Private Accommodation in Croatia

When planning your next Croatia trip you are bound to come across the term private accommodation. For our (JayWay Travel) guests in Croatia we often encourage them to stay in private accommodations. The initial reaction I often get from potential clients when I say private accommodations is generally negative. They often think that means they will be sleeping in someone’s house with their family members in the next room. While this has be known to happen this definitely is the exception rather than the rule and with enough research or suggestions from the experts such as JayWay you will be able to find the ideal Croatia private accommodation.

Private accommodations can include a number of different types of accommodations such as private rooms, apartments and villas. Terms used for private accommodations you may come across also include condos, rentals, vacation homes or holiday rentals to name a few. In Croatia private accommodations are usually the most popular and the most abundant type of accommodation.

We tend to encourage guests to stay in private accommodations as we believe they are the best value for money you will find in Croatia. There are several advantages to staying in these accommodations over hotels. For the most part we believe the hotels in Croatia are overpriced for what you get. Although they are getting better as of the last couple of years with recent reconstructions, many of the hotels in Croatia are out of date and badly in need of refurnishing. In a lot of these hotels it is like stepping back in time and not in a positive way.

However the number of hotels in Croatia are limited due to building restrictions. The Croatian Government makes it very difficult for hotels to build in new locations so many of the new hotels are built on former locations. This generally makes the process of building even longer as the former hotel has to be knocked down before building the new one. You also won’t find many chain hotels in Croatia due to these restrictions. For example the only chain in Dubrovnik is the Hilton and in Split is the Le Meridian hotel which is actually located five miles outside the center. I have always seen this as a very positive move by the government as this will allow Croatia to keep its charm instead of becoming overdeveloped like some places in southern Spain for example and ruining what was once a beautiful coastline.

The first advantage I see with private accommodations is they provide more space than a hotel. Unless you spend a lot of money on a hotel you are generally confined to a small double room, whereas for the same price you can often get a spacious one bedroom apartment allowing you for plenty of room to relax. Many of the private accommodations have kitchens which provide a nice alternative to eating out for every meal. Although I believe dining is an important part of the experience it at least allows you to have a fridge where to keep some snacks and drinks to enjoy after a day of sightseeing or a late night of partying.

Private accommodations often give more privacy than a hotel. Sometimes in hotels you can feel like you are bunched together with a number of people and it is easy to hear what is going on in the next room through the thin walls. Whereas private accommodations for example are often single locations on one floor without neighbors bothering you on either side, consist of lets say three apartments that make up one villa location or even can mean your own private location with no one in the surrounding area.

Private accommodations often have as nice and sometimes even nicer standards than hotels in Croatia. All of the private accommodations we offer to guests have a three, four or five star standard. As mentioned above the standard of some of hotels in Croatia are quite outdated so what they may call a three star or four star hotel may not live up to the standards of today. Many of these private accommodations have been restored and refurnished with modern furniture and amenities. You may find a century’s old building that has a private accommodation with a plasma TV on the wall.

Generally private accommodations have better locations than hotels. Due to the make up of some of these Croatia cities they do not allow space for big hotels so the hotels are forced to set up outside the center of town often requiring a bus or taxi to access it. One prime example of this is in Dubrovnik. In the Old Town center within the city walls there are only two small boutique hotels while there are countless private accommodations available. Many of the hotels in Dubrovnik are set outside of the center in an area known as Lapad which can only be accessed by taxi or bus. I believe if you don’t stay within walking distance of the Old Town in Dubrovnik you get a completely different experience.



Continuing on the point from above, private accommodations often have large private terraces with incredible views. Not to say hotels don’t offer this but if you are lucky you will get your small balcony with two chairs facing the sea. Whereas private accommodations allow for some of the best positioning to enjoy the most unique views these locations can offer. You can find beautiful large and private terraces where you and a group of friends can enjoy a few drinks and beautiful Croatian sunset, it does not get any better than that.

