When you talk about Croatia, you first think of Dubrovnik. And there are enough reasons for that. But for us our happiness, more than the stories, was about traveling back to the sea. We love water and the excitement was quite at it’s peak, after seeing the pics of this beautiful destination. And we loved the idea of traveling on to Dubrovnik.
The reception at ‘The Loop Hotel’ had arranged our car drop to Zagreb airport at a very reasonable price. A little less than what we had paid to reach here couple of days back. We entered, I talked around a bit and then immediately classified it as a category A+++ airport. The criteria? Just one. It had a smoking room in the departure lounge 💕. And when the lady at the Croatian Airline check-in counter waived off a kilo or two from our checked in luggage, I fell in love a second time. No no, not with her. With Croatia.
The flight landed almost half an hour later than the scheduled arrival, probably because the weather was not too good. But when we landed the sky was clear and blue. Dubrovnik Airport named Cilipi Airport is located at Cilipi, approximately fifteen and a half kilometers from Dubrovnik city center. The best and most economical way to reach town is to avail of the Airport shuttle bus which leaves for the main bus station at Gruz Port normally every half an hour and takes around thirty to forty minutes. The first stop is at Pile Gate in front of Old Town where you could get down depending on the location of your place of stay.
But for us the journey took more than an hour because of the sudden change in weather and heavy traffic just before reaching town. The sky had become dark again, the rains came down heavily and soon it cleared a bit too as we alighted and walked to our guest house amidst a slight drizzle, five minutes away from the nearest bus stand. It was past five in the evening when we reached.
Situated in Old Town district, Guest House Raguz apartment offers accommodation with a sunbathing terrace. It is about fifteen minutes relaxed walk from Old Town and just a ten minutes walk to the center of Dubrovnik. There are no food options within the guest house but few good eating options like Caffe-Pizzeria El Toro and Nevera Beach Restaurant are within five minutes walk. Also there are other restaurants, bars, cafes, bakery, 24 hour shops all within a few minutes walk and also next door a departmental stores, where you would find enough options for your breakfast. The owners Inka & Evan are a very nice and simple elderly couple, who are not too good when it comes to speaking English but we managed and they made it up with their hospitality.
We love nature and if you too, you would fall in love with the place. Let’s take you around.
As we sat on this terrace with it’s beautiful view sipping our cup of coffee, the calmness and peace of the place was mesmerizing. Our long awaited trip to Dubrovnik was now real.
Dubrovnik has a long history but in the last century with the fall of Austria-Hungary in 1918, the city was incorporated into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes which later became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. When in 1929 Yugoslavia was divided among nine Banovina, the city became part of the Zeta Banovina. In 1939 Dubrovnik became part of the newly created Banovina of Croatia.
During World War II, Dubrovnik became part of the Nazi-puppet Independent State of Croatia, occupied by the Italian army first and by the German army after September 1943. In October 1944 Yugoslav Partisans occupied Dubrovnik, arresting more than 300 citizens and executing 53 without trial. This event came to be known, after the small island on which it occurred, as the Daksa Massacre. Communist leadership during the next several years continued political prosecutions, which culminated in April 1947 with the capture and imprisonment of more than 90 citizens of Dubrovnik. Under communism Dubrovnik became part of the Socialist Republic of Croatia and Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia till the fall of Yugoslav rule. In 1979, the city joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.
In 1991 Croatia and Slovenia, which at that time were republics within Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, declared their independence. At that event, Socialist Republic of Croatia was renamed Republic of Croatia.
The rain had stopped. The blue sky was visible in bits and pieces. So it was time for us to do what we always love to. A relaxing walk to explore. Walking around through the neighborhood on to nearby Pera Cingrije street, we decided to venture to the closest beach just two hundred meters away, Bellevue Beach. Come take the walk with us and get lost in the beauty of Dubrovnik.
As we reached back to our hideout, it was time to sit back, relax and marvel at these beautiful cool views from our terrace sit out before moving out for dinner.
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Dubrovnik. The Old Town, the mountains, the sea, the beaches, the islands and much more fun to come your way as you travel with us. And then visit a few of the top Balkans destinations.
Come experience God’s magical creations.
Hope you enjoyed the journey.PIN it for later
Traveling to Dubrovnik looks magical. Reminds me a little of the coast of Italy. Probability since they are so close. 🙂
I am glad that you had a better experience in Dubrovnik than mine. I wanted so much to see the UNESCO -old town but when I got there it was fully packed with tourists, I couldn’t take a photo without tourists’ head or legs or arms (all of these besides being very expensive). Next time, I will try to do something similar to your experience.
Yes we stayed in this very nice accommodation which was close to Old Town. During the morning the place gets overcrowded with the Cruise visitors coming in hoards.
Our first introduction to Dubrovnik was on a cruise. But we definitely want to go back and see more of Dubrovnik and Croatia. It was great to read more about the history of this city. Your stay looked quite beautiful. So great to be able to take the time to wander in the city. The water would definitely call to me.
I love Dubrovnik it’s one of my favorite places I’ve been. I also found the airport easy to navigate in/out of. I love the colorful rooftops of the Old Town and blue sea, it’s really the most magical place.
Yes just absolutely fascinating. We too fell in love.
Dubrovnik is one of our favourite places in Croatia. We too stayed around the area that you stayed. We enjoyed the Old Town very early in the morning and later in the evening when it quietened down from the cruise tourists. The Old Town has so many great restaurants and bars and places to see. Loved all your photos.
Thanks Jane. We did exactly the same. Early mornings and in the night.
I was unsure about traveling to Croatia this summer as there are always so many choices. Your post has convinced me to go, and to especially see Dubrovnik! Wow, such much history and what beautiful views. Having so much nature in the hotel certainly makes it easier to relax!
Croatia offers much more than what we had expected. It’s a beautiful country.
I visited as a kid when it was Yugoslavia and it was stunning back then, I’d love to go back and visit Croatia now. The evening views from the terrace are cool with all the lights shining out.
Croatia is always on my wishlist and so I am saving all your tips which sounds very useful. It is great that the reception at ‘The Loop Hotel’ had arranged your car drop to Zagreb airport at a very reasonable price. Car drop to airport in affordable rates is a nice gesture to welcome guests in a new city. Bellevue Beach looks peaceful and a relaxed spot.
I had the lovely opportunity to visit Dubrovnik last year and must say this post of your brought back memories and a smile to my face. It is an absolutely stunning destination and one filled with history and culture. I enjoyed every bit of it and the old town is the most amazing place to just walk around and people watch. i did find it a bit expensive but again we visited peak season so expected. The food culture is great as well and I visited some fantastic restaurants in the old town. Also a great place for GOT lovers . thanks for a great post .
Thank you Amar. We too loved it.
That’s so nice that the check-in person allowed your luggage even though it was a little overweight. Such a good way to start a trip! I always appreciate when they do that. I also really love being by the water so I would choose to head to the sea too. I appreciate nature as well so it looks like your accommodation would be a good choice. I love all the flowers.