Croatia: Split

July 1 - 5, 2014

Leaving London was sad, but the blow was definitely softened when we landed in Split to begin a month of summer travel before completing our adventure back in California. There is a big difference between traveling and vacationing and on the spectrum of tourism, we have ridden closer to the former all year long. We agreed from the beginning that Croatia would be different.

Croatia has been on our list since the beginning because it is where Joe's paternal grandfather (and thus last name) came from. We had also heard nothing but glowing reviews of how beautiful it is, especially the beaches.

Requests for Croatia
Joe: Zagreb and Split
Sarah: no travel on my birthday

We picked the Radisson Blu resort in Split because it offered everything we were looking for: ocean views, private beach access, a spa, and multiple restaurants. Even though our official honeymoon was our Scandinavia trip with Manicia last August, this was our chance to take the lay-on-the-beach, room-with-a-balcony vacation that so many couples take to relax after their weddings. We sprung for the ocean-view balcony and were surprised by an upgrade from that to a suite worth twice as much on arrival.

bed looking onto part of the wraparound porch; a huge bathtub in the background

the easiest way to guarantee a smooth morning: Jack and Jill sinks

sunset panorama from the balcony

corner of the balcony

lounging

We spent five days in Split and we are not ashamed to admit that we only actually left the resort property on one of those. It was kind of like being on a cruise: everything we wanted was onboard.

Two full days were spent lounging on the hotel's private section of the beach. Joe was excited to swim in the Adriatic Sea and I was excited to finally get some sun after 10 months of scarves, pants, coats, and boots. The water was warm and unbelievably clear. The beaches were extremely rocky, which sucked, but we could stick to the hotel's platform (which was where the bar was anyway) if we wanted to avoid the rocks.

MA dissertation research, Croatian beach style

I was so excited about getting out in the sun that I (stupidly) ignored Joe's advice to put on sunscreen and ended up burning the entire front of my body. The view was too beautiful and I didn't want to turn over to get my back, so instead I got burned ankles:

When I showed this picture to Alicia she said that the sun was trying to give me a birthday present. I remarked that the sun must hate me. "No," she said, "it was just too enthusiastic about giving you a tan!"

Our evenings were spent eating dinner on the deck with this view:

Afterwards we would take advantage of the darkest sky we've had in ages to watch the stars come out and try to find satellites and constellations.

On Friday, my birthday (and fourth of July), we finally left the cocoon of the resort to explore Split proper. This walled city and sea port welcomes cruise ships while still maintaining its old world charm. We ate as a restaurant called the Chop House for lunch, which was yummy and we would recommend to people visiting the town.

This period of downtime was exactly what Joe and I wanted to ease ourselves out of London and back into the life of nomads for the month of July. This couple's retreat was beautiful and relaxing and perfect. Anyone looking for an alternative to the traditional beach spots in Hawaii and the Caribbean - Go to Split! The Dalmatian coast is gorgeous and the food is delicious. (Bonus: many of the filming locations for Game of Thrones are in Croatia, particularly King's Landing, the House of the Undying, and Marin.)