Croatia: Waiting for the word to spread
Travel diairst Joe Cawley gives us an insight into why Croatia is such a great destination for all the family for your next summer holiday for 2010. Read more for yourself.
By Joe Cawley
Remember the 80s? Wham, Super Mario and holidays in Yugoslavia? While George Michael and those little Mario brothers might still be going strong, the number of British holidaymakers touching down in Istria and what is now Croatia's Dalmatian coast has never reclaimed the dizzy heights from before the brutal civil war.
Which is a surprise when you consider that Croatia ticks many of the boxes UK holidaymakers are seeking these days -short-haul and easily accessible by budget airlines; non-Euro; barrow loads of history; and seaside sun along an unspoilt coastline.
At little over 2-hours flying time from the UK, Croatia dishes up renovated retro-resorts surrounded by pastoral landscapes of lush Med greenery. While most of the country's hotels might not be blessed with bags of architectural beauty, rich green buffers of oak and pine trees help soften the skyline and conceal the cement of 70s renovations.
Shaped like a nibbled croissant, this land of a thousand islands (1,185 if you want to be pedantic) has three main tourist areas; Istria in the north; Split and the Makarska Riviera in the middle; and further south, Dubrovnik and its surrounding area.
Istria is the eco-champion of Croatia, a triangular peninsula of ancient towns, unforgettable gastronomy and simple, natural pleasures. From Savudrija in the north to the Kamenjak Cape in the south and along the east coast to Rabac, the red tiled rooftops of medieval towns such as Labin and Funtana provide a vivid contrast to the startling blue waters of the Adriatic and more than a dozen shades of forest green.
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