Dubrovnik Highlights

When I started to plan our main summer vacations for 2013, the Disney Cruise was an easy choice. Our second vacation proved a bit more difficult- there are so many beach/relaxation locations to choose from, but Croatia kept popping up so I chose that for part one (first 5 nights - just J, M, S). (part 2 will be in separate post)

We flew to Dubrovnik late Wednesday evening - S fell asleep as we were landing and slept all night - she was so excited when she woke up at the hotel and realized we were on vacation.

Back to our arrival....I was shocked at how small the Dubrovnik airport was (a total of 9 gates but there are plans to expand from what I have read). Our driver was waiting for us and drove us to the hotel in about 30 minutes. The sun was setting as we drove -  the views of Old Town and the Adriatic were amazing and I couldn't wait for the next morning to see more of the city.

Highlights of our time in Dubrovnik includes:


Old Town: Old Town Dubrovnik is gorgeous - there are alley ways and a few churches that were quite impressive. We skipped walking the Walls but still enjoyed the beauty of Old Town. We enjoyed a few different dinners in the Old Town based on recommendations I had received and really enjoyed the overall atmosphere.

 Mt Srd: We took the cable car up to the top of Mt. Srd - the views just kept getting better and better. The cable car left from just outside Old Town and wasn't crowded at all when we got there. There were multiple outlook points that all gave you a different vantage point  - so beautiful! We also saw the Disney Magic coming into port from the top (same ship we were on a few months ago) - S couldn't believe it was the same ship but did enjoy watching it and talking about the Cruise again.

Swimming the Adriatic!  The Adriatic is so clean and refreshing - we spent one day at the public beach area (Banja Beach) so that S could splash around in the water. We spent time most of the other days at the private beach at our hotel - S couldn't swim from there as it was a man-made deck into the Adriatic and too deep for us to hold her but she did enjoy sitting in the lounge chairs. We rotated between the hotel's indoor kiddie pool and outdoor area.

Enjoying our hotel: Our hotel offered many places to just relax with beautiful views, including a piano bar, breakfast area, and formal restaurant. We enjoyed breakfast on the terrace each morning except for one when it was crazy windy. We also visited the piano bar for happy hour (apple juice for S!) one evening and dessert another evening. On the evening we went for dessert, J &S danced to the piano music while we waited for service.

Lokrum Island: There is an island just off of Dubrovnik that we spent a day at - the ferry takes just 15 minutes and you are in a private world away from the city. Peacocks roam the island, which was fun to see. We thought about swimming but decided to just wander around the island and let S play and play at the kid's area on the island. The views and different coves were amazing - it was a very private area.

Lapad: Lapad is an area in the 'newer' part of Dubrovnik. We took a cab there and spent an afternoon based on some research we had done that indicated it was kid friendly. S loved the different playground areas and the pedestrian boulevard. We also walked along the coast here for a bit.














And yes....S is wearing the same plaid skirt in many pictures - this was her favorite garment of choice on this vacation.

I truly loved Dubrovnik! There were a good amount of tourists but it wasn't overwhelming. I look forward to going back some day and seeing how everything has continued to grow.