I believe private accommodations provide a more charming and authentic travel experience. The owners of these places take great pride in their accommodations and they become part of the experience. I have had the pleasure to work with a number of different owners in Croatia over the years and made a lot of good friends in the process. I often select accommodations for my guests not only on the quality of the accommodations but also based on the owners. They can bring so much to a traveling experience with their local knowledge, assistance and stories. You can really get a feel for how the people live in Croatia from these private accommodations. The feedback I receive from guests about these owners is always excellent and they often say a particular owner was what made their stay so special.

Finally, probably the biggest advantage to private accommodations is they are more a lot more affordable than hotels of the same standard. For what you get with a private accommodation if you can live without breakfast (some even have breakfast included) and some of the amenities of a hotel I believe there is really no comparison between private accommodations and hotels as the price savings is quite significant.

Despite all the advantages I listed I will say that not all the private accommodations are perfect. It can actually be quite difficult to find the quality you want out of a private accommodation. I know this first hand because it has taken years of research to compile the accommodations suitable for our clients. I have personally visited every accommodation first hand often staying in these accommodations myself. I always say I would not recommend any accommodation to a client which I would not stay in myself. When booking private accommodations on the internet be quite careful as photos and descriptions can be quite deceiving. You usually don’t know until you are actually there so that is why I believe our service is so valuable. .

All of the accommodations we offer are in the center or within walking distance of the center. I think location may be the most important factor when selecting a place to stay so to be at least in walking distance is a general criterion we use when selecting an accommodation. To illustrate this point take my Dubrovnik example from above, I could never consider a private accommodation out in Lapad. I believe the true Dubrovnik experience can only be enjoyed by staying in the Old Town or in the area just outside the city walls with its spectacular views of the Old Town and sea. Don’t get me wrong, an area like Lapad is very nice but I it does not compare to being in or around the center.

During a typical city accommodation research I may see 50 different locations and I would say in the end I may select just 10-15 I believe are suitable for our guests. Again you have to be careful as things may not always be what they appear. When I search for JayWay guest accommodations the internet is always my starting point but when seeing them first hand I was more often than not quite surprised what I found.

With private accommodation you sometimes need to proceed with caution but if you follow expert advice and research enough, private accommodations can provide you with an unforgettable travel experience.

Visit JayWay Travel for an authentic and personal travel experience. Feel free to contact the experts at JayWay Travel anytime at info@jaywaytravel.com, through our website at http://www.jaywaytravel.com, within the US at 914 595 4540 or within Europe at +44 20 8133 7150 and we are glad to provide you with advice on what solution is best for you.

Croatia Flights

Trying to find the most affordable and convenient flights to Croatia can often be a difficult task. For years the experts at JayWay Travel have been assisting clients with advice and solutions on how best to get to Croatia from the US, Canada and different parts of Europe. We would like to share some of our insight that we have learned over the years.



There has been talk in the last couple years of a direct flight from the US to Croatia but unfortunately up until now nothing has been confirmed. A Delta Airlines flight to Split or Dubrovnik was discussed but it appears maybe due to the economic times talk of this has stalled. So unfortunately it looks like we will have to wait through another season and hope that this becomes a reality for next year.

However not to worry, there are still convenient connections through a number of gateway cities in Western Europe. The most popular gateway city where we send a majority of our clients is Frankfurt with London, Amsterdam, Paris and Dublin also offering reasonable connections. Most of these routes from Western Europe to Croatia are serviced by the national carrier, Croatia Airlines, so good to find an international airline that partners with them. These airlines make up a group which is known as the Star Alliance. Other carries with more limited routes into Croatia include British Airways, Aer Lingus and Austrian Airlines to name a few of the larger carriers.

There are three airports in Croatia where a majority of flights are concentrated and these include Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb. Flights to Dubrovnik and Split are quite seasonable with a majority of their routes running in a six month period between April and October with the four months between June and September making up the busiest months for traffic. Zagreb being the capital and business center tends to have a more consistent schedule throughout the year. There are also smaller secondary airports such as Pula, Zadar and Rijeka which run more limited routes exclusively for vacationers. When traveling internationally your best bet is to fly into and out of the three mentioned above of Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb.

