Stigao je posljednji retrogradni Merkur u ovoj godini, vrijeme u kojem stvari gurnute pod tepih dolaze na naplatu. Dok drugi šize mi smo pobjegli na otok. Povratna karta za trajekt, iz Splita, 100 kn po osobi i pravac Vela Luka, Korčula.
Sinoć sam dobila pitanje zašto bi netko izabrao Vela Luku za posjetu kad na Korčuli postoji grad Korčula. Reći ću vam zašto. Zato što ne mora svaki grad i mjesto biti naj ovo ili naj ono da ga posjetite. Svako mjesto na ovom svijetu ima “ono nešto”, samo je pitanje što tražite u tom trenutku. Vela Luka definitivno ima svojih čari, a ono što je nama posebno odgovaralo je mir.
Dodatni plus je što je sve jeftinije. Niže su cijene smještaja, hrane i pića. A Korčula, udaljena je samo 50 km pa do nje uvijek možete na jednodnevni izlet.
Što radit u Vela Luci?
Šetati, šetati i šetati. Od trajektne luke do centra za ronjenje koji je na drugom kraju uvale imate 2,5 km šetnice, odnosno nešto više od pola sata šetnje (u jednom smjeru). Sa bebama hodačima gotovo duplo više. Možete sve proći sa dječjim kolicima, jer šetnica je bez stepenica i prepreka.
Duž šetnice imate kafiće, restorane i dućane. Sa lijeve strane vam je čisto i bistro more dok vas sa desne slijede najslađe fasade i raznobojna vrata Velolučkih kuća.
A jeste li znali da Velolučani izrađuju najduži mozaik na svijetu?
Mozaik mogu stvarati svi pa je tako već stotine ljudi ostavilo svoj trag na njihovom mozaiku. Plan je da mozaik bude duž cijele šetnice, ali naravno financiranje je uvijek problem. Ukoliko želite biti donator ili volonter, možete se javiti udruzi likovno stvaralaštvo Vele Luke.
Meni najdraža zanimacija na šetnici je gledanje brodova. Osim nove marine, Vela Luka ima tri manje luke, svaka posebna na svoj način.
Samo par minuta vožnje autom će vas dovesti do Vela Spila. Nije daleko niti za šetnju. Međutim, izgleda da je zatvorena van sezone. Dočekala su nas zatvorena vrata.
Vela Spila je jedna je od najznačajnijih arheoloških pretpovijesnih lokaliteta na području Europe.
U muzeju Centra za kulturu u samome središtu Vele Luke nalazi se vrijedna arheološka zbirka predmeta pronađenih na ovome lokalitetu.
Nije nam bilo žao što smo svratili do Vele Spile jer se odozgo pruža odličan pogled na Vela Luku.
Inače, iz Vele Luke kreću brojne pješačke i biciklističke staze te imate penjalište “Podstine” u blizini Vele Spile.
Ako ste s djecom, svratite do gradske plaže, djeca će uživati u bacanju kamenčića u more u bilo kojem razdoblju godine.
Pronađite brod da vas prebaci na otočić Proizd. Kažu da Proizd svakoga osvoji svojom prirodnom ljepotom, bijelim žalom i tirkiznim morem. Mi smo ga ovaj put gledali iz daleka, dok su se lovile lignje, ali smo obećali sami sebi da se dogodine dolazimo zakupati u njegovom plavetnilu.
Kao što sam već spomenula, ako ste sa autom ili iznajmite jedno, možete na izlet do grada Korčule, Lumbarde ili Blata. Mi smo se zaletili do Blata jer imaju novouređeni park za djecu. Nismo pogriješili.
Nemojte da vas naša priča zavara, osim šetanja se i radilo, svaki dan. Imamo taj luksuz (ponekad breme) da posao nosimo sa sobom. Samo mi se ovdje činilo kao da su sve te poslovne brige bile nešto manje, lakše, tuđe. Retrogradnom Merkuru ovdje nema ni traga. Ovdje se šeta, odmara, piju dobra vina i sati u danu kao da ima nešto više.
