Summer Dreams: Five Perfect Days in Croatia

Last summer a dream came true. We went to Croatia! It was our 5-year-anniversary and my 36th birthday so we rented a beautiful little apartment in Dubrovnik. It’s true that the Croatian coastline is one of the most stunningly gorgeous places on Earth. The beaches are so clean and the Adriatic waters perfectly refreshing. It was a real vacation, with just the teeniest bit of work sneaked in during nap time in the cold air-conditioned apartment. So we really indulged in all the things we love most in the world, like soaking up the sun, playing on the beach, drinking icy cold white wine, and eating deliciously fresh platters of seafood. I’ll never forget you Croatia! Here are a few shots from our trip.

Our apartment was part of a family home, which had been in the same family for 400-years. Our host’s ancestor built it in the 1600s. When you step outside, here’s what you see. Pretty little boats bobbed around in the harbor. My photos don’t do this place justice.

Every morning we’d head out to one of several beaches on Lapad Peninsula. One big one with lots of restaurants and touristy shops was just a ten minute walk away, but we liked to set off on an adventure and hike around the peninsula along a paved trail (perfect for families with strollers) and find our own little secluded bit of coast. We escaped the midday heat by retreating to our apartment for nap time, and then spent the rest of the afternoon at another beach followed by mini bottles of white wine and a tall glass of milk.

We thought we’d save money and cook dinner at home, but that only happened once or twice. The seafood was just too good to pass up! Check out the great high chairs they have at restaurants in Dubrovnik. These two are both in the old town, a 40-minute walk, or 10-minute bus ride from our home base.

There were lots of families on vacation in Dubrovnik, especially on the Lapad Peninsula where we stayed. It’s a perfect place to travel to with small children because there are so many beaches and the old town is a pedestrian zone. Not too many Americans go to Croatia. There seemed to be mostly Russian, Swedish, and German tourists.

On my birthday our hostess came down with these home baked chocolate muffins. Is that not the sweetest thing ever? Our hosts were so thoughtful and accommodating, offering us beach towels, mattresses for the pebble beaches, setting up a toddler bed for Elodie, and lending us lots of toys. They also run a winery out of the street level part of the building, and gave us a pitcher of wine. Croatian people are so nice and generous.

The apartment’s back door opens out onto this beautiful garden. Doesn’t it look ancient? It was usually too hot to go out there, but always lovely to look at.

It was so nice to spend so much time together as a family. We’ll always remember it as one of our most special trips with our baby girl.