Thread: The Berbatov Enigma

I spent a large part of my youth in Croatia (or Yugoslavia as it was then) & still visit regularly as I havde many family friends out there. They all live in Zagreb which, for a capital city, is very beautiful, especially the old city & in the hills on the outskirts. They, like many Croats, all go to the coast (to a small town named murter) in the summer & that is where it is truly beautiful, getting increasingly more stunning the further south you go until you end up, right at the bottom, in what is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful cities in the whole of Europe . . . Dubrovnik.

The islands in between Zadar & Dubrovnik are amazing & it is a great way to spend the summer, island hopping down the coast. Hvar is on one of the bigger islands & there is always a lot going on there with lots of young people milling about, concerts in the main square & that sort of thing. Korcula, a little further south, is also worth a visit & is an interesting place, where Marco Polo came from & you can visit his house in the town centre. Just north-east of Hvar is the famous 'moving' beach at Bol & in the other direction is the island of Vis which is also very pretty. If you have time it is also worth heading out to the island of Lastovo & the nearby island of Bisevo where you can see the Blue cave & the green cave, so called because of the colourful glow created inside from the sunlight coming thru the water. They are quite well-known & very impressive, just make sure you get there at the right time of day to experience the maximum effect. Everywhere you go the water is crystal clear & the food is amazing. It is, largely, seafood but it is so fresh that I had an octopus salad & the boy serving us ran off with his snorkel & goggles, jumped in the water & came back a few minutes later holding the octopus in his hands!!

Talking of amazing restaurants, if you ever are in the vicinity of Hvar then you have to visit the tiny island of Sv. Klement and the bay of Palmizana. There you will find a resort belonging to a lady named Dagmar Meneghello, situated on the hillside of its own bay. Dagmar is a very close family friend of mine & she is a real character & is just the most warm & welcoming of hosts. There are 2 restaurants both run by her family & it really is, in my opinion, one of the most exquisite places in this world. Dagmar is also really into her art & the restaurant doubles as a gallery, displaying works from local artists. At night, you really get the sense of how special this place is, high up on the hillside looking out over the twinkling boat lights that are moored in the bay, sitting outside as Dagmar entertains everyone with her presence & fresh seafood is barbecued outdoors - it can be peaceful & romantic if you want it to be but they really know how to have a good time also. The resort also has some really nice rooms & villas to stay in, in case you have a bit too much rakija & don't fancy negotiating the long, steep & winding staircase that leads down the hillside to the beach at the bottom!

Sorry to sound like a tourist guide but I spent my summers as a kid in these places & it is somewhere outside of the UK I truly love. The country is beautiful & the people are beautiful (especially the women!! Walking around Split my eyes pop out my head repeatedly!).

Seriously, Pit/THFCire, Croatia is such a great place to go for a holiday, tons of history as well & lots to do. I just think it is a little bit different to the rest of mainland Europe, especially Dalmatia.

Originally Posted by thfcire

sorry mate just a quick question is it easy to get to by motorbike as i looking for a trip across europe either this summer or next.can you get to it through central europe ,sorry but i just to lazy to look it up thanks

Yes, it pretty much borders Italy which is probably the easiest & quickest way (across France & thru Monaco into Northern Italy to Trieste & then thru the bottom corner of Slovenia & into Croatia. However, I would suggest heading south-east from Genova across Italy to the port of Ancona. From there you can get regular cheap ferries to the island of Hvar. It doesn't take long & saves a bit of time, you miss out the North of Dalmatia but, imo, you get straight to the really nice parts!)

Originally Posted by thfcire

brillant mate that post really helps and it seems a really nice place to visit im sold already.thanks for a great review of a place you obviousily love and i for 1 am sold

Yeah, I do love it there but I've not been for a few years now & I miss it a little.

By the way, if you like white bait . . . mmmmmmmmmmm! They sell it on the beaches in little paper baggies (in a similar way to how we might get chestnuts at Xmas or something). Oh man its good!

Originally Posted by grandgramparabbi

Sure it is. And so underdeveloped there are tons of places nobody knows about, yet. Thank god, as I'm of the every man for himself persuasion.

I know exactly what you mean. Altho quite well-known in some circles, Dagmar's is just one of those sorts of places, like a secret patch of paradise, quiet & secluded you feel cut off from everywhere but not in a frustrating way, more like nowhere else really matters. Apparently, Palmizana has the most sunshine in the entire Med. However, some places can be quite crazy as well. A summer evening in Hvar is very popular & Bol beach can get very crowded.

