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Published: September 13th 2010
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We drove on to find our final and main destination at Hvar Town on Hvar Island.
Arriving in Split we quickly managed to book a ferry and 2 hours and £45 (one way fare) later, we were on the 2 hour sail to Stari Grad in Hvar, where it appears all the car ferries go to, then 25 minutes drive to Hvar Town. The town is an initial nightmare as there are no street names, lots of one way streets and pedestrianised areas making it very difficult to find our accommodation. However, we managed to park, find the tourist information office and were given directions by the girl there who once nearly broke into a smile (or did we imagine it? she was after all Croatian!)
They say that Hvar is the ‘St Tropez’ of Croatia and it is certainly the place for people who like to see and be seen. Many such from the expensive hotels and large yachts are strolling along the square looking good and wearing sunglasses until midnight!
Two days of Michelle sunbathing with the bronzed and beautiful and Terry had had enough. Rental boats and the call of exploring meant that we hired
a boat for 4 days and off we set like Captain Cook to explore the many islands off shore. Being good, experienced sailors we drifted skilfully between islands looking for a particular inlet. However, we were soon lost and could not find our way back as all the islands looked the same and for some reason they seemed to have forgotten to give us a colour GPS on our little day boat! We had to follow the other boats at the end of the day to get back to Hvar Town harbour.
The first two islands are described in the Lonely Planet as “Naturists Islands (but nakedness is not compulsory)”. We saw other similar references but we decided that this must be merely to draw in sad voyeurs, as we looked for hours each day and never saw any naked people!
Croatian Hospitality
On the Wednesday it was cloudy and windy so we decided to book our tickets for our return ferry to Split. We drove the 25 minutes drive to the ferry port of Stari Grad. “Can we book for a car and two passengers on the 2.00pm ferry on Friday?” we asked confidently. “No” came the
reply. “Why not?” we asked. “You must queue on the day”. “Will it be a problem to get on the ferry?” “Yes” came the short and unhelpful reply. “What time should we come?” we ask. “The people who arrived at 1.00pm today did not get on” came our final reply. Not a smile, not a helpful word; more, miserable Croatian hospitality.
Friday came and we set off early for the ferry arriving 11.40am, 2 hours 20 minutes before the ferry’s departure. We were first in the queue. Michelle stomped to the ticket office and paid the requisite £45. “Are we on the 2.00pm ferry?” She asked. “Maybe”, said Mr Smiley, “but the ticket is only a reservation, it is not a guarantee”. “But we are first in the queue”. No reply from Mr Smiley but another man said that all commercial vehicles get priority, and then pointed to a full car park. “These are next; they did not get on the last ferry.” Our hearts sank but we got on which is not what happened to many who arrived after us.
We have been disappointed in Hvar. The food in the restaurants was generally bland. As we have
demonstrated customer service was poor; it was a surprise if someone in a shop or supermarket smiled. Some of the people were very helpful but they were in the minority. Having said that, the harbour in the town is pretty. It is as nice as St Tropez and better than Porto Cervo. The water was clear and beautiful and everything was reasonably priced.
We had one night in Split, as we both wanted to see the remains of the palace that the Roman Emperor Diocletian had built for his retirement. He was one of the few or maybe the only one who retired and lived. The whole old centre of Split is made up of the remnants of his palace and much of it is still intact. An interesting place but one day is enough.
Holiday almost over, now to visit some friends on the long drive home.
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Sue Duncan
non-member comment
Holidays
Hi Michelle Blimey - that guy at the ferry sounded an absolute bundle of laughs...... at least the italians smile and are pleasant..... I am having a day off today - the others have gone to capri for the day, but I decided my own company was preferrable. I took the courtesy coach into sorrento this morning, and I have been lazing about the hotel for the rest of the day. we head south from here tomorrow then start the long journey north the day after. I cant wait to get home. Ive had enough of holidays..... Isnt that terrible? I hope you finally got out of the traffic jam and met your friends at Munich. Love Sue xxx