After realising we'd never had a "Girls Holiday" before, me and two friends from home remedied this by booking ourselves a week away to Croatia. I'd heard various friends recommending Croatia and agreeing all we really needed was sun and sea we settled on a week in Split and Hvar. We had an incredible time and learnt some tips to pass on - so if you're thinking of paying a visit read on!
All three of us were on student budgets so we tried to keep the costs down as much as possible, which wasn't too hard in Split! We used Sky Scanner to find cheap flights to Split airport then Airbnb for accommodation which meant we could find places with kitchens included, although a bit more effort this was really great for being able to make breakfasts and lunches and have the occasional meal in over a bottle of wine (which by the way, is offensively cheap, think about £3 a bottle) saving us a load of cash on food.
If you're looking for somewhere with white sandy beaches Split/Hvar might not be for you. There are very small pebbled beaches however these get filled up extremely quickly and most people find spots on the stone walkways around the coves. In Split our favourite spot to go was the coast near Marjan to the right of old town - here rugged rocks provide diving/flopping off spots for the braver swimmer and plenty of sunbathing opportunities on the rocks themselves as well as the occasional trees to find some relief from the sun in a shaded spot.
One thing we noticed was how much quieter the "beaches" were the further you walked down the coast so rather than being lazy and grabbing the first spot you see walk on a bit and you'll probably find something better. In Hvar (where I really would recommend spending a bit on a sun lounger, lying on stone all week isn't the most comfortable thing) walking all the way round meant finding a lounger for 40 kuna instead of 100 so it's worth spending the extra time looking around.
When we first got to Croatia we were ridiculously amused by the amount of people in water proof shoes, but we quickly learnt why these people had the last laugh. Because of the lack of beach and amount of rock in Croatia - which you usually have to scramble over to get to the sea - these shoes are absolute heroes for saving your feet from some real pain. Will you look a bit less glamorous wearing them? Yes. Will you feel smug as you fearlessly walk over the sharp rocks? Absolutely.One of the best things we did while in Split was take a day trip to see the Krka National Park. You can get local buses to here which I think would probably be a bit cheaper however we felt paying a little more for something hassle free and pre organised was worth it so found a coach trip for 180 kuna.
The park felt like a different world with the main attraction being the huge waterfall you can swim in front of, could there be a more impressive backdrop? Since this is a full day trip I'd recommend taking a picnic along and heading all the way up from the waterfall to the trail around the small islands that wooden walkways provide; there's various little spots off the track you could have your lunch on.
Hvar was absolutely stunning during the day, the city is old and picturesque and had a marina full of yachts to gawk at. I'd definitely recommend paying this place a visit however I wouldn't say you need any more then 2 days.Use the chance of being in Hvar to explore the other islands dotted around by renting a boat or taking one of the various excursions offered along the water front. Like Split Hvar has a big night life scene however we definitely preferred Split.
The bars and clubs in Hvar are pretty pricey and unlike Split they're mainly small and entirely indoors which meant for a cramped and sweaty dancing experience. Maybe if you had money to spend on a big night Hvar would be great but it wasn't our scene.
Split on the other hand is great for a night out. None of the bars or clubs we went to ever had queues or entry fees and they all were either fully outside or had large outside areas to keep things cool and provide something a bit different from your usual UK club.There were bars in the old town but once you're ready to dance head down to the water front where there's a variety of different options all playing your usual crowd pleasing music. When it comes to getting from Split to Hvar and vice versa don't do what we did and leave it till half an hour before the Catamaran leaves.
Costing 80 kuna each way it's not too expensive however tickets go on sale in advance and can sell out quick, head to the ticket office the day before you want to go and buy a ticket then to save yourself having lots of hours to kill.
All in all Croatia was just what we wanted, relaxing with a fun night life. I felt like there was so much more of this country to explore when I left so will definitely be heading back one day to see more.
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