Croatia

Stayed in Dubrovnik a year ago and loved the place.

Coastline is beautiful, a lot like the Italian Neapolitan coast line but about half the price. Locals are friendly and helpful plus the beer is really nice, Ozujsko being the one you see everywhere. It’s also very clean.

Negatives, not really any, the sea is pretty cold but nothing on Irish Sea. Whilst there are beaches further north it’s a rocky coastline so they tend to be shingle. Advantage of this however is that the sea is crystal clear.
Railways are quite slow but local bus transport is very efficient plus cheap.

We also went to Montenegro (Kotor and Budva) which is OK but can get very hot if you are out sight seeing. When we went (July time) was fully of Russians with a bit of cash which made it less enjoyable.

Bosnia is also worth a visit (Mostar which became well known during the war but has been restored).

To answer your other questions :-

- bit too classy for Rags.
- fags not too sure about but everyone smokes.
- food is very Mediterranean with some more unusual spiced meat dishes which originate from Bosnia.

Definitely going to go back next year.
 
I've been a couple of times.

Went on a lads boozy package holiday just after the civil war and stayed in a town called Makarska, half way between Split and Dubrovnik. It was late in summer just before we went back to uni and we were expecting nothing less than an absolute shag-fest from the no-doubt marauding groups of sexually starved, highly intelligent, witty and beautiful girls that we were sure would have planned the same trip.

When we turned up at manchester airport we must have been the only people on the plane under about 70. We asked the rep what was going on when we got there and, tittering, she informed us that we'd chosen "pink rinse fortnight" for our trip...

The nightlife was so sparse that the most entertainment we had was the "makarska dump league" scribbled on the back of a 200 cigs duty free carton. Points for a regular daily dump, additional points if you went "away from home", bonus for three or more a day and a hefty deduction for the the trots or dropping a log in your pants. I may still have the rules and points tally somewhere in one of my boxes of lifes special pleasures.

In week two - and close to suicide - we did meet some local students who were camping close to the town and that was a laugh, though not one morsel of sexual gratification was gained amongst the three of us.

My second trip, many many years later was with the beautiful mrs/ex mrs (delete as appropriate depending on which day of the week this last couple of weeks) This! .We had a long weekend in Dubrovnik, which is just fabulous. (and broke my croatian sexual duck, if that sounds right...)
 
Thank you all for the replies....this is a bit of a trial run for a far more extensive Balkan tour later in the year. On my todd.

Its 20 years since I went overseas and used to be a fairly fearless traveller. I am a different person now and have had a few health issues a big one being anxiety and all that nonsense. So despite it being an easy trip it will be a big test to see if its realistic to fulfil a lifetime ambition and explore Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Even going to the airport and all that seems quite daunting at the moment, all very silly and annoying.

So anymore observations and stories of visits to the Balkans will be gratefully digested and all being well I will be able to share my experience with someone else who needs it some day.
 
I've been to Croatia for my last two holidays - to Rovinj ("roveen"). Stunning place, if not rather busy. Stayed at the Hotel Lone, and it's a beautiful hotel, with fabulous grounds and pool area. The Eden next door is also nice, shares the same grounds and pools and is much cheaper.

https://www.maistra.com/hotel-lone-rovinj

At happy hour a nice 175ml glass of Merlot is €1, which in a 4 star hotel, is not bad I think. A bottle is about a fiver.

Pula, down the coast maybe 20 miles is nice too, and very cheap.
 
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