Has anybody been to Split and Hvar in Croatia?

Funnily enough, yes, last September!

We stayed a couple of nights in Split before moving on to Palmizana (on Sveti Klement, off the coast of Hvar) for a week, then had another night in Split before flying home.

To be perfectly honest, I'd say Split is well worth a few days - the old town (built within the largely ruined walls of a Roman Emperor's palace) is amazing. It's a labyrinth of alleyways, peppered with bars, restaurants and shops, and is one of the most atmospheric places I've ever been. In addition to this, there's a swanky waterfront with lots of cafes (and an interesting smell at one end!), and a beach nearby (that we didn't make it to).

Hvar town is ok, but having spent a day there, we didn't feel it was worth a second visit. It's very picturesque, and the fortress is well worth a look, if only for the views from the top, but apart from some decent cafes, bars and restaurants, there's not a great deal of interest. Having said that, if you're using it as a base for exploring other islands, it's ideal as there are ferries and water taxis available.

Palmizana is worth a look - the island is really unspoilt (no cars), there's plenty of isolated coves, and a couple of the only sandy beaches you'll find in the area (most are shingle). The main Palmizana restaurant and Toto's on the beach are great - simple food, but very fresh and well cooked.

I'll stop there before this becomes a essay on what I did on my holidays, but suffice to say, we loved it and would go back in a heartbeat. Oh, and here's some links for you:

www.zephyrus.hr - gorgeous B&B in Split

www.kastelsplit.com - simple hotel in central Split which was great for an overnight stopover.

www.palmizana.hr - not as slick as it looks on the website, but charming in a rustic way.

Ooh thank you, that's really useful.

We haven't booked our flights yet so I'll definitely add a couple of days to stay in Split.

We really loved Dubrovnik so are looking forward to seeing other places.

Cheers Tulip !

Hvar / Split are pencilled in for 2010.

We've been to Croatia quite a few times. We stayed at Jelsa on Hvar - think it was about 1/2 an hour from Hvar town. I really liked Jelsa. We had a really low key break, lots of swimming and nice meals and visited lots of other places from there - Split, which I really liked too, and some of the islands - Brac, Korcula, Mljet.

I'm looking forward to going back when the girls are a bit bigger - the transfers are a bit long for little children. The seafood is brilliant. In Jelsa we went back loads of times to a restaurant called Pelago, which was brilliant - amazing fish dishes and after we'd been once or twice, they offered to cook what was fresh that day, rather than from the menu and it was always great.

No probs, POD & P&P!

Split is something of a hidden gem - most people seem to get off the plane, catch the bus to the port, and sail straight out, which is a real shame. Don't be put off by some of the industrial areas you pass on the way in to the city though - once you're in the centre, you wouldn't know it's there.

Feel free to PM me if you want any further info.

Yes, I spent a few days in each a couple of years ago. Split is a fabulous town (well, in particular the old town, which is amazing, and well worth several days if not more). The roman ruins under the city are particularly fab. Do try and stay in the old town, as the newer town which has grown up around it isn't anywhere near as picturesque. We stayed in a hotel which was actually made up of part of the old Roman walls, and although small, was fabulous in terms of service and price - I'll try and find the name of it if you want me to?

Hvar was also lovely, although very much a different prospect and the town itself is tiny - great for just chilling out and doing nothing. The hotel we stayed at there was out of the town but about fifteen minutes' stroll along the coast, and had its own private beach, and a fabulous, fabulous restaurant which was on a terrace over the sea, so you could sit and watch the sun go down as you eat. Again, if you want the name I'll look it up , but I can certainly recommend it - the other hotels I saw in Hvar were much bigger, a bit overloaded with tourists and a bit of a foodfight in terms of space!

The only other thing I'd say about Hvar is that many of the ferries come into the wrong end of the island (not the town end) which then gives you a white-knuckle drive along the terrifying drops through the volcanic island - I honestly thought I was doing to die at several points when the car nearly skidded off the edge of the road. So, definitely try and ferry into Hvar town itself if you can, unless you're James Bond ?

ETA Hotels

https://hotelperistil.com/ - Split Old Town

https://www.podstine.com/ - Hvar (you reach it by driving through a tunnel of rock - I don't know why but I was really impressed by this!)