Ukoliko vam treba mir ili samo odmak, Vela Luka je mjesto za vas.
It is no secret we are in love with islandVis, mostly because we are lucky to have a place to stay there anytime of the year, but also because it is beautiful. This blog is soooo long overdue, so I won’t bother you with introduction. Let’s begin naming the beaches, sorted by our preferences, of course.
1. SMOKOVA
About 100 meter long beach with white sand, clear sea and our favorite! Even though you can access it from land, it is much easier to access it with a boat. If you can’t give yourself that boat ride luxury, bring appropriate shoes, do not go down there in flip flops. Also, keep in mind that shore is not the cleanest, because northern wind brings a lot of garbage people like to throw in the sea. If you are up for snorkeling you can find part of a World War II bomber wing at Smokova sea bottom.
Beach Teplus is one of the beaches in Rukavac and very popular among locals. You can access it very easily from Rukavac There is a 200-300 m dirt road, which ends with a parking right above the beach.
It is a soft white pebbles beach, with some natural shade, so it is children friendly. There is a restaurant at the beach where you can find refreshments, ice creams and food & wine. The food is very expensive but not really good so my advice is bring your own food & snacks. They also rent stand up paddle boards, kayaks and pedaling cars, so you can spend your entire day on this beach. Pro tip: come in the morning. The beach is sunny since early morning, making it an ideal place to have a coffee and dive your head in the blue sea before the afternoon rush of people.
With slightly older children, take a peek at the natural lobster house located on the cliffs on the right side of the beach. The lobster catcher is no longer used so you can jump into it and dive trough it to the open sea.
3. MALA TRAVNA
It is a small fishermen village accessed by car through 15-20 minute drive on a dirt road, from Marine Zemlje. From the parking to the beach you have 2 minute walk. You can categorize this beach both as pebble and cliff beach, because Mala Travna has both.
Mala Travna is a bay next to Stiniva beach, so if you are visiting Stiniva with a boat, organize lunch in Mala Travna at Senko’s konoba. Beside crystal clear water and beautiful nature, we come here because of Senko. He is remarkable individual and Croatian poet, so don’t be surprised if you get the bill on stone rock he picked up from the floor. I’ve already wrote a blog about him here -> SENKO PARADISE. Also, don’t forget to call Senko for reservations, he is not always open! +385 99 35 25 803
4. SREBRNA
Another beach which has both soft pebbles and cliff side is Srebrena. Beach with a lot natural shade in pine trees also has cliffs where you can get your tan. Furthermore, in the woods you can find small bar with refreshments. You reach Srebrna beach from Rukavac, on the same dirt road as Tepluš beach. After you park the car or bike, there is about 300 m (10 min) walk down to the beach. Yes, that means you have to walk up after.
5. MILNA
Milna is a small sandy beach, located near popular vacation village called Ženka. Best part of this beach is that you can literally jump from parking to the sea, but don’t. Because of it’s proximity to villas for rent and parking, it is often full of families with small children. Very popular activity is Stand up Paddle boarding, which boards you can rent on the beach.
There is a 15-20 minute walking path from Milna which will take you to ZAGLAV sandy beach. I haven’t been there since I was a kid, so only memories I have are from photo albums. People say it is as beautiful as Smokova. I will believe it when I see it, hopefully there next year.
6. STINIVA
West from Mala Travna bay you can find winner of “the best beach in Europe”, Stiniva. You can reach the beach by land, but it is a very steep 20-30 minute trail down, so bring appropriate shoes and avoid going with small children. Other, easier, way is to access it by boat. The downside of this is that you always have too many boats docked around Stiniva. The boat can take you up to “cliff gate” and from there you have to swim to the beach. And, of course, there is always that one idiot who has to come to the beach with a boat, so be aware, the floating border doesn’t apply to idiots.
Stiniva is pebble beach, although I saw many wrong writings online describing it as a sandy beach. You can find small coffee bar directly on the beach, but to help out your budget, bring your own food & drinks if you plan to stay there whole day. Because the beach is surrounded by high cliffs, you will have at least one side of the beach or cliff in the shade.
