Croatia Tour Reviews — 571 to 600 of 667

Most of the boat staff were great, personable and added to the quality of the trip. The food was DELICIOUS! The boat captain was generally ok but he had moments when he his language was offensive. There was a bit of conflict between our biking guide(s). I enjoyed our time on the boat. The biking was mixed. Some routes were in beautiful settings but along narrow and sometimes sidewalks shared by oncoming people walking, laying or oncoming bikes. I much more preferred the open roads, come cars but more enjoyable. Overall, I enjoyed the trip but the itinerary could use some tweaking.

The scenery along the Dalmatian Coast was spectacular. A young Croatian guide (Ben) was hired to replace the usual Dutch guide (Bernard) who had broken his hip seven weeks before in a bike accident. Ben was kind, knowledgeable and fun. Bernard and his girlfriend were along on the tour as we only had six members in our group and a cabin was available. Apparently Bernard has some "financial interest" in the boat as well as being the usual tour guide. Bernard seemed to have something to prove from the first day. He had a problem letting go of control and letting Ben do the job he was hired for. When Bernard was along on the days' excursions he was overbearing and sometimes suggested unsafe maneuvers on the bike. I overheard him say American women were wimps. His girlfriend suggested that it was not just American women but men as well who might not be comfortable with a particularly dangerous turn off a road and onto a bath along the sea. By the end of the week he had mellowed somewhat. I suspect mostly due to his American girlfriend.

The captain was loud, drank too much and changed the itinerary to suit his needs. Yes, some of it was weather related. But, we were told the first day by other staff that the captain had a woman at every stop and expect our schedule to reflect it.

The food was awesome!! The gals doing the cooking, Ivana and Antonia were fun, very smart about Croatian history and funny. Without the Croatian staff the trip would have been a bust.

Croatia is gorgeous and the food was great. The cook, ivanna, and the guide, ben, were amazing with understanding the participants skill level and dietary needs. The cycling was not as described or the descriptions could have been better. One full day we were on a pedestrian path with many people to dodge- not fun and not real cycling. Molat was the best route!
The captain was difficult, drunkenly, egotistical, chauvinist and making lewd comments whenever addressing women.

We traveled aboard the Theodor Korner, a classic river boat with loads of character and an extremely helpful and courteous staff. We enjoyed sharing the experience with fellow travelers we met on board. Dinners were great as were evenings spent on the deck relaxing with a drink and discussing the day's ride and excursions with our new friends. There is no better way to see and experience places - villages, cities, and rural countryside - than by bike and a boat and bike trip can't be beat for convenience and comfort. We also liked that this tour lasted for two weeks, allowing us to feel truly connected to the places we were visiting.

The trip was beautiful and what I would describe as completely worthwhile work/play.

It was 38 degrees in Croatia with very little shade to be found on the biking route. Tip: Recommend an Ebike.

Most memorable: The local tour operator (Good Places) arranged a lunch and wine tasting at a small winery/restaurant. Excellent food, good wines, tour of the winery, interesting lessons about local wines in Croatia, excellent service and a welcoming atmosphere.
Suggestion: We enjoyed staying in the small hotels with atmosphere and a la carte dinners much more than the big resort hotels serving big buffet dinners. So please look for cosy, smaller hotels with atmosphere.

Tour route was beautiful, some costal some inland, hotels and food were excellent, I liked the smaller hotels much better than the large one as the small ones were very personal. Local wines were great. Had so much fun that I'm thinking about the next trip.

The guides were excellent for our amazing bike rides and boat vacation. The boat was well-appointed with clean, comfortable rooms. Our food was delicious and plentiful! We loved the beautiful scenery and would love to go back. Wonderful!

The most memorable part was a combination of the boat, guides, people on the tour, food, scenery, biking, weather - it all added up to a great holiday.
One thing which could be improved is information about bike options. We assumed since an E bike was included in the price that everyone would have an E bike and we didn't want to get left behind! There was no indication there was a discount for a hybrid bike. Only about half our group had E bikes and we would definitely have selected a hybrid bike if we had known that. (Those who booked directly with Island Hopping paid extra for an E Bike).

The bike riding and the scenery in Croatia were stunning. Many interesting things to see and the beaches are beautiful and refreshing after a hot day of bike riding.

Great trip - exceeded my expectations- first class in every respect.
Bike courses were challenging but you can't beat the scenery.

The most memorable part were the people we met, both crew and guests. The route had been well chosen to let us experience the beauty of the area. I would have rated the guide and food higher except for the following reasons: although the guide was very personable and knowledgable he did not carry a first aid kit or tools to deal with emergencies. I think this could be easily remedied. Although the food was well prepared the captain could have spent a little more money on his selection of meats, cheese, and wine.

There is a reason why the default bicycle on the Southern Dalmatia Plus trip is an e-assist model; the islands of Croatia are very hilly! The e-assist made it easier for me to stop on an uphill, take photos of fellow riders or the amazing scenery, get re-started easily, and make it to the top without holding up the whole group. Everyone, from the guides and crew on board to the locals in cafes and restaurants, was very friendly, helpful, and willing to speak English for the benefit of us uni-lingual folks!

Our trip was limited due to strong winds that had us harbour bound for a few days, but this is part of the adventure. Therefore we did not get to all the islands as planned. But the scenery and experience were all good.
We were the first trip of the season and our bikes were not in top notch condition. They should have been ready to go. I had to use an electric bike the first day due to my assigned bike skipping gears.
The crew were super - good natured, helpful and loads of laughs. It was a delightful tour.

Our trip to Croatia was wonderful.
Everything was perfect, from the size of the boat, our room, the food, the ebikes and especially the helpful and friendly staff.
Our guides were fun, had great knowledge and love for their country.
And yes, I have recommended this trip to everyone I know.

