Marge,

Your agent did a wonderful job. He took us to all the highlights. The accommodations were perfectly fine and even in the larger places like Zagreb the hotels were usually within walking distance from the old downtown cores (at least by our standards of a reasonable walk) - but there were always buses near-by as well (usually for about $1.50 per person). We had our concerns about spending 4 nights in a 2 star hotel in Dubrovnik - but it turned out to be a delightful little secret - the room was fine, the hotel looked out over a lovely bay and the dining room was right on the water - and there was a wonderful beachfront area full of cafe's and shops a short walk away. The old city was too far to walk but a bus stopped direcly in front of the hotel every 20 minutes. Apparently the fact that you have to cross the street to get to the dining room and there are no elevators (it is 3 stories) are the reason for the 2 star rating.

My only suggestion to the agent would be to cut out Trogir as an actual over-night stop (it is worth a lunch break stop). It is a nice enough little place, but far more touristy,very crowded and far more expensive than anywhere else - and the hotel (although rated a 3 star) was far more of a 2 star than the Dubrovnik one. If people have seen Zadar, Trogir is very much the same (although in a less scenic location). We would recommend instead having people overnight in Omis (about 1.5 hours further along). It is a lovely place - far more unique than Trogir and, since the town seems to beg for tourists (at least in May) the hotels were cheap (a waterfront 4 star with breakfast and dinner could be had for $100 per night).

We brought some brochures etc if you are interested. I encourage you to recommend Croatia to your clients - it is a safe, reasonable, welcoming and relaxing place to get away. The language and atmosphere give you a true sense of being a completely different world - but you can still function perfectly well in English. So it is the best of both the extremely exotic and the comfortingly familiar.

Thank-you so much for making this happen for us.

All the best

Ed

Croatia Photo Galleries

Plitvice Lakes National Park is the oldest national park in Southeast Europe and the largest national park in Croatia.The national park was founded in 1949 and is situated in the mountainous karst area of central Croatia, at the border to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The important north-south road connection, which passes through the national park area, connects the Croatian inland with the Mediterranean coastal region.

The park has several miles of walking trails and these pictures were taken on the first day in the less rugged area of the park.

In 1979, Plitvice Lakes National Park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage register among the first natural sites worldwide.

Rastoke - Pictures from 10-day visit to Croatia. These are of Rastoke, a small town near to the Plitvice Lakes National Park located about halfway between the capital Zagreb in the north of the country and Zadar, a coastal city on the Adriatic. The town sits right on the river.

The area is pristine and the 2-lane highway winds thru' the forest-covered mountains and valleys. It was a cool 15C and overcast so the light wasn't as bright as on a sunny day.