As students, we love a good night out. Couple this with sunbathing in the daytime on a beautiful beach and you are on for a winner. However, most of the resorts and towns abroad which attract this sun and alcohol-seeking group are not exactly the most cultured or even attractive places to visit. I am a self-confessed post A-levels holiday-maker, having flown to the lively Cypriot town of Ayia Napa with 15 girls for a holiday filled with mayhem and drinking. To be fair, it was cheap, and you are guaranteed a great night out. However, it is not somewhere I will be eager to return to in the near future.
If you are looking to organise a trip of this kind with a group of friends, but perhaps want less of the flashing neon lights, messy foam parties and fish bowls for a measly 4 euros, then I would strongly recommend you look into visiting Croatia. Croatia is a beautiful and popular European destination for many holiday-makers from all parts of the globe. However, over the past few years Croatia’s tourist industry has really began to flourish, as more and more people are beginning to discover the wonders of this amazing country. The Dalmatia region on the Eastern coast of Croatia boasts some of the world’s most beautiful islands, with crystal clear waters and a Mediterranean climate. Croatia defiantly deserves a visit and should be top on your list of places to go next summer!
Over the summer I spent 2 weeks in this beautiful country with my boyfriend. I was not entirely sure what to expect as we landed on the airstrip at Split airport and got on the connecting coach to the main city of Split. Even when we checked into our B&B and were subsequently told to walk ‘up hill’ if we wanted to find the beach (which, take note, is not sandy but rocky – as is the rest of the Croatian coastline) we were still unsure about what Croatia had in store for us. When we finally reached the top we were presented with a marvellous view over Split and its surrounding islands; the beach was a very steep decline through a large forested area on the outskirts of the city.
Split was a great place to start the holiday. With hundreds of restaurants, bars, clubs and attractions it is hard to find yourself wandering around aimlessly without anything to do. We spent 2 days here before venturing down to the harbour to book a ferry across to one of the islands for which this area is so famous. It is essential to remember that you can only book your ferry on the day you want to travel, but this is not a problem if you get there early enough (before everyone begins to stir from the night before). We booked a one way ticket to Hvar, where we had an apartment booked for 6 nights from the website Adriagate.com. Our ferry pulled in to the very stylish but also very picturesque harbour at Hvar town on Hvar. At once I saw why so many people had told me to visit the place. Its dramatic scenery and copious amounts of restaurants, bars, cool beach clubs and small market stalls – all surrounding a large square – were very unexpected when considering the size and small population of the island.
[pagebreak]
Our apartment was situated on top of a hill (Hvar is very hilly), and once again we had some of the best views money could buy, except we were paying hardly anything for the apartment itself! If you are visiting Hvar then you shouldn’t panic too much about finding a place to stay, as when you disembark the ferry there are quite a few tourist agencies all with some great deals on apartments in and around the town.
When staying in Hvar, I would recommend you devote at least one day to hiring a boat (£50 for a day but it can seat up to 6 people). This can be done in the main harbour, and you are then free to explore all the deserted but beautiful smaller islands around Hvar, where you can moor your boat and have a drink in some of their bars which are only open during the high season. Make sure you don’t end up on a nudist beach (Jerolim Island) like we did by accident!
At night, the place comes to life. Carpe Diem bar (on the harbour) is the most popular place to go, and then you should try catching a water taxi across to Carpe Diem club which is situated on a small island about 5 minutes boat ride away. The number of youth hostels located in the centre of the town means that you will find many places to spend your night so as not to do the same thing twice. It is not as cheap as the classic European ‘Sixth Form’ holiday destinations are, but it is a sure sight nicer, in a much better setting where you will not spend your day looking for a McDonalds or weaving in and out of the carelessly hired out mopeds. But instead you can lounge on a double sun bed at Hula Hula beach club, sipping on a cocktail and enjoying a platter of fresh calamari (one of the Top 100 beach bars around the world to visit), or hire a moped and explore the beautiful interior of the island, rather than causing havoc on the deserted and slightly disappointing ‘strip’ during the day. Hvar is not only suited for those of you travelling in groups but it’s great for couples too.
Hvar is just one of the many islands you can visit in this area of Croatia. Ferries depart from either Split or Dubrovnik, however I found Split to be cheaper in terms of flights and ferry prices. It is the liveliest but also the sunniest island in Croatia, and therefore the most suited to young students wanting a fun filled holiday involving partying, sunbathing and cool, laid-back activities. While it wasn’t one of your typical clichéd romantic places to visit, everything we did was new and exciting, and it was definitely a great place to spend 2 weeks chilling out, enjoying great food and wine! It is definitely up there on my list of favourite places I have visited, and for a 2 hour flight from London, you can’t really beat it!