at the resort.
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  Trip date: May 2011
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  Susan Weekley

  · May 9th, 2011
  Really great trip, a nice mix of organised activities and free time, good bunch of people, lovely food and plentiful beer! Four unesco heritage sites and two passport stamps in a week - pretty good going!What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Many highlights - some that spring to mind were:Walking the walls of DubrovnikView from the top of the "mountain" on the island of MiljetThe seafood platter at Mali Ston on the peninsulaKorcula old town from the boatWhat did you think of your group leader?Great - entertaining and knowledgeable, and the right level of laidback and organised!Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Go on the day trip to Mostar, its well worth it. I'd read some previous reviews that said it wasn't - but decided that I definitely wanted to go just to get the extra stamp in the passport! However, although it was about a 2 and a half hour drive each way, Mostar is great, the views on the way are beautiful and the countryside is really interesting. We stopped at different places in both directions and it was really great to see how different Bosnia and the interior of Croatia are from the coast and the islands.Other advice is to take some warm clothes - in April most of our group misjudged the temperature, especially in the evenings!Is there anything else you would like to add?Great trip, thoroughly recommend!
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  Trip date: May 2011
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  Valerie Scott

  · October 14th, 2009
  This was a very relaxing trip with a super group who all got on well and had a very good leader. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Seeing Dubrovnik at nightWhat did you think of your group leader?He was excellent (Deedo?)  Some of the reviews had suggested that some of the leaders could be a bit distant but he was very good at telling us what was happening, where to meet and what our options were. He was very laid back, friendly and helpful. Do you have any advice for potential travellers?This trip has 1 night in Trogir, then 3 nights each on Korcula island then Dubrovnik.  It's not clear from the trip notes - I had thought there was more moving on. It was good to have a few days in the same place.The trip to Mostar was ok , but it's a long bus ride (3-4 hours) to see a bridge!  There's not a lot else there. I was getting a later flight on the last day so had an extra day in Dubrovnik. Unless you're really interested in the history of Mostar, it would probably be better to have another day in Dubrovnik or to go out to one of the islands.The food is great, especially the seafood. Is there anything else you would like to add?The hotels were good - better than I'd been expecting. The one on Korcula had lovely big rooms. The one in Dubrovnik was ok - smaller rooms, but then it's the city.This is not a very active holiday so if you are wanting in interesting week with a relaxed itinerary, this is a great trip.
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  Trip date: October 2009
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  Thomas Shearer

  · June 11th, 2009
  I wasn't sure what to expect from Croatia, but liked it a lot. The trip was fairly leisurely: there is a half-day walk on Korcula and an afternoon walk on Mljet, but both were optional. Good food (particularly if you enjoy fish and other seafood) with decent wine and beer to wash it down.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?Nothing particularly stood out: I just liked the whole area. It has splendid scenery (lots of islands and hills), and some very attractive old towns. It felt surprisingly Italianate - like Italy with a dash of central Europe mixed in.What did you think of your group leader?She was very pleasant and seemed very able. Her evening restaurant recommendations were always good. She was prepared to adjust the itinerary to suit people's individual needs and local weather conditions (we were there during a heatwave), and always had some interesting options for people to do during their spare time.Her enthusiasm for the area, and for Croatia in general, was infectious.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Croatia is not a cheap country. Food and drink costs are about the same as in the UK. The food was of consistently high quality though.Although the walk on Korcula is not particularly strenuous, a couple of sections are a bit uneven underfoot. Wear good walking shoes.Dubrovnik old town can get very crowded at times. I found it much more pleasant before mid-morning and in the evening than it was during the middle of the day.Is there anything else you would like to add?I would like to have had more time in Trogir and Split. Unfortunately the current flight times are such that you arrive in Trogir at 8 at night, and have to squeeze Trogir and Split into the next day before catching a late afternoon ferry. The restaurant where we ate in Split was about 15 minutes walk from the centre - it would have been better to have eaten somewhere more central so that we had more time to see the city. If I was doing this trip again I would consider making my own flight arrangements and arriving in the Trogir-Split area a day or two before the group flight.The optional trip to Mostar is organised by a local Dubrovnik company and doesn't run all year round.If Exodus were to run a similar trip in northern Croatia I would almost certainly go on it - I was very taken by what I saw of the country.
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  Trip date: June 2009
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  John Greaves

  · October 27th, 2008
  I enjoyed the holiday and thought the group was great but felt that the itinerary needed a minor change. The leader was efficient but not the most communicative type of person.What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?The optional visit to Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina was so interesting in cultural and historic terms: the mosques were beautiful.  Also the sight of Dubrovnik from the walls on a sunny afternoon was inspiring.What did you think of your group leader?He was efficient at organising the trip and very knowledgeable about all sorts of matters but was not all that communicative a person.  It was sometimes an effort to get information out of him.  A main concern was that he didn't count members of the group to ensure all were present.  I think he was highly self-reliant and didn't quite see how others need help sometimes.Do you have any advice for potential travellers?Stay in Split beforehand (there wasn't enough time there) and consider staying on in Dubrovnik at the end.  You could go on a boat trip with fish picnic around the Elafiti islands, or a day trip to Montenegro.Is there anything else you would like to add?The itinerary needs a small change.  We arrived in Split and had lunch in a restaurant that was a 20 minute walk form the town each way in the heat.  This left us only 40 minutes to look round Split before we got on the boat to Korcula.  The following morning we did a rather uninteresting half day walk from Pupnat back to Korcula town.  Could we have stayed in Split overnight and got a boat to Korcula the following morning, omitting the walk?
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  Trip date: October 2008