8 Tipps for Sailers
Sailing Croatia by boat is like being at home for us. It just feels absolutely right and the hospitality of Croatians is second to none.
Since we love Croatia and regularly travel there by boat, we want to show you a small list of the best spots for anchoring, staying the night and eating. We hope we can give you one or two insider tips.
1. Vodice
As a rule, we charter our boat in Vodice, a nice little town that lives mainly from its marina. There is a small beach and a large supermarket to stock up on water and food for the trip. The restaurants are also excellent, we particularly like going to the STEAK HOUSE BY GUŠTE, excellent beef steaks grilled over an open fire. Vodice is an excellent starting point for a cruise, it is excellently located near Sibenik, the marina is not too small and cramped, the gas station is heavily frequented, but it is no problem to head for and cast off again with a deeper draft. In the evenings it can be a little louder in the bars at the port, but by then we have usually already left.
2. Castlebay
Castle bay is usually our first stop for the night after leaving port of Vodice. It is a little south of Sibenik and is a well-protected sandy bay with an old defensive wall. You shouldn’t arrive too late, as it is very busy and you won’t get a seat otherwise. The anchor holds particularly well here and it is very quiet at night. You can also go ashore with the dinghy and explore the defensive wall. In some years the rocky coast of the bay below the wall is full of small crabs, if you have a little patience you can see them quite well.
3. Maslinica
Marina Maslinica – a very special place. This tiny little town was a completely sleepy little town 10 years ago, then a slightly better earning German came by and said I like it there, but the marina is too small. In short, he quickly built a nice hotel and a larger marina, hired extremely capable mariners and built his own holiday home. The marina is not the cheapest, but there are really capable mariners who help with mooring even in strong winds and are very accommodating. There are some nice places to eat in town or just take a walk over the hill into the Sesula (bay), there are other very nice places there. In summer you should reserve a table. Right next to the harbor there is a small separate swimming area with a fresh water shower and very nice snorkeling rocks. We like Maslinica.
Martinis Marchi Marina
+38521659093
Restaurants:
Konoba Sesula
Konoba Sismis
Konoba Sampjer
4. Bobovišća
Bobovišća is a small town with a small port and a well-situated buoy field. For a small fee you can spend the night at the buoys. The bay is well protected from the weather and the water is very clean. We haven’t tried the restaurants in Bobovišća yet, because we usually cook here ourselves. There is a small supermarket, but it has very short opening times, so it’s always enough to stock up on provisions. Since the bay faces west, there are very nice sunsets here. And since it’s not a vacation home for young people, it’s very quiet in the evening and at night.
Google-Link: Bobovišća
5. Marina Palmižana
The town of Hvar on the island of Hvar is a particularly desirable destination. However, the port in Hvar is extremely expensive and always fully booked, so you just don’t get a meaningful place there. That is why Marina Palmižana exists. Located opposite the town of Hvar, in a small bay, it is one of the most visited marinas in Croatia. Reserving a berth online is an absolute MUST here. There are a few restaurants on the island that we have never tried, because of course we, like everyone else, take the speedboat over to Hvar in the evening for 100kn. There you can eat really well, drink cocktails and eat really good ice cream. There is a small ice cream parlor in the port, you can easily find it by the line of people in front of it. However, it is definitely worth the queue. But the Marina Palmižana and also Hvar are actually no insider tips. So here is a tip that maybe not everyone knows. The island of Paklinski Otok – on which Marina Palmižana is located – offers more than just the marina. You can hike the island on foot and discover very nice snorkeling bays. Store Stone Beach and Taršče Bay are not so crowded and therefore relatively interesting in terms of wildlife. We have seen a full-grown octopus here before.
Google Link: Marina Palmizana
Eisdiele: L’amore per ill gelato
6. Sveta Nedjelja & Bilo Idro
This is definitely one of our favorite places in the whole wide world. Sveta Nedjelja is a small place, there is a tiny bakery and an even smaller supermarket. BUT the harbor is not a harbor but a wine bar with a jetty. To explain: the entire hillside of this place is a vineyard that belongs to Zlatan Otok. a great winemaker who has already won several international awards for his wine. The Bilo Idro (meaning white sails) is the associated wine bar, which also offers the best food around. You should definitely reserve a berth, but the fees are rather low. There is electricity and showers, as well as fresh water for the boat. When reserving a berth, it is best to reserve the table at Bilo Idro at the same time. The menu is small but OHO, and if you’re lucky enough to fish, they’re happy to cook your own fish. We find the fresh scampi with tomatoes and spaghetti the best. And a glass of sweet wine, the strawberry note is simply divine. I would go there anytime just for that. Also the landscape is very nice in Sveta Nedjelja, you can go a small footpath up the hill to a cave and an old church in the cave, or a little further up to the top of Crkva sv. Nikola. There is also a suitable spot for sport climbers, deepwater solo fans or snorkeling enthusiasts. THE CLIFF BASE. For a small fee you can climb the prepared routes directly on the water, use the coast for DeepWaterSolo (yes, the water is deep enough and the area under the rocks is well washed out) and snorkeling between the rocks also offers some nice observations because the area is not is very heavily frequented. For us, Sveta Nedjelja is an absolute stop, no matter how far or near, this footbridge is always planned. And I almost forgot the olive oil at Bilo Idro, they have the best olive oil and you can buy it by the bottle and take it with you. We always stock up for the coming year and it’s never enough. It is very fresh and has an excellent taste of fresh grass, best tasted with some white bread.
Google-Link: Sveta Nedjelja & Bilo Idro
TelNr.: +38 591 321 00 22
Cliffbase Kletterspot
Wild Cave with curch
7. The bay of Nečujam
Necujam Bay is a relatively large, heavily inhabited bay on Solta. However, since the bay is star-shaped, it offers many opportunities for anchoring and laying lines. What is always a highlight of this bay for us is the shipwreck that lies at snorkeling depth. An old fishing cutter has sunk here and is about 5 meters under the water. Always exciting for us to visit. You can also take the dinghy to the town of Necujam and stock up on provisions in a small supermarket up the hill.
Google-Link: Bay of Necujam
Ship-Wreck
8. Lastovo - Porto Rosso
Last but not least, our absolute insider tip: Lastovo
The island is a national park, but you can anchor, spend the night or stop for a swim in any of the small bays. We prefer to use the pier at Porto Rosso, a restaurant in the bay of Skrivena Luka. There is water and electricity, as well as toilets and showers at really fair prices. They also offer laundry service and you can buy fresh bread in the shop in the morning. Of course, you can also have breakfast, and the barbecue in the evening won’t leave anyone hungry. Just a few minutes walk from Porto Rosso are some wonderful bays where you can snorkel, swim and sunbathe. The small offshore islands are also wonderful bathing spots by boat, with great underwater flora and fauna. I can lie in the water for hours and watch the fish. You can find a small impression in our video about our Croatia trip. The island is very sparsely populated, so it’s absolutely quiet and is said to be the second darkest place in Europe, so it’s also a good place to try astrophotography. The lighthouse is also a very nice destination.
Two bays further is Ubli, where the Jadrolina docks. there you will find a water filling station and a supermarket, a small one directly in the harbor and a slightly larger one a few 100 meters inland.
Google-Link: Lastovo
Porto Rosso
Ubli
Take a look at our video to see some more from our Croatia trip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GB_YpGpKm-A