7. PRITIŠĆINA
This is maybe one of the smallest beaches on the island, where I usually go with local friends. It is also pebbly beach, but it has incredible cliffs on the right side of the beach. One winter we used them for the photoshoot we did for a brand.
From Pritišćina you can easily swim to Mala Pritišćina beach, beach for two. Literally the smallest beach on the island and it is only accessible by boat. 😉
8. STONČICA
Another sandy beach on the island is Stončica. It is safe bay for sailing boats, being located close to city of Vis. There is a parking above the beach, from which you have 5 min walk down. It has small restaurant/bar, volleyball field and lot’s of shade so it tends to be crowed.
Being this far on my list, it is safe to say I am not a fan and I only go there if our guests wish to see it. In that case, I combine Stončica with visit to the nearby lighthouse, which is 20 minute walk from the beach. We used to go there for sunset, so count your time right to have enough light to see the path back, or bring flash lights with you.
9. PARJA (tunnel)
About 3 kilometre east from city of Vis you will find Parja, the last village accessible by cars. It is a village, it is a beach, it is historical…it is Parja. It is probably most known for former JNA (Yugoslav People’s Army)submarine tunnel where you can also put your towel and jump into the sea. However, close by is little peninsula where you can also walk into the sea, like a normal human. Be aware, there is no shade here.
Important: please, don’t jump from the top of the tunnel, I have been informed there were many accidents there due to wrong jumps.
10. KOMIŽA CITY BEACHES
GUSARICA
The most popular beach, at the far end of the city, right below the hotel Biševo. It is a pebble beach at the beginning and almost sandy at the end of the beach.
KAMENICE
Apparently the only beach on the Adriatic coast with volcanic origin pebble stones (I’ve Googled it) and only 15 minute walk from Komiža center. It gained it’s popularly for being a place to party at night and sort of illegal camp.
LUCICA
Pebbly beach two minute walk from the Komiža port. There you can find restaurant right on the beach.
ŽANIĆOVO
Bcause it is surrounded by family houses this pebble beach mostly used by locals. This is the beach you see on our photos from restaurant Barba.
10. VIS CITY BEACHES
GRANDOVAC
Bay at the farthest end of city of Vis. It has enough shade so it is very popular for families with children, plus there is a beach bar right on the pebbly beach. Near the beach you can find another JNA greatness, however nowadays completely rot, Cezh villa.
STONCA
Beach is located just under the road, about 200 m from hotel Issa to Parja. There is almost no wind there and you can find lot’s of shade underneath the pine trees.
Pebble and gravel city beach right below the hotel Issa, however, completely on the other side from most villa’s and apartments, which are in the city. Near the beach you can find activities for children (owned by hotel), bar and restaurant. It is the most popular for it’s Franciscan monastery which is built on the foundations of Hellenistic theater. I heard one guide say that you can see part of old Roman port in the sea around Prirovo. Do you see it?
There are few more beaches in the cities and on the island that I didn’t mention. My cousin Svila is gonna kill me if I don’t mention Duboka, but that is another beach I haven’t visited since I was a little kid or maybe ever. I can safely say I saw and listed all the popular ones. Hope I helped you organize your Vis island beach hunting. Let me know if I did.
In next blog I plan to write about ALL attractions on the island. Head’s up, it is mostly Tito’s JNA legacy.
There are wood ships, sail ships, good ships, but the best ships are friendships. Shutout to my working mom friends, who work their ass off all year long and deserve this kind of trip at least once during summer time!
We hopped on Biseran boat and ask them to take us on sunset tour near Split, because that was the only way three working moms could organize this day trip. Boris from Biseran was task oriented and made for us tailored tour to Čiovo. We took some Gin, fruit, lost’s of positive energy and had the best time we had in a long time! I am sure all mom & dad’s can relate.
Biseran tours offer private & group trips and transfers from Split city.