Here is Dagmar's website for her Palmizana resort:
Palmizana

(Just a note: There are no cars or roads on St Klement island or Palmizana & it is only reachable by boat. Whilst it is actually quite nice to escape the clutches of the car, it might be a bit of a problem if your traveling by motorbike! However, you can park up safely on Hvar, which is a short 10-15min boat ride away, which is a 24hr service provided on call by Dagmar).

like u said mate anywhere is cheap compared to u guys at the minute lol
ive never been to croatia but a few years ago i spent 4 months cycling through france and a bit of spain and the only advice i can give u is if u do go to france then stay clear of the main roads unless necessary cause the nicest parts of france are the wee villages and towns u never hear about.....id imagine most of europe is the same!

Its not as cheap as you would expect!

Like I say, I've not been for a few years now & things may well have changed, especially in light of the recent economy, but from what I remember it is certainly not cheap as chips. Places like Zagreb & Split can be quite expensive but at the same time, if you look around, you can find much more affordable places. Dagmar's (altho I've never actually stayed on the island itself) is more like the higher end of the market (I think) to actually stay at but to go & dine there & spend an evening or whatever is not that bad considering & there are quite a few places like that. I'm sure if you look around you can find places. I've always stayed with friends or on their boats & stuff so I'm not too sure about hotels. However, considering the quality AND quantity of the food you get out there, eating I think is very reasonably priced . . .

. . . much better value for money than Berbatov! (see what I did there? Back on topic!)

[quote=basskadet;82387]Its not as cheap as you would expect!

Like I say, I've not been for a few years now & things may well have changed, especially in light of the recent economy, but from what I remember it is certainly not cheap as chips. Places like Zagreb & Split can be quite expensive but at the same time, if you look around, you can find much more affordable places. Dagmar's (altho I've never actually stayed on the island itself) is more like the higher end of the market (I think) to actually stay at but to go & dine there & spend an evening or whatever is not that bad considering & there are quite a few places like that. I'm sure if you look around you can find places. I've always stayed with friends or on their boats & stuff so I'm not too sure about hotels. However, considering the quality AND quantity of the food you get out there, eating I think is very reasonably priced . . .

. . . much better value for money than Berbatov! (see what I did there? Back on topic!)[/quote]

well played bass lol gotta say tho i think the convo u guys were having is more interesting than talking about the bulgarian!

Originally Posted by thfcshady27

the only advice i can give u is if u do go to france then stay clear of the main roads unless necessary cause the nicest parts of france are the wee villages and towns u never hear about.

This is very true of France, especially the motorways which you have to pay for when the A roads are free & virtually run alongside!!!

As far as Croatia is concerned I think it depends where you are going. If you want to head inland to Zagreb or wherever then this is definitely worth thinking about but if you are going down the coast you'd probably do this anyway, especially if you are going to jump on the ferries & hop around the islands. Btw, the ferries are definitely cheap & you should be able to take your bike on no problem.

Originally Posted by basskadet

This is very true of France, especially the motorways which you have to pay for when the A roads are free & virtually run alongside!!!

As far as Croatia is concerned I think it depends where you are going. If you want to head inland to Zagreb or wherever then this is definitely worth thinking about but if you are going down the coast you'd probably do this anyway, especially if you are going to jump on the ferries & hop around the islands. Btw, the ferries are definitely cheap & you should be able to take your bike on no problem.

i was on a push bike mate so motorways werent an option for me lol it was a blessing in disguise...tho cycling over fecking mountains was a nightmare!!!!

Originally Posted by thfcire

cycling balls to that mate have you seen the size of my belly ha ha.thank fook for the recession i might be able to buy a loaf of bread soon here and not have to head to newry every week to do my shopping

mate i aint no lance armstrong lol but its all in ur head if u think u can do it then u can......was tough going some days tho....the only thing that kept me going was gettin to the campsite and getting a beer or two!!! it was all well worth it tho!

mate wen u say i love it make it past tense lol i got sucked into it by an ex who was into her cycling lol i aint been on a push bike since we split up years ago and have no intention of doin so again lol but like i said its something i really enjoyed unexpectedly but id never do it again! car all the way for me.....i defo plan to get a we camper van on the road sometime tho and do europe....its a real experience!