CROATIA
Roundabout Experiences
Roundabout Experiences Croatia, owned by Tomaž Juvan and Mitja Jus, epitomises what we love about the best DMCs in the business and what we look for in our partners;
Product Innovation, Sustainability, Personal approach, Flexibility, Professionalism and Integrity.
“Innovation and uniqueness are key to creating extraordinary events and delighting our luxury and adventure clients. We believe that operating within an ethos of sustainable and responsible operations means we always offer the highest level of authenticity, quality and engagement for our visitors and the most efficient operations for our trade clients. We prioritise a win-win philosophy of how we work with all our business partners, employees, suppliers and customers.”
- MITJA JUS
Why Croatia?
Croatia is a Mediterranean country that borders Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro and is situated by the Adriatic sea. Croatia is a diverse and fascinating country that we believe will delight your clients with its world heritage, extensive coastline, islands and beaches, exceptional nature, charming old towns and world-class wines and gastronomy.
Wine and Gastronomy in Croatia
Croatia is one of the oldest winemaking areas in Europe and has 4 wine-growing regions, 20.000 hectares of vineyards and 45.000 producers!
It, therefore, offers a lot of unique, family-run, boutique production vineyards and offers visitors the opportunity to meet and explore Croatian wine production with the actual vineyard owners and winemakers themselves.
With Roundabout Experiences your clients can uncover the secrets of family winemaking traditions, enjoy a blind tasting of wine - sometimes directly from wine barrels - and learn about the daily chores of a wine producer. They can even sleep in a converted old wine barrel at one of the unique Agritourism properties.
Croatia also has a rich culinary tradition based on the Mediterranean style and ingredients. Each region in Croatia has its own culinary personality. For example oysters from Ston, cheese from Pag, pašicada from Split, truffles from Buzet, peka "the bell" barbecue and Istrian homemade pasta - "pljukanci or fuži." For fine dining fans, there are also 7 Michelin-star awarded restaurants in Croatia.
Guests can experience the typical Croatian hospitality and get involved in activities such as truffle hunting, cooking lessons and crop harvesting while pampering their taste buds with the tastiest traditional dishes with fresh, local ingredients prepared by the hands of a local chef.
Croatian Istria is an area is famous for good wine and food, such as truffles, prosciutto, and cheese.
Vodnjan, where some of the world’s best olive oils are produced - guests can buy some wine, liqueurs, or rakia and stop at one of the charming local taverns for lunch.
Ston oyster farming tradition and salt pans - guests take a trip on a wooden boat through the Bay of Mali Ston down to the oyster beds and try oysters with local wine and homemade rakia.
Pelješac peninsula is well-known for its vines growing on the steep slopes. Stop by one of the local wineries for the wine tasting with vineyard owners together with some local cheese and of course a walk around the vineyard and winemaker's property. Wines like Dignac, Postup, and Plavac Mali from Pelješac are known among the best in the country.
The town Pakovo Selo, hides Croatia's most awarded family-run tourist and cultural attraction. Become part of an interactive, authentic, and entertaining tour with a great family story. Learn how the amazing family-style "peka" meal is made, enjoy a tasting of some local wine and the famous Drnis "prsut" (smoked ham) and superb local wine. End your visit with a great family style "peka" lunch made traditionally.
Roundabout Experiences are also famous for their innovation of "Pop up" restaurants in unique destinations such as vineyards and places of natural beauty.
Beautiful, historic cities and towns - Experiences, not just Sightseeing
Roundabout Experiences ensure that visits to Croatia's gorgeous historical towns are nothing like ordinary sightseeing and offer visitors an opportunity to discover their secrets, legends, local characters and gastronomy.
Dubrovnik is one of the most-visited cities on the Adriatic Sea, with monumental city walls 1.940 meters long and 25 meters high, located at the foot of Srđ Mountain in Croatian Dalmatia and under UNESCO protection since 1979.
Zadar is the historical capital of Dalmatia. A charming Mediterranean city full of legends and interesting stories! The old nucleus lies on a small peninsula where once stood the best fortified European city.
Trogir is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Croatia. A harbour and another historic town of Croatian Dalmatia only 27km from Split with its old town on UNESCO World Heritage list since 1997 as the best-preserved Romanesque-Gothic town in Central Europe.
Sibenik - A historic city in Croatia and the oldest native Croatian town on the shores of the sea located in Central Dalmatia where the Krka river flows in the Adriatic Sea.
Ston is best known for its 14th-century fortified walls and is actually split in two: the town of Ston, which includes Pozvizd Fortress, and its neighbouring Mali Ston, a centuries-old defensive settlement that includes Koruna Fortress and an old port. Using the walls to walk between the two is a great way to travel in the footsteps of history. Ston is particularly known for oysters, mussels, and other seafood as well as its salt pans that are still in use and are the oldest in Europe.
Croatian Istma Towns - Vodnjan, Rovinj - a picturesque Istrian fishing harbour often referred to as “Small Dubrovnik."