PRIVATE tours: Half day, up to 5 hours trip, price starts at 300€ per ride. Full day tour up to 9 hours, prices start at 450€ per ride. They can fit 8 people and prices depend on your desired destination.
GROUP “5 island tour”, where Blue Cave is included, is 85€ per person.
Call Boris for more info: +385 98 366 990
This is not paid promotion, but we did go on this trip for free. Nevertheless, our experiences are genuine and we really had the most perfect, memorable time. It was just 3 hours, 15 minute ride from Split, but it felt like we are miles away, relaxed and unbothered. Boris was amazing and catered our every need. This is definitely kind of trip you should gift to yourself. Let us know if you enjoy it as much as we did!
We are working again, that means sitting home on our laptops, planing and editing. Until we plan our new adventure we are bringing you our
TOP 5 visited blog posts!
These are YOUR favorite posts of all time:
1. Wellness and Spa Weekend
We visited Villa Magdalena, in Krapinske toplice, perfect place for relaxation, wellness and amazing gourmet experience. We know two couples that visited Villa after seeing our blog post, are you planing to visit soon? Tell us in comments if you are interested and we will try to get you a discount :). Read more about our Wellness and Spa Weekend: https://goo.gl/XyW71Q
2. How many lakes do you have Imotski?
We visited town of Imotski, hidden deep in the Dalmatian inland. Picturesque little town on a hill with, not one, but two most impressive lakes, Blue and Red. Read more about our visit here: https://goo.gl/RB2Jjw
3. Behind the business meeting in Vis
Maya‘s family has a house on island Vis, so we look for any excuse to visit island. This time we were there on business, but we managed to film some behind the scenes for you.
We were invited by Senko Karuza, the best Croatian short-story writer, to his konoba (type of Dalmatian restaurant) in little town by the sea, Mala Travna (Mola Trovna, as locals call it). Senko is not only the best writer, he is also artist in kitchen.
Maya visited HVAR island with her girls and Diano stayed in our Split home editing Frode Borge videos. Read more about our visit here: https://goo.gl/CdNbUe
Don’t forget to share this blog, if you liked it 🙂
On island Hvar, we arrived in Stari Grad. It was very late, so we had dinner in the city. Our pick was cozy little tavern called “La Gitana“, recommended by my friend Tea. The food was amazing and it’s host, Mateo, wonderful! He welcomed us to island with couple shots of rakija and good time.
We booked lovely Pension Tamaris in Sveta Nedjelja on south side of island Hvar. There isn’t much to do in Sveta Nedjelja and we wanted just that – do nothing. We ended up doing so much of “nothing”, so keep reading :).
Sveta Nedjelja
In the morning we had coffee in our Pension with a million dollar view.
We went for a walk around the village. This picturesque place by the sea is famous for Zlatan otok Marina, Restaurant and under sea wine cellar.
When in Sveta Nedjelja, you cannot miss the Lučišća beach. Take a swim in crystal clear turquoise blue sea.
Pitve
We had late lunch/early dinner in “Dvor Duboković Tavern” in village Pitve, typical Dalmatian village with stone houses, narrow paved streets and untouched nature.
City of Hvar
After dinner, we drove to city of Hvar for a drink. There isn’t much to say about Hvar, that I haven’t already. City has so much beauty and history, on one hand, and crazy night life, on the other. It is also the most expensive city on island, so come “money prepared”.
Gromin Dolac
Having a car on island Hvar is an amazing thing. You wake up in the morning and just pick one, of many beautiful beaches, for your morning swim. This time we drove (and walked) to Gromin Dolac beach. From Zavala the dirt road leads east towards the village of Gromin Dolac. We found a parking in the woods and walked to series of perfectly clean, azure blue beaches.
We were alone for hours, just enjoying quiet crickets song, smell of pine forests and the calm beauty of Adriatic sea. Only thing that was able to move us from that beach was HUNGER :).
Vrbovska
We hoped in car and drove to Vrbovska for lunch. Food was horrible, skip Konoba Lem, but city is lovely.
