Croatia Trip Report – Points/Miles
In summer 2022 my family was incredibly lucky to spend 1 month in Europe. As part of this larger trip, we spent 10 nights in Croatia.
GETTING TO CROATIA USING POINTS/MILES
Croatia was the 3rd country of our month long trip, so we took Europe budget carriers to and from Croatia. But if you are flying from the US and only visiting Croatia, I recommend flying into Dubrovnik and out of Split.
Here’s an example of economy flight options using miles on KLM:
Air France/KLM is one of my favorite choices for families because they often have 4+ award seats available, if you can be flexible with dates they often have low cost options, they are easy to book because you can transfer points/miles from American Express, Chase, Capital One and Citi.
**FlyingBlue is the loyalty program for Air France/KLM – you’ll transfer points TO FlyingBlue and book ON Air France or KLM.
CROATIA ITINERARY
We decided to do:
- 3 nights in Dubrovnik
- 4 nights in Hvar
- 3 nights in Split
If I could do it again, I’d do take away a night from Split and give it to Dubrovnik. Or just stay longer in general. We LOVED Croatia!
3 NIGHTS IN DUBROVNIK
Where we stayed:
We stayed at the Sheraton Dubrovnik Riviera Hotel using Marriott points + a free night certificate. I can not say enough great things about this hotel and highly recommend it. Rooms are large enough for 3 people (many in Europe only allow 2). The view from our balcony was breathtaking (definitely get balcony room!) and everyone we encountered was lovely and so helpful!
At the time we visited, we had Platinum status with Marriott and the included breakfast was phenomenal. The breakfast area is large with beautiful water views and you could even eat on the balcony if you chose.
This hotel is about a $10 Uber ride from Dubrovnik’s city center, but it sits on a boardwalk on the Adriatic Sea (wonderful swimming cove) and has a fantastic pool. We found it best to enjoy the boardwalk, sea and pool in the afternoons and then head into downtown Dubrovnik once it cooled down.
What we did:
Walking the city walls in Dubrovnik is a must do. But give yourself time to do this leisurely and definitely do it later in the day once it cools down. There are little bars/cafes on the wall so it’s really nice to stop for a refreshment. The views are incredible from the wall.
You could spend hours walking around the city center of Dubrovnik. It’s this amazing maze that is worth hours of wandering. Sometimes you’ll end up in little alleys. Other times there’s a waterfront cove with a bar and live music.
Our favorite restaurant in Dubrovnik was Dubravka 1836.
It is directly where the taxi will drop you in old town. So you would think it would be touristy or forgettable.. but the food and service were incredible.. and the views were perfection.
The water is mesmerizing in Croatia. Our absolute favorite day was spent on the water with Zoran. We booked this private boat day with him via airbnb experiences. I get nervous booking things like this, but he was the best host, super safe, spotlessly clean and beautiful boat. And honestly, the price is a steal compared to private boat days in most places!
4 NIGHTS IN HVAR
We took a ferry from Dubrovnik to Hvar. It was 3 hours and 10 minutes and cost $120 for all 3 of us. If you’ve been to Greece, you may have the image of absolute chaos boarding ferries and massive crowds. This ferry was smaller than ones we’d taken in Greece. They do board quickly and leave quickly, so you need to be at the dock at loading time. We booked our ferry tickets direct.
Where we stayed:
We stayed at an airbnb that had an incredible view and patio. But AWFUL AC and for that reason, I won’t be sharing it 😉
Unfortunately, there are no “chain” hotels here, so points stay was not possible.
What we did:
Hvar is fairly small. But it is magical. Lots of stairs and cobblestone. INCREDIBLE restaurants with seating in the alley (you actually do need reservations here).
Our absolute favorite day was a private boat day (with skipper) via Hvar Boats. Hvar is pure luxury, giant yachts lined up on the water front. BUT a private boat day with Hvar Boats is unbelievably affordable. We did this boat for a day with a skipper. Prices have gone up, but this is still a great price for an all day private boat. And again, they will take you to the BEST swimming coves and to swim in the blue caves and stop at adorable cafes you can only reach by water.
We also visited Fortica Fortress one afternoon. It is a steep walk to get there but very interesting to walk through.
We also spent a day at Pokonji dol Beach, which was about 10 minute walk from our Airbnb. We were able to rent chairs with shade. There is also a full service restaurant there.
One super magical thing about Hvar is the swimming spots everywhere. As you walk down the road, you’ll see a roped off swimming area with a later attached to a huge rock. These seem to be every 20 feet or so. One day we had a picnic on a rock and enjoyed our own roped off swimming spot for the afternoon. Seriously like out of a movie!
As for restaurants, I honestly can not remember where we ate (sorry! It’s been nearly 2 years). But we never had a bad meal. The seafood in Hvar is out of this world.
3 NIGHTS IN SPLIT
We then took the ferry from Hvar to Split which is less than 90 minutes and cost less than $50 for all 3 of us. The ferries, again, are much smaller than the ones we had in Greece. But there are little cafes on board and also bathrooms.
Where we stayed:
We stayed at the sweetest Airbnb in the center of Split. The location was incredible. And the host’s husband even picked us up at the ferry upon arrival. You could definitely book this with your Capital One Venture card and then “cover” the charges with points. THIS airbnb I would absolutely recommend. The sweetest, private courtyard patio, fantastic linens and wonderful AC. Plus fantastic hosts.
IF you wanted to stay in a hotel, a perfect place to use your $300 credit that comes with your Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card would be booking the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split in the Capital One travel portal. Croatia is generally much more inexpensive than some other Europe beach hot spots. And remember, you’ll get 10x your spend when you do book a hotel in the Capital One travel portal using your Venture X card.
What we did:
I mentioned the Radisson Blu above, because one day we spent an incredible day at their beach club. This hotel is about a 10 minute uber ride from city center. But it’s directly on the sea. And Croatia in June is HOT so beach days are a must!
One day we did a bike rental and rode up Marjan Hill. Alllll the way to the top. No cars have access after a certain point, so that part was nice. But it is very steep and very long. Pack way more water than we did. The views at the top are incredible. And it is a fantastic workout. Biking along the boardwalk/sea area was lovely also.
After our bike ride up Marjan Hill, we coasted down and went to Kasjuni beach (which is right at the bottom of Marjan Hill). Joe’s beach club is there where you can rent chairs/umbrellas. But there’s also a space you can just put a towel down and swim. We did the latter because Joe’s wasn’t allowing sun umbrellas to be put up due to wind – so paying wasn’t worth it. Joe’s also has a cafe which we did eat at. Being a beach club, food is obviously overprices, but the views and setting made it worth it.
Strolling Palazzo di Diocleziano is a given, tons of restaurants. We walked through old town Split a ton. Strolled through ruins of the Diocletian Palace. Ate a lot of amazing food.
MY TAKE AWAY
Croatia is absolutely incredible. It’s the type of place you visit and want to stay longer. And you’ll want to visit again. We stayed 10 nights but would have loved to stay longer.
It is MUCH cheaper than many other beach towns. We visited the 1st week of June which was perfection. It was hot enough to swim. But the crazy crowds of summer hadn’t arrived (we were told July & August are crazy). The seafood is unreal. The people were super kind. Ferries are super easy.
