Cavtat – also known as Croatian Tuscany

Tuesday 11 June

After two days of historical sightseeing in the Old Town in Dubrovnik, we thought it might be nice to have a less hectic day today so decided to catch a bus and head out to the little town of Cavtat, 20 kilometres south of Dubrovnik.  Cavtat is much more laid back and more of a beach resort, and interestingly, was named the most popular honeymoon destination in Europe in 202.  The bus ride was great as the route is high up and the panoramic views of the coastline were spectacular.

It was a real treat meandering around the seafront, in and out of the shops in this picturesque place and we found a delightful restaurant on the promenade and enjoyed a very relaxing three-course lunch.  Not a lot to tell you about today, other than it was a welcome day of sunshine and relaxation, and good food.   As well as being a hit with honeymooners, Cavtat has also been voted as one of the Top 3 European Best Destinations by those in search of……”a place where life is a simple pleasure”!  And that is exactly what it was!

The bus ride home offered us some more beautiful views of the Adriatic and little coastal towns on the way back to Dubrovnik.  We were hoping that we could ring the bell for the right stop that would drop us at the top of one of the staircases leading down to our Air BnB and eliminating any more climbing.  Sadly, it was not to be, nowhere to stop on that very high coastal road and the bus dropped us way past our accommodation and we ending up with a long, but quite scenic walk and “the daunting stairs”.  We were buggered by the time we got home and it was a “kaftans on” night, with a relaxing, easy dinner on our balcony!

Wednesday 12 June

Another nice relaxing day for us today, we decided to go to the beach as there is one just along from our Air BnB.   We walked to Banje Beach past the Ploče iza Grada, a building parallel to the old part of the city on the foothills of Srđ Hill, which played an important role during the Republic of Dubrovnik because the Lazarets – the first maritime quarantine in Europe - were located in Ploče.  Any newcomer entering Dubrovnik between 1377 and 1533 had to spend time in quarantine – this was in the time when the plague and cholera epidemics were ravaging Europe and it was to prevent the spread of the diseases.  Nowadays the Lazarets, under UNESCO protection since 1994, are used for street festivals, exhibitions, concerts and lectures.

The beach was typical of a lot of beaches in Europe in the summer, jam-packed with 5 rows of sunbeds, and with plenty of people lying next to each other like sardines, and unfortunately on stones and rocks, no sand!   The water was a delightful hue of turquoise, but I think I am a little jaded here, you couldn’t compare it to our NZ pristine white, empty sandy beaches that stretch for miles!  Nonetheless, it was a very relaxing few hours with plenty of people watching to be had as well. Our last dinner in Dubrovnik was a cracker, a beautiful outdoor table at Bistrot Port 22, overlooking the water and Lokrum Island, next to the Lazarets and facing the Old Town – couldn’t have been more perfect.  Dubrovnik, thank you – we’ve had an amazing visit here!  Next stop – Split!