Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast

Most Inspirational Moment

The places visited were splendid, for the scenery and sights of Dalmatia, which neither of us had seen before, are wonderful.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our guide, Mila, worked very hard all week to make our holiday a success. Her commitment could not be faulted.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Make sure the hotels have been vetted properly by Exodus if you can.

Suggestions

As mentioned above, the hotel in Lumbada was particularly poor. The shower tray was rusty, the shower head could not be fixed to the wall, one of the windows could not be opened due to a broken catch, the TV remote was missing, the view from the window outside our door looked onto a washing line over debris on a shabby roof, and there was a long steep ramp over which cases had to be dragged to get to reception. One has to ask, "When was this hotel last assessed by Exodus?" The rooms in the student hotel in Dubrovnik were much better, although the absence of a handle over the deep bath/shower creates a risk of slipping and is a real problem for elderly occupants. The main problem we encountered here was closure of the restaurant on Saturday evening due to a large wedding reception. The restaurant was very good and we had all planned to dine there and have a drink together on our final evening. We only found out in the afternoon about the closure. The buffet offered instead was awful! Worse still, the band playing for the large wedding party – two floors below us – played loudly to 3.00am. (We had to get up at 6.00am!). A waitress told us that wedding parties are common in September and October. Exodus should investigate this. In short, the hotel experience spoiled our holiday. This was our second Exodus holiday: I doubt if there will be a third.

Reply from Exodus

We are really grateful for David and Maureen’s review, and are glad that they enjoyed this trip and the sites they visited in Croatia, and that they were happy with their tour leader, Mila.

We are, however, very sorry to hear that they were disappointed with the hotels the group stayed at on this tour. We have been using the hotel in Lumbarda, Korcula for several years and have previously found it to be a pleasant, comfortable family-run hotel with a lovely location, which has received positive feedback from our groups in the past. A member of the Exodus team joined David and Maureen’s departure and did note that the property is looking a little tired at present, though. In Dubrovnik, we were looking to try a different property from our usual hotel, which we felt was well situated closer to the old town, which is the main attraction of our stay in the city. We have taken the issues that David and Maureen mention on board, and can confirm that we are reviewing these hotels and considering using different properties for departures of this trip in the upcoming holiday season.

We hope that this can show that we are taking David and Maureen’s concerns seriously and that we are proactive in sending our team members to regularly review our trips, in order to improve customer experience going forward. We very much hope that the rest of their holiday exceeded their expectations and that David and Maureen have some wonderful memories of Croatia overall.

– The Exodus Product Team

Most Inspirational Moment

Walling around the walls of Ston and Old town Dubrovnik, Lokrum Island, Korcula and Trogir Old towns at sunset

Thoughts on Group Leader

Literally the best! Cannot fault Vanja. She made us all feel safe and welcome and was very knowledgeable about the tour, croatia and all the locals. We love our Mama Duck!

Advice for Potential Travellers

My top tips: take cash, and quite a lot of it! No-where really takes card so we all had a dash to ATMs which charge around 5 euros a time. If you're planning on walking up Montokuc ( which is optional) take sturdy walking shoes and poles will be helpful. Get the 3 day dubrovnik pass! Saves you a fortune in dubrovnik and it'll save you a lot of time getting the bus ( included in the pass) between the hotel and the old town.

Most Inspirational Moment

Dubrovnik was a fabulous city to visit, beautiful to walk round and also a great place to people watch, while enjoying a coffee & cake! The views from the city walls were stunning. Korcula was also a real gem, we found a lovely little restaurant in one of the side streets during our evening visit and enjoyed a surprise city tour with a great local tour guide!

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vanja ("mama duck"!) was a great group leader who really went over and above to ensure we all had a great time. It was a big group - 20 people - and a mix of ages, couples and solo travellers, and she made sure we were all really well looked after. Even during her "downtime" she was checking on her "ducklings"!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book this trip and enjoy every minute! I'd say this was suitable for most ages and fitness levels, there was a good balance of sightseeing, walking, ferry trips, cities & islands. Not forgetting tasting local wines, liqueurs and produce. Something for everyone.

