By Sally Wilkinson and Silvana Bongiovani
View of Old Town of Dubrovnik in Croatia from above. Credit: Adobe Stock
THE ITINERARY We travelled independently to Athens, Santorini, Paros and Mykonos enjoying some of the fabulous sights of Greece. After 10 days of white cliffs, sun lounges, pebbled beaches, steep steps and wonderful gyros, we flew to Dubrovnik to meet up with our small tour group. The group was led by the ever-smiling and calm Rosie Richardson, from Mosaic Travel (mosaictravel.com.au), based in Geelong. Rosie has amazing organisational skills – the buses were on time and the hotels and local tour guides always ready for our arrival. She'd find beautiful locations for unforgettable meals and she also kept the group of new friends happy and cohesive during 21 days of travel.
Starting in Dubrovnik, we island-hopped up the Adriatic Coast, visiting the spectacular islands of Kolocep, Korcula, Pag and Havar and walking around the Plitivice Lakes, taking in their natural beauty. There were so many highlights … but what stood out, and what I had been looking forward to for some time (even though it marked the end of our adventure), was arriving in Venice by speedboat George Clooney-style, travelling down the Grand Canal and under the Ponte Vecchio.
We learnt so much of the local history, saw amazing architecture and travelled through diverse and beautiful countryside. Although land-based, we enjoyed multiple boat rides along the waters of the Croatian coast, always on small boats there just for us, and it was at these times we felt totally spoilt.
Sally Wilkinson.
BEST BITS The natural beauty of Croatia, its amazing recovery from recent civil war and the positiveness of its people. Travelling with Rosie had many advantages; making so many decisions can be tiring when travelling, but not on this tour. And there was still lots of time to explore in your own way. I will always remember the idyllic locations, meals outside, the balmy climate and the amazing views.
WORST BIT Trying not to eat too much of the beautiful breakfasts offered at the amazing hotels.
BEST TIP Try small group tours (ours was maximum of 10).
WHERE TO NEXT Rosie's Spain and Portugal tour.
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