With our clients from the US and Canada we find the most common route they fly and we suggest is into Dubrovnik and returning from Split or vice versa. This makes for the most convenient way to take in all the highlights of the southern region of Croatia known as Dalmatia. Rather than having to make your way back to the same city (i.e. flying into and out of Dubrovnik) JayWay Travel is able to source flights into and out of different airport cities within Croatia at the same price as if you booked a round trip into and out the same city. From a convenience of travel and cost perspective this is certainly the way to go. For those who have an extended period of time and who want to cover the north of Croatia including Istria we tend to have them fly into Dubrovnik and back from Zagreb at the same price for what it would cost for a round trip through Dubrovnik. This certainly saves travelers a lot of time and effort as although Zagreb and Dubrovnik look close on a map it is a long journey by bus or car between the two.

Another source of flights into Croatia from Western and even now from Eastern Europe is through some of the low cost carriers which are abundant throughout Europe. If you are based in Europe this is certainly the best solution from a cost standpoint as these flights if booked far enough in advance can be extremely affordable. These flights arrive into places such as Dubrovnik and Split but you will find a majority of flights to these secondary airports such as Pula and Zadar consist primarily of low cost carriers. JayWay has an excellent knowledge of the different low cost carrier routes so as part of our packages we often provide clients with advice free of charge. Usually it is cheaper for our clients to book directly through the websites of these low cost European carriers as we will not be able to obtain them a better rate. We encourage this as we would prefer our clients get a better deal and get to Croatia the most convenient way possible.

One thought of international travelers is to combine an international flight to Western Europe with one of these low cost carriers onto Croatia. Often this can make for significant savings but we always tell people to be careful when trying to plan such a connection. You want to leave yourself plenty of time between connections or even overnight in a city and plan to catch the flight to Croatia the next day. Unfortunately since these international and low cost carriers are not linked if your international connection is delayed you are out of luck. Since they are not related the low cost airline obviously has no responsibility for the delays of the international airline and they clearly state this so beware. Although it may appear worthwhile price wise by the time you deal with the hassle of trying to make connections, time spent waiting for your layover, transport to different airports or having to spend money on a hotel it is usually worth the extra money to book the international connection. Often it may even after all is said and done be around the same price anyway.



For international travelers from the US and Canada for example the low cost carriers can certainly be used to your advantage. Often we prepare trips for people where they combine different countries in the Eastern Europe using the low cost carriers from these countries to get to Croatia. One excellent example is we have people combine a trip to Prague with Croatia. During the summer season there is a very reasonable connection between Prague and Dubrovnik or Split making for an easy connection. Again people often have the perception from looking at a map that the countries in Eastern Europe are close together but unfortunately the bus and train connections between Prague and Croatia for example are not quite up to Western European standards. The quickest bus or train connection from Prague to the south of Croatia can take as long as a full day.

When it comes to flights we also suggest people utilize the domestic connections within Croatia. Croatia Airlines has very reasonable connections between cities especially when booked in advance. For example a connection between Dubrovnik and Zagreb can be booked online at rates starting for less than $40 one way. With careful planning these flights can cut down both your domestic travel and also some of your international travel when combining Croatia with other European countries. Please note that on the Croatia Airlines website they do not allow for booking more than six months in advance. All the feedback we have received from our clients about Croatia Airlines has been quite positive as it has standards comparable to its Western European counterparts. One sign of this is their membership into the Star Alliance mentioned above.

At first when planning a Croatia trip we believe a lot of people get discouraged because of what appears to be the high prices and limited connections to get them to there. Hopefully from some of our advice above you can see several viable options exist and we believe it is only going to get better. Feel free to contact the experts at JayWay Travel anytime at info@jaywaytravel.com, through our website at http://www.jaywaytravel.com/, within the US at 914 595 4540 or within Europe at +44 20 8133 7150 and we are glad to provide you with advice on what solution is best for you.

Seasonal Croatia

Best time to visit Croatia? When to go to Croatia?



Croatia for the most part is a seasonal destination with more or less a six month period within which we recommend (JayWay) guests to travel. This period runs from the beginning of April until the end of October. Although we believe Croatia can be enjoyed any time of year it is really at its best when it is warm and the sun is shining. Below I have broken down the year month by month starting with April to provide some advice for planning when to take your next Croatia trip.