Pelješac peninsula is a place still protected from the crowds and is known for its charming old villages, great seafood restaurants, pebbly beaches, family-run vineyards, and endless groves of pine trees and cypress.
Mostar (In Bosnia but often visited from Croatia) has an interesting history as well as a striking layout. The famously divided city spans both sides of the Neretva River, with a vibrant community of Bosniaks and Croats occupying either side of this city. The Old Mostar Bridge (UNESCO) was completed in 1566 after nine years of planning and building. Designed by the Ottoman architect Mimar Hayruddin, this bridge stood for 429 years without fail. This bridge was destroyed as a result of the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina but was reconstructed and reopened on July 23, 2004. Not only is it a testament to incredible engineering and design, but to the healing of Mostar after ethnic division.
Islands, Sailing and Boat Cruises
Croatia has 2,000 kilometres of Coastline and 1,200 islands. There is an island called home by a family of 120 dolphins, islands with age-old fishing traditions, islands with a particular cave in which the sunlight turns a brilliant blue for an hour each day, islands known for their wine, cheese or anchovy pasties.
With so much to choose from many people take a sailing trip to be able to visit as many of the unique islands as possible or a small cruise to visit both the islands and the coastline with its historic towns.
For the islands here are some that visitors like the most:
Hvar - one of the most beautiful harbours on the Adriatic with a rich cultural heritage. Its seven-century old walls still survive, as well as many of the 15th-17th C Venetian era noble houses and public buildings. Hvar has a reputation as being the swankiest of Croatian destinations and offers history, heritage and culture.
Korcula - famed for its enchanting forests and its white wine. The island is a mix of quiet hamlets and vineyards, fishing villages dotted along the winding coast and its formidable medieval walls.
Lastovo - not many visitors venture to Lastovo but it is well worth it. This small Croatian island will remind you of simpler times, where people still catch fresh seafood for dinner and make their own wine using locally grown grapes.
Bisevo the Blue Cave. In order to appreciate its ethereal beauty, guests arrive exactly at the time of the day when the sunlight reflected through the seafloor bathes the entire cave in aquamarine light, while objects in the water are turned into shimmering silver.
Vis island still has the air of an unspoilt paradise and visitors love its rudimental beauty. Komiza, a picture-perfect, authentic fisherman's village on the island of Vis. Wander around the old town, relax on the beaches shaded by Tamarix trees and taste some typical Mediterranean snacks. Sail to a beautiful, secret bay on Vis island, the perfect place for swimming and snorkelling. Bisevo Blue Cave. In order to appreciate its ethereal beauty, guests arrive exactly at the time of the day when the sunlight reflected through the seafloor bathes the entire cave in aquamarine light, while objects in the water are turned into shimmering silver.
For a sailing holiday, guests can choose from bareboat or crewed charter sailing. There are also small boat cruises along the coast and amongst the islands. Sailing is a wonderful way to get away from the crowds and explore these gorgeous islands in more detail after the day-trippers have gone home.
Nature
Croatia offers many national parks and areas of natural beauty to explore:
Plitvice Lakes National Park (UNESCO) - unique, beautiful scenery with 16-terraced lakes and spectacular waterfalls.
Rastoke - a watermill village situated where the blue-green water of river Slunjcica flows into the Korana river. Most of the houses were built at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.
Krka National Park - named after the river Krka it has seven waterfalls and a total drop of 242 m, the Krka is a natural and karst phenomenon. The park has a total area of 109 km2, was formed to protect the Krka River and is intended primarily for scientific, cultural, educational, recreational, and tourism activities.
Kornati National Park - very popular with sailors due to its stunning natural beauty and crystal clear sea (surrounds Sibenik from the sea),
Paklenica National Park (Velebit) - a gorgeous wilderness area in central Croatia located at the southern end of the Velebit mountain range. The park is famous for its dramatic canyons of Velika and Mala Paklenica as well as black-pine forests.
Active Experiences
If your clients like some active adventure and adrenaline included in their trips then Croatia has a lot to offer.
Sea Kayaking around the many Croatian Islands
White Water Rafting on one of the well-known rivers around the Balkans
Canyoning on Soča river
Zipline over the Planica ski jumping hill
Explore hidden sea caves of Dalmatia
Deep-Sea Diving in the Adriatic sea,
Jeep Safari - an off-road adventure in Velebit's mountain scenery
Unique and Luxury Properties
Croatia has a wide selection of stunning luxury and design hotels, boutique lodges and private villas as well as some fun and unique accommodations to try. Our top luxury picks include:
Dubrovnik: Villa Dubrovnik and Pucic Palace
Hvar Island: Maslina Resort
Croatian Istria: San Canzian Village
Split: Vestibul Palace
Rovinj: Grand Park
You can jump into checking out some of Roundabout Experiences’ example itineraries, images, videos and presentations HERE and by connecting with us on SquirrelFish. (Contact us if you do not yet have your free account.) Let us know if you would like to set up a meeting with Mitja Jus to discuss how Roundabout Experiences DMC can assist you and your clients in Croatia.
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