Basina bay
Last night in Hvar, we bumped into my friend Žile, remember him from our Escape blog? He invited girls to see Escape, so after lunch, he & Monga picked us up with boat in Basina bay and drove us to hidden Escape location. Girls loved it!
When I reflect on this trip, I have a feeling like we were on Hvar for a month, but in reality it was just 2 days. Having 2 days off, sometimes, it is all the time you need to recharge.
Call your friends right now and organize trip to Hvar! Take a car and visit several places, like we did. If you have questions about how to get to certain beach, food cost or tips for car transport, hit us down with question in comments. I would love to help you!
Don’t forget to share this blog, if you liked it 🙂
We are back in VIS island, CROATIA! Maya‘s family has a house there, so we look for any excuse to visit island. This time we were there on business, but we managed to film some behind the scenes for you.
We took Jadrolinija ferry from Split. Return ticket fee is approx. 15 EUR. You can find seasonal prices on their website.
City of Vis
Ferry docks in Vis city ferry port and the entrance in the bay is always magnificent! If you are not in a hurry, stay on ferry deck and watch city from bird view.
Žena Glava
Maya’s father and his brother have house in middle of the island, in little village named Zena Glava (eng. Woman Head).
We love coming to Zena Glava, enjoying life in a peace and quiet. In winter times we come to harvest olive trees Maya’s father, Nikša, has planted there. We dream about the day when we will have something beautiful as Nikša’s Olive garden.
Komiža city
When we are with Nikša, we always go to Komiža. This time, we took quick detour at place called “The red rock’s”(Crvene stijene), right above Komiža city. This place contains more than a dozen trails up for free climbers. It also hides one of many Tito’s tunnels. Vis has always been of significant strategic importance for World War II leader Tito, that’s is why he built tunnels and bases all around the island.
When in Komiža we always take a walk down the riva promenade. One picture you can count 100% you will catch, is local elderly siting at benches by the sea.
We always, but always, have a drink at Speed bar. We are there so much that we actually met the owner :).
If you are looking for good place to eat, KONOBA BARBA, has our highest recommendation.
Tell us your island experience! Have you visited island Vis before? What are your impressions of the island?
We are in Drvenik Mali, tiny island near Trogir. Our friends Maja and Milan have been posting their summer pictures on Instagram (make sure you follow them -> @majaimore) and gave us serious wanderlust! So, we invited ourselves :).
How to get to Drvenik Mali?
We drove from Split to Trogir and parked our car there. There are free parking places in the city (if you have time and patience to look for it), but you can also leave your car on paid Public parking, near Jadrolinija ticket office. Maja and Milan have a car on island, so we didn’t have to go with ours. However, you can take car on board the ferry to Drvenik Mali, but then you have to embark in ferry port Seget Donji (not Trogir). The boat departs from the Trogir and Seget Donji waterfront to Drvenik Mali and back to Trogir every day.
So, we took Jadrolinija ferry in Trogir and enjoyed smooth sail to Drvenik Mali. Keep in mind, ferry’s first stop is Drvenik Veli, you go out on second stop.
Island has no paved roads and there is not much to do there; but it has beaches from your dreams! Maja & Milan studio house has no TV, internet or electricity, but has outdoor fireplace and two happy people!
Vela Rina bay
Their house is in Vela Rina bay, well hidden beautiful sandy beach in the of middle Dalmatia. So, all you have to do in the morning is take your beach towel, swimsuit & flipflops (well, camera too, if you are photography freak, like us) and stroll down to the beach.
We still can’t decide if, in Vela Rina, sunrises or sunsets are better? What did you like better? Tell us in comments and make sure you like, share and don’t forget to:
Where are we this time? We have no idea! Only thing that we know is that we are on Hvar island, Croatia. Exact location is hidden and are ok with that.
Escape community
We were invited by Escape community event on Hvar island. Didn’t really asked much about it, we just said YES! Escape lasted 6 days, but we had to work (like most of our summer), so we came last day of event. We borrowed tent from a friend (as we camped only once before) and we were ready to go.
