As an Aussie living in London there is only one recommendation you get when you ask….

“What should I do this summer?!”

The answer?!

“SAIL CROATIA”.

The premise is that a bunch full of antipodeans (Aussies, Kiwis) pack a boat, get drunk, cause some havoc amongst a beautiful island setting and repeat. I thought that sounds like fun, why not check it out.

As I had a week off work I was looking forward to R&R – little did I know I would be more tired by the end of the week!

My friends and I opted for the ‘One way South option’ which took the following route.

Sadly we had to wait for our boat for well over two hour as it had been delayed earlier on, the plus side is that we got comp’d a free dinner later on in the week :D. As a guy coming onto one of the cruises you want to know what the guy girl ratio is to assess what your chances are of pulling.

Being an Asian fella in and amongst a mainly Aussie crowd…well lets just say all the planets would have to align for anything to happen hahaha.

Amazingly the ratio was 18:4……… guys to girls lol. But for what our dear Primorac (name of the boat) lacked in females in made up for in genuinely nice people. I thought we were very lucky to be hanging with some well grounded people who not only enjoyed a good party, but had other goals in life apart from “getting blind…Straya”.

I guess you have to remember that these kind of cruises are luck of the draw and your experience is very much dependent on who you get lumped with. There were no egos, everyone just got along and were really decent people! So rare, these days.

I contrast our boat to a few people from the other boats I encountered who were actual knob heads who’s objective and sole purpose of their European holiday was to “get blind everyday”. I guess in my younger days I could relate, but just another reality check that I am indeed getting old.

The cruise itself

You literally wake up to postcards every morning. Just think emerald waters, eternal sunshine and all around you beautiful islands. The seabreeze is always refreshing and you wake up in the morning and cure your cracking hangover simply by jump off the roof of your boat to “freshen up”. Sounds good? That’s because it is simply awesome!

Activities

I had loads  of fun in the rafting activity and also the kayaking, I highly recommend these two activities. A few people from our boats also took the buggy excursion and said they really enjoyed it as well.

I suppose the thing about the activities is that whilst they are fun you sacrifice time to explore the island by day.  And with the way the route is structured you its rare have more than a couple of hours to explore each island. So my advice to those taking the cruise, choose your activities, but also think about which islands you would like to check out!

Favourite spots throughout the cruise.

Omis – has a picturesque beachfront and a lovely little old town you can walk through and chill out at. A very small town but one of my highlights of the trip. It was our first top after Split and we climbed the tourist trail and took in some amazing views up top.

Hvar – the most famous of the Croatian island where various music festivals, celebrities and big events can be found throughout the European summer. With unspoilt view (for now), beach bars overlooking the sea and rocking nightlife, tt’s not hard to see why its so jammed with boats/tourists during the summer. This islands also has the best clubs/bars out of all the islands – Pink Champagne was my favourite of the ones i visited.

Dubrovnik – I’m not a game of thrones fan myself but the rustic architecture, cobblestone paths and mountainous views I fell in love with. It was visually the best city of the cruise, though the city walls do a great job of retaining heat during the summer so It can get very hot during the day. If anyone has ever been to Florence during the peak of summer, it’s a similar feeling.

 Sail Croatia…thoughts?!

The traveller in me wanted to stay a little longer at each of the destinations, I guess I must remember that the sail Croatia cruise, similar to the Contiki and Busabout tours are known for their parties rather than their educational offerings!

I think if you’re a uni student or just graduated from uni, this is definitely the place to be. There is a Gig emphasis on partying every night and most people are of a similar age (20-25). I’m slightly older than the average age… but luckily I wasn’t the oldest.  Just remember that because it is a sail, you won’t be spending as much time on the islands as you think (a couple of hours in fact).

I’d also pay a little more to try and get on the better boats, whilst the Primorac had plenty of charm and character, I would have prefer a room with a little extra ceiling room so I didn’t bash my knees every night whilst trying to sleep. See below our 3 person room lol

I will say the captain and crew on the Primorac went over and beyond in terms of making their guests feel at home. There was always food available (although no one turned up for breakfast) and the chef is happy to take onboard any suggestions to tweak his cooking to your taste. A little bit of background, the salt levels of the initial dishes served were off the charts and could only be described as ‘cholesterol inducing’

I am glad to have done the cruise, I had heaps of fun, got a wicked tan, witnessed some amazing scenery and met some cool people along the way. As a working professional, knowing what I know now I probably would have opted for a private yacht with some close friends, or gone on yacht week which sees you gather a group and sail (either yourself or via paid captain) from split to Dubrovnik. As you are required to sail, the age demographic is slightly older, with the objective to keep up with all the other yachts or be left behind!

JD