Most Inspirational Moment

Learning about the history of the country, from Ivan and the 2 local guides

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ivan, our guide was absolutely superb and so informative in the history of his country. His patience, assistance and management of such a large group was off the scale. He also had a great sense of humour and appeared to enjoy our company individually as well as the group as a whole. On some of the more tricky walks, he always made sure myself and others were OK and helped where needed.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The hotels do not have lifts, so be prepared for hiking your case up a few flights of stairs. Almost everywhere is accessed by countless steps and some of the terrain had large boulders to manoeuvre. The pavements in Dubrovnik are polished limestone and are slippery if you don't wear shoes/sandals with grippy soles. We were very luck with the weather and only had sun, but they would be lethal if raining.

Suggestions

Just GO!

Most Inspirational Moment

I enjoyed visiting Dubrovnik and hearing about its history, walking the walls in Dubrovnik is a must.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ivan the group leader was brilliant, really well organised and super helpful to all of us in the group. Arranging great places to eat and unique experiences along the way.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Pack some beach shoes as some of the beaches can be made up of sharp stones.

Most Inspirational Moment

Tough to choose just one but the day on Mljet island hiking to the Peak and the beautiful views was special particularly as I got to swim in the small lake at the end of the walk its stunning and very refreshing.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Vanja was great she had a knack for organising us and yet allowing us all space to do our own thing. She picked great restaurants and I actually looked forward to activities with the group. She’s one of the best tour leaders I’ve experienced with Exodus in a while and good fun to boot. We loved that she set up a WhatsApp group so we could send messages and pictures we had taken to each other. Vanja took several group photos and very generously gave us a copy at the end. She’s a credit to Exodus and Croatia !!!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Bring a pair of sandals or reef shoes for swimming in the sea or lakes as the water is crystal clear and so inviting but the ground is stony. Also have a good budget for eating out. The food in Croatia is delicious but it comes at a fair cost. The Exodus budget of £50 a day was about right I personally spent more!

Suggestions

I would have liked more time in Split. Dalmatian’s Palace takes time to explore and we only had 3 hours including lunch before we had to leave on the ferry.

Most Inspirational Moment

Mljet Island; walk to the peak of Montokuc. Beautiful island with its internal 'lakes' and pines. The climb was not difficult (256m) with steeper sections interspersed with level ones. Lovely views at the top. We did one leg of the journey by boat on the lake, stopping briefly on an island with a monastery. With the walk around the small and big lake + the climb approx. 8.5 miles - a good leg stretch without being overly demanding. Those who didn't want to climb had the option of remaining at the lakeside for an afternoon's swimming.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ivan was a warm, friendly and organized leader.

Advice for Potential Travellers

The Dubrovnik card is not necessary. The city tour includes a couple of museum visits and we were then given a museum pass to use during the rest of our stay. The entry ticket for the (optional) walk around the walls also includes the fort, which can be visited that day or the next. Steps are definitely a feature of this coastline - even within the hotels. For anyone with knee problems, a stick or walking pole might be helpful. Mussels and oysters are specialties along the coast, but I found both overly salty. But the langoustines (scampi) at the More restaurant on Korcula were delicious. Because the coast is steep and rocky, there are few sand beaches and entry into the water for a swim can be hard on the feet/ slippy. Protective shoes are available for sale, or if you have some, bring them.

Suggestions

There is also a darker side to the history of this region. A map in Dubrovnik shows the damage caused by the war with Serbia etc. and the bright red of newer roof tiles stands out as you walk around the walls. The small Jewish synagogue and museum are worth a visit.

Most Inspirational Moment

The walking tour of Dubrovnik, which included the Franciscan Monastery and the Rector's Palace, was excellent, I could have spent a lot longer learning about the history of the city.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Zeljko was an excellent leader. He was patient and knowledgable, and always had time to help members of the group. He was well-organised without being dictatorial, and his hard work was a major factor in making the holiday a success.

Advice for Potential Travellers

It's worth taking swimwear, Hotel Borik in Lumbarda on Korcula has a nice outdoor pool, and the Hotel Splendid in Dubrovnik has a beach on the Adriatic you can swim from.

Most Inspirational Moment

Walks along the sea

Thoughts on Group Leader

Very personable and involved. Went the extra step.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Compared to other Balkan countries, this is a pricey area. Prepare for crowds. I’d go off season, but then swimming in the sea would be challenging. Croatia is certainly ready for the tourist

Suggestions

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