Hidden location near Vrbovska
We took ferry from Split to Stari grad, where Escape team member Uroš picked us up. They drove us from Vrbovska trough dirt road for about 30 minutes. We had no idea in what direction they were driving, so their “hidden location” will stay hidden…at least for now. Finally, we arrived and it was like Mediterranean Wonderland -> pine forest, right by the sea, music playing, adults walking on slackline, while children painting their faces. Honestly, we felt “escape” as soon as we stepped out of the car.
We found Petra (one of Escape team member) lying in handmade barrel swing at the entrance. Maya knows her since she was just a kid and she was happy to see what a beautiful women and amazing entrepreneur she has become.
Petra showed us around Escape “Wonderland”. There are several beaches on site with few cabana’s, arts & crafts workshops, healing practices and massage area, kitchen & bar, few dance floors, movie theater and camp with toilets & showers. You can take yoga class, book rock climbing and diving tour, take stand up paddle and explore hidden bay, or just chill in one of many hammocks. Most important is to let go, play and enjoy far away from everyday life – and so we did.
We made video, but to tell you right away, we didn’t film much this time, just soaked Escape vibes. We hung out with Maya’s friends and Escape team members, Žile, Monga & Dragana; and had really chill time. We learnt that Escape is neither a festival nor a party. It is not just a vacation or a summer camp. Escape is love. Escape is community.
We are working on new projects, which we are not allowed to talk about jet, but we can show you where our new businesses recently took us -> on beautiful Peljesac peninsula in southern Croatia, about an 1,30 hour drive from Dubrovnik.
It is around 70 km long natural beauty with historical sites, sandy and pebble beaches, great wine and seafood (especially oysters). We only had time to stop at two little magical places on peninsula: Zuljana and Ston. This is how our work breaks look like:
If you are interested in doing businesses with us, email us on: maivcevic@gmail.com
We have been working very hard, so we paused with blogging for a while. Some of you already know that we are seasonal workers in Croatia. Imagine being in Croatia and not experience what it has to offer? No, big no! Always find time to have fun in life!
Today we are taking you trough our ACTIVE VACATION TOURS:
Hopp on Biseran boat and ask them to take you on sunset tour near Split. Boris from Biseran was task oriented and made for us tailored tour to Čiovo. We took some Gin, fruit, lost’s of positive energy and had the best time we had in a long time!
Are you as much as adrenaline junkie as we are? Experience the rush while descending through the Cetina canyon with ZipLine Omiš! It has 8 steel ZipLine wires with total length of 2.100 m and the longest one is 700m (conveniently or not, that is the first one). Also worth of mentioning is the speed, they say you can go 65 km/h.
Before you go to big wires there is short wire where guides will teach you how to brake and act on cable on these small lines. So, if you haven’t done it before, don’t be afraid they will show you how to ZipLine. Keep in mind there are short walks between wires, so dress appropriately. Bring water! We were in bigger group, so we waited on each wire.
We were in Omiš several times, even took a ride with a boat on a river, but the views of Cetina canyon and river from ZipLine is something very different and breathtaking!!
KRKA WATERFALLS, ŠIBENIK
While Plitvice National Park is more popular tourist destination, there is little difference between the two. Most important difference is that in Krka National Park you can actually swim in the water! That is also the main reason why we like it more :).
Krka National Park in Croatia is located in central Dalmatia, just a few kilometers of the city of Šibenik. We got there from Split, with a car, but you can easily find daily tours.
Main attractions are the waterfalls and cascades Skradinski buk, Roški slap and island Visovac with its monastery. Keep in mid there is a lot of walking, so bring appropriate shoes, liters of water and something to eat. You can make little picnic at the meadow near Skradinski buk, just be aware of hungry swans that walk around :).
BOAT TOUR, ISLAND VIS
Island Vis is our favorite island in Croatia, so far. We did full day trip around the island, last year, and it was the best summer memory we had! Boat trip starts and ends in Komiza city. They took us to popular beach Stiniva and Green cave, less known but wonderful Smokova and Pritišćina bay, military tunnels and we passed by Vis city.
DianoMaya.Com 