We never experienced Croatia before and we are a high-expectation travelers as we like to dwell into the possibilities before even planning the trip. Zagreb was great to start with; although we had to go with it because of our flight. Great room overlooking the central square. Great location. Good buffet breakfasts. A lot of food! The tour of the city in thet special little vehicle was a great way, especially once he was able to put the top down. Very informative and enthusiastic. We talked a lot about history and other topics.
Great car on the way to Plitvice, I wanted to drive. Ivan was also informative and enthusiastic. And, he helped with luggage from hotel to car. Amazing stop at the Mills. I want to return and stay there! He helped us again with luggage from car to hotel, which was not an easy task with roll-around luggage on slate stones. The “buggy” normally used for transfer was not available.. The park! What to say? Absolutely amazing walk through one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever visited. Our guide was a ranger there, so he knew how to avoid crowds. The hotel room was outstanding, nonetheless their food as well – a lot of food.
The Velebit Pass was awesome. The views were spectacular. Another unexpected trip highlight. And, we saw a bear!!! That was a highlight for all 3 of us… go figure! Dragan’s driving through the pass was safe and informative. While all the drivers we had on our trip drove safely, this stretch of road required an extra level of caution. I also appreciate the stops he made along the way for photos. He was also very friendly and talkative. We’ve had lots of good conversations!
Zadar vineyard was a nice addition to a perfect day. We enjoyed the wine pairing. Again, it was a lot of food! The accommodation stunning. Location, location, location – beautiful! The apartment was very comfortable and well maintained. Views of the sunset were fantastic, simply unforgettable. Zadar felt like a mini Venice. Ivana took us on a great tour of the city. I must admit I was hesitant about the glass museum but Ivana made the visit enjoyable – and short. She was very informative and knows lots of interesting historical facts. Sibenik – never heard of it until this trip, but another extraordinary surprise on the way to Split. Again, after living in Turkey, wine tasting and servings of pork are much appreciated. Bibich was a good stop.
The trip just continued thrilling us more and more. Split architecture tour was the best of all. It was more a tour of Diocletian Palace, which I found fascinating – the way the palace has been repurposed over the centuries as a village, and now a gathering place for the entire city. Goran was obviously very respectable and knowledgeable person because everyone seemed to know him and he knew all the littlest details about the history of the palace and seemed energized by my interest in what he knew. I think we turned our 2 hour tour into 4 hours. Lots of walking around the Palace. Largely my fault for taking such an interest in the tour. Velora is a Game of Thrones fan, as was our guide Andrea on the day after. She kept pointing out scenes of the series that were filmed at sites between Zadar, Split, Diocletian’s Palace and including Klis fortress and she also was very knowledgeable about the real history of the surroundings. Lamb from spit was a fantastic meal. We tried to eat it all, but just couldn’t.
The winery in Kastele is not quite ready for prime time, but after visiting all the professional slick presentations at the more well established wineries, it was quite refreshing to be in a more informal family run environment. I enjoyed it, and besides, there was wine and pork!
What to say about Dubrovnik? After the “you know which” situation, it wasn’t a ball. However, you guys made things happen. Firstly, the ambulance drive, well… being an ambulance, the driver was remarkably nice, helped us with our luggage. We didn’t lift a thing. We actually tipped him good. Cannot say much good though about Argentina although everyone was very nice and we have been given a complimentary drink on arrival. The one person ‘assigned’ to help us was very cordial, helpful and patient. He seemed genuinely sympathetic, but he couldn’t really do anything to help. The poor rating from us is only because we didn’t really get to know any of the staff because we didn’t stay there due to their room alternative, which was simply unacceptable for us. But that was faith! What a find Ventula! Of everything Ventula travel did for us on our trip through Croatia, finding the alternative apartment in light of the Argentine Hotel fiasco was the best! We loved this place. We wanted to buy it! We had a beautiful four nights here! We enjoyed Petra’s company walking the walls. She was great, while we felt terrible because we were so tired.
Montenegro was a fantastic addition to our trip as we never heard of Kotor before. Now, we’ll never forget it and will recommend to others. Great tour with the boat and the island with the small church, remarkable meal in the mills restaurant. Farewell experience was another unforgettable meal – high quality food, extraordinary view. We will definitely recommend Ventula to anyone we know who will visit Croatia. Our tour was a proper below the radar travel experience. Shows that Ventula does make sure to choose the best services. We would love to visit again!