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Travelistas on the Croatian Riviera

When the Travelista TV team was in search of a new international party hot spot, we didn’t have to look any further than Croatia, a Mediterranean country surrounded by the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea. Part of the former Yugoslavia, and bridled by war throughout the early 1990s, Croatia has emerged as one of the most sought after travel destinations of the new millennium. This Mediterranean locale has it all: an economy that isn’t run by the euro, sun, sea, and beautiful people.

We began our journey in Split, where we stayed in a restored castle in the center of the city. The Dalmatian Islands are known for a tall population, and we were surrounded with Croatian basketball players (think NBA baller Tony Kukoc) and gorgeous models. We hung out with a Croatian who was home for the holidays from Chicago, where he currently works as a basketball coach. He was very entrenched in the black culture in the US, due to his relationship on the basketball team. We developed a small following of fans in Croatia, as the locals were curious about us and enamored with our brown skin. We partied with the basketball player/coach as he showed us around the hottest parties in Split. The fun was just beginning!

We left Split by private speedboat, jetting off to the party island of Hvar. Hvar is quickly becoming the Ibiza of Croatia, where the rich and beautiful yacht and island hop all summer long. For 5 days straight, we partied until the sun came up, enjoying the good life with Croatian glitterati and celebrity, including soccer celeb Davor Suker. We were told that the island of Hvar had never seen so much champagne flow before our arrival. What can we say? We pop bottles…and bottles….and bottles!

We continued our epic journey around the Dalmatian Islands to the southern tip of Croatia, in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik. We visited this enchanting city, which overlooks the Adriatic Sea. The old town of Dubrovnik, enclosed by a stone wall, is where all the magic happened…men proposed to us; we crashed a wedding; sang Croatian songs with the locals; and we popped bottles!

Dubbed as the “next Italy”, Croatia’s underground status makes the experience that much more authentic. The tall, gorgeous people are humble and inviting. Chic cafés, international boutiques, and hotspots are slowly popping up around the country. As more and more Western Europeans continue to buy real estate and Croatia becomes less undiscovered, we hope that the uniqueness of this little Adriatic jewel will not be lost.