Food was ok but not great. A little more variety and quality with a little less quantity would go a long ways to correcting this.

Amazing guides - Senad and Lucia!! They were so fun, informative, professional! Boat experience exceeded my expectations in comfort, great food, friendly helpful crew, size of room.

Senad and Lucija were an amazing team; they really made the trip a spectacular experience. Our entire group seemed to enjoy the history lessons that were incorporated into our daily biking adventures. Biking ability in the group was varied and they managed us very well.
Mention must be made of the professional way that they handled 2 incidents that resulted in hospital visits, one of which was very serious! They are to be commended!

The guides, Senad and Lucija, were outstanding. The food was great and almost too plentiful! The kitchen staff and waiter did an incredible job of meeting my specific dietary requirements. Our only suggestion is to change the pricing to include water, bike insurance, etc. We would rather pay it all in one shot as the extra costs were mandatory.

The trip exceeded our expectations! The guides, Senad and Lucija where both excellent. There were a few safety issues that came up on the trip and they knew exactly how to handle them. They were both professional and personable and were a huge part of the trip being so enjoyable.

The boat staff and guides were fantastic! Would like to have had more time to roam the old cities of Korcula and Ston. The food was very good and plentiful- perhaps, the daily menu could be posted so one could pace themselves.

Fabulous guides who were very knowledgeable about the history of the region we were cycling in. Great people on the trip...met many interesting folks of various abilities who all got on bikes and enjoyed the rides.

The Southern Dalmatia tour was the 2nd of a 2 week back to back bike tour we took in Croatia (first week was National Parks of Dalmatia). The cycling on this tour was considerably more challenging compared to our first week ... "moderate to difficult" is an appropriate descriptor if a non-electric bike is used. With more challenging cycling there less emphasis on site-seeing while cycling. However one hour walking tours before dinner at destination sites were interesting and appropriate.

The Croatian Coast and countryside is absolutely beautiful with it's small towns and marinas in every cove. Cruising among the islands in a beautifully clear sea was an unexpected highlight... and a welcome break after a morning or afternoon of strenuous cycling. The frequent opportunity to swim off the boat was amazing!

Romantica was a clean sailing yacht with good amenities. Although rated as "Comfort Plus", we would consider it on the lower end of that scale (relative to some of the other "bike and barge" boats that we have been on). But we recognize that "you get what you pay for" and the Romantica was in our view good value.

We found the ship's crew to be accommodating and friendly. The food was fabulous with 4 course lunches and dinners that went beyond our expectations (thank goodness we burned calories during biking!). Our guides Jelena and Ivan were very professional and explanatory, had great command of the group and emphasized "safety first". They contributed significantly to the quality of our biking and enhanced the total tour experience greatly.
Overall, we had a fabulous 2 weeks of biking in Croatia. We so appreciate the assistance of Tripsite in helping us plan this trip (and others). We look forward to another "bike and sail" next fall.

This was our first "bike and sail" and we found it quite different than the "bike and barge" tours we have done in the past. There was less cycling (cycling distances were less than advertised and usually only in the morning or afternoon) and more cruising. However, cruising among the islands in a beautifully clear sea was an unexpected highlight... and often a welcome break after a morning or afternoon of moderate cycling! One hour walking tours before dinner at destination sites were interesting and appropriate.
The Croatian Coast and countryside is absolutely beautiful with it's small towns and marinas in every cove. Swimming off the boat was such a fabulous experience!
The Romantica was a lovely clean sailing yacht with good amenities. The rating scale for the "bike and sailing yachts" however is different than the "bike and barge" boats; Romantica was rated as "Comfort Plus" but we would consider it on the lower end of that scale (relative to some of the other "bike and barge" boats we have been on). We recognize that "you get what you pay for" and the Romantica was in our view good value.
The-food was outstanding - with 4 course lunches and dinners that were delicious!
In summary, a great trip - and we look forward to another "bike and sail" next fall.

The variety of scenery around Karlovac Croatia was awesome: rivers, farms, war ruins, small mountains, churches and more. The hotel was very nice and well-located along the river for a refreshing swim. The fixed menu was the same two night in a row until we finally asked for something different. Biking to the sister property in the mountains was far more strenuous than most would handle, so I'd caution anyone against staying at the rural hotel or biking there unless you are in fantastic shape. We loved it, of course. The only suggestion I'd make is for the hotel to provide printed maps and suggested routes. They had us rely upon a website and we have a difficult time matching up the website information with the routes described in the trip brochure/materials. We ultimately did fine (with one notably long detour upon getting lost!), but we like a logistical challenge. Others less inclined might become quite frustrated. Overall, it was an excellent trip and excellent value!

Croatia/Dalmatian Coast and islands are a beautiful vacation destination that we highly recommend. However the roads, lack of a shoulder, narrow streets, and lack of safety make it a very difficult and unnerving biking destination. Bikers need to fully understand that this area is not bike friendly.

It was a great trip. The Romantica is a newer ship and therefore the rooms were a little bigger and the bathrooms comfortable. The two guides, Marko and Ivana, were excellent. The bike riding was good, although not many miles, maybe 90 over 6 days. One thing that was also different is all 32 guests rode together with the two guides. This had it's benefits, but for avid bikers like us, we spend a lot of time waiting. The food on the boat was outstanding, including many local dishes made with fresh ingredients.

The trip was well run and organized. The bikes were in excellent condition and easy to ride. The selected routes were easy to follow and offered many sights and excursions. Would highly recommend this trip.

The short 13 km bike trip to Vodice was not scenic and seemed not a good choice for biking at all. Otherwise, the biking was great, scenic, nice villages, good stopping places. Thanks for a great week, great crew, great food and great company of others!