Imagine you are sitting on a wide white-gold beach made of little pebbles that shift softly every time you move, rounding to your reclining body. The sun is hot. The trees behind you – not palms, too clichéd – whisper gently in the breeze, which is just enough to keep you from feeling overcooked. The waves lap gently as you get up and plunge into water so clear you can meet the eyes of the fish swimming below you.

The Islands of Brac & Hvar

Bol, Croatia

If you’ve got all that, you’ve got my day today. I’m in Bol, Croatia, on Zlatni Rat beach. And I’m here because my friend, Steve, did to me what I just did to you, except by phone. He rang from the beach, told me I had to come here; I Googled it, now I’m here and he’s the hero – this place is fabulous.

Zlatni Rat is the beach proudly displayed in all the tourist guff for Croatia. It’s also known as the ‘Golden Horn’ because it is a spit of pebbled beach reaching out into the Adriatic from a tree-lined promontory just outside Bol, on the island of Brac. The shape of the beach shifts according to the wind, the number of yachts clustered around it shifts according to the season, and the extent of the nudist section shifts according to the daring and nationality of the tourists (elderly Germans seem to love to get their clothes off).

In the four hours that I was there today I saw people go from T-shirt to bikini to topless and then, in some cases, nude. There’s going to be a run on the after-sun cream in the shops tonight.

But the nudist section is one small part of a big beach (I was sitting near it, not in it!). Mostly it’s beautiful people and families. And English couples making up for the fact the UK forgot to have summer this year. Which is not to say the English are not beautiful and/or in families.

Bol itself is a great little town. Compact with lots of the white stone houses typical of the area – the stone used for the White House in Washington D.C. came from the island of Brac. There are lots of narrow hilly streets, gossiping locals, loud motorscooters, restaurants and cafes by the water, yachts, fishing boats and ferries coming to and from the other islands.

I’ve got a studio apartment and, as I type, I’m watching lightning flash over the next island, Hvar. Hopefully, the storm will rage tonight – I love a good bit of thunder and rain – then tomorrow it will be washed clean and gorgeously warm again – there are more beaches here than just Zlatni Rat and I want to find them all. And the Domenican Monastery, which is surrounded by gorgeous little beaches and offers holiday accommodation overlooking the sea. And the best coffee – Croatia has great coffee and pizza and seafood with lots of Italian influence on the coast.

Philippa swimming at Hvar, Croatia

The other Croatian island I’ve been to is Hvar, where a lot of lavender is grown – very calming. I’d hired a car when I was there and was able to explore a bit more. The best thing I did was ignoring my sister’s repeated ‘No!’ and turn down a completely unknown, steep dirt track on impulse. We found a tiny church in an even smaller fishing village and a completely deserted stony beach with the typical Adriatic so-clear-it’s-invisible water. We swam with only a seagull watching us. My sister admitted I was right – there are miracles, hallelujah!

Finding our accommodation in Hvar was hilarious. The instructions we had were not helpful, and eventually we stopped a policeman who directed us to look for a table next to the road, and then to turn left. Unsure whether we were seeking a dining table, pool table or perhaps an occasional table, we drove in circles a few more times until, bingo, we realised a table was a road sign. We made our left turn and then his directions ran out. We drove in circles for a while, I got out and wandered up and down the road for a while, then a woman stopped her car and asked if I was okay. Yes, she knew our hotel, if we just wanted to follow her. Convoy was fine, was great, until the tunnel. Where the hell was she taking us? Was our trust misplaced? The road was narrow, unmade; there’s no way there was going to be a hotel at the end of it. Except there was. Croatia, you’ve got to love it.

And the hotel was great, just up from the beach – this one rocky and not that big but the water was naturally divine, close to a path leading into Hvar itself, not far from a wonderful restaurant where we ate delicious seafood in the garden listening to the sea, then thought they must have left an “0″ off the bill, the price was so reasonable.

The Islands of Korcula, Vis & Krk

There are lots of islands in Croatia. Korcula is a playground of the rich and famous, and the furthest by ferry from Split (although you can reach Korcula from the mainland town of Dubrovnik, as well). And if you come to Croatia you MUST visit Dubrovnik. The heart and soul of the Croatian nation, the Serbs bombed it to break the Croatian spirit but it only made them angrier and the war longer and more horrific. Dubrovnik has been fully restored from war damage now, using UNESCO money as a World Heritage Site, but the memory of that recent history is raw and there are reminders of it everywhere. Dubrovnik is truly one of the most special places in the world: beautiful, historical, emotional.

Lovely Dubrovnik, Croatia

Other islands are Vis, the furthest out and therefore one of the least tourist infested. Then there’s Krk which is attached to the mainland by bridge and, I’m told, great for family holidays. Brac, where I am, is the largest island and the closest to Split. The landscape on this coast is amazing; steep, craggy white stone hills rearing out of the sea, circling Split from behind and creating steep islands rising high out of the water. Flying over this coastline, it looks like a kid has gone crazy with imagination and blue pens.

Lots of people explore the islands by yacht and I watch them enviously. It’s a dream I have to be able to see a beautiful island or beach, drop anchor and stay there as long or short a time as I want (okay, I’m not the Lone Ranger there). But my sailing skills were always challenged to say the least so I’ll need to persuade my sister to come. And this time, she’ll be at the wheel so I guess she’ll get to choose the beaches. But if she doesn’t choose well, then there’s always good old-fashioned mutiny.

Oooh, it’s just started raining. Wet drops on hot earth and concrete walls – the smell is glorious. And there’s the lightning strobing the hills of Hvar. And thunder to rattle the dishes. The perfection continues.

–Philippa Burne

Planning a trip? Browse Viator’s tours and things to see and do in Croatia, from Montenegro day tours to Mostar day trips.

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 6th, 2007 at 12:04 pm and is filed under Destinations, Europe, Suggested Itineraries, Travel Inspiration. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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