Two drifters

RandE
Aug 3, 2024
3 min read

Updated: Aug 11, 2024

RandE and group travel is not something that happens. Maybe a few friends get together for weekends away, but no big-scale cruises or bus tours following an umbrella are ever put on the itinerary. As a friend put it, you are "two drifters, off to see the world". But the desire to see as much of the Dalmatian Coast as possible didn't match the budget at hand. There was no way we could hire a boat and pay a skipper and live the lifestyle of the rich and famous, so the next best thing was a week-long, small-group tour on a catamaran with eight strangers.

We couldn't ask for a better experience or a better group of strangers. We left the final port as friends.

Leaving the marina town of Komolac with overnights in Mljet, Korčula, Lastovo, Hvar, Šćedro, and Trogir, we spent days lounging around the boat mesmerized by the Adriatic, the Croatian coastline and the overall adventure. Lunch stops always included a dive (or cannonball) into fresh, clear water, a lap or two around the boat and so much childlike joy you felt you'd wiped a few years off your age. A swim in the ocean cures everything.

The idea of yachts and sailboats and life on the water sounds uber luxurious, but as anyone who has ever docked in a marina of a touristy port town knows, it's pretty much the same as pulling into a camp ground. Everyone is there to fuel up (both themselves and the boat) and attempt to get a good night's sleep before hitting the road (or sea) again. The biggest difference on this itinerary is we had postcard-perfect villages to explore, fresh-out-of-the-ocean meals to savour and water as clear as an aquarium.

Again, the group we sailed with made it all the more memorable. Thanks Carlos, Eric, Joseph, Matthew, Roger, Stefan and our fearless leaders Frans and William for making this travel stop a smooth sail.

And here's a few recs from us in case you find yourself drifting around the Dalmatian Coast:

On the island of Mljet - Restaurant Maestral
Porto Rosso in Skrivena Luka on Lastovo
and on Šćedro, Restaurant Moster

And finally, you can't travel around Croatia without exploring one of the most prominent Medieval fortified towns in the Med: Dubrovnik. We wandered and sweated throughout this marvel both before and after the sail. It was HOT! and those temperatures soared inside its larger than life stone walls. The polished laneways reflected that heat even further and we dragged ourselves to a swim spot whenever we left our AirBnB. Our favorite was Danče Beach with its rock divers, water polo sea-court and blaring traditional Croatian music. Perfect place for a Karlovačko!

Our unit was up 200 steps and gave some of the most cinematic views of the Old Town ensuring Dubrovnik lived up to its current tourist marketing as one of the awe inspiring locations for Game of Thrones. The downside of its Hollywood reputation was the throngs of fans gawking at King's Landing, the "shame stairs", the Red Keep and more. According to the German online platform Statista, there are 36 tourists for each resident. We think we saw them all.

Besides wandering the streets and walking the walls of this ancient wonder, a few more must-dos on our list include the hike up Mount Srd to push your heart rate (and the heat index) a bit higher - and a quick (crowded) boat trip to Lokrum Island for more breathing space and cooling swim spots.

And if you need a place to store your luggage while traveling about, go meet Snežana across from the Cable Car stop. You can pick up a bottle of wine and she sells ice! A hot commodity (pun intended). We had some great chats with her coming and going on our daily treks.