April

Typically around Easter time is when the cities in Croatia wake up from their winter rest and start to come to life. This is a very affordable time to go and especially good if you want to avoid the crowds. The weather can be quite pleasant and comfortable reaching t-shirt weather during the day but too early to take a dip in the sea. We would probably suggest spending more time on the coast with maybe a quick trip to sea for a taste of the islands. It is not the month to spend an extended period of time there because the island locations are especially dependent on warmer weather. Basing yourself in a place like Dubrovnik and making day trips would be our suggestion at this time of year.

May

Value for money wise maybe the best month to travel to Croatia. The crowds have not yet started to appear in masses but you will find most tourist services should be operational at this time or least starting to get their act together. Generally you will get your first taste of hotter weather in May so some time in the water is definitely a possibility. May is just out of what is deemed the peak season in Croatia from June to September so you can still find very reasonable rates for on services such as accommodations. For those looking for a more relaxed time of year to visit while still being able to enjoy the total Croatia experience May is a safe bet.

June

The unofficial opening to the summer season occurs around the middle of the month. From the first of June the summer transport schedules take effect providing visitors with a lot more options for ferries and buses. Also a number of the low cost European airline providers tend to start their Croatia routes in June so you will start to notice the crowds appearing from European countries. With the crowds comes an increase in pricing so you will see a fair jump in pricing from April and May. June is a good month for those who want a taste of the summer Croatian atmosphere but without the sometimes craziness of July and August.

July

July is the opening act for the headliner that is the month of August. If I had to pick between the two I would probably suggest guests travel in July rather than August. Make sure to be aware this is when the highest prices for services appear, restaurant owners will even change their menus and jack up the prices at this time. You also have to be more choosey with your restaurant selections as it is harder to come by freshest food choices due to the high demand in the peak months. However having said all this Croatia is really at its best in many ways during July in terms of weather, events and atmosphere so definitely a great month to enjoy the best of the Croatian summer.

August

The busiest month in Croatia and especially on the islands as all of Europe is on holiday. This is when the locals hope to cash in so don’t expect any discounts. If you like action and a happening scene August is just right for you. You can expect very hot temperatures so for those who want to take advantage of the crystal clear blue waters of the Adriatic and the various water activities there is no better month. In August it is more difficult to hop around locations for a night or two as most accommodation owners have minimum stay policies at this time. Having said that August is a good time for an extended stay in one location and for those looking to enjoy some sun and fun.

September

Probably my favorite travel month in Croatia. The crowds have died down and people are generally more relaxed at this time as they have weathered the storm of August. All of the services are still in full swing but there is a bit of calmness in the air. The weather is generally very nice, still hot but not a blazing heat and the water is very comfortable after having been warmed throughout the summer. You will see flight and accommodation prices drop significantly along with other tourist services. September is a transition month but for those who want the steak and not the sizzle September will definitely not disappoint.

October

This is the final month of the “season” and you will find a lot of services have already shut their doors by this time. In the last couple of years the weather in October has more than cooperated with very comfortable temperatures and it is not uncommon to find people enjoying the water well into October. A very affordable month to travel as the peak season pricing has officially come to a close. For those who enjoy a quiet holiday and don’t mind the inconvenience of not having certain services available October can be a very nice option.

November- March

I decided to combine these months as they all make up the off season in Croatia. We would probably not recommend traveling at this time although the first couple weeks of November and the last couple weeks of March might work in a warmer year. When visiting at this time I must say a lot of places have the feeling of a ghost town. I have made a few trips within these months and some of these destinations were difficult to recognize compared to the “season”. If you want extremely cheap prices then you will find it at this time as many services provide local pricing so certainly a benefit of traveling in this period.

This article provided by JayWay Travel. Feel free to contact the experts at JayWay Travel anytime at info@jaywaytravel.com, through our website at http://www.jaywaytravel.com, within the US at 914 595 4540 or within Europe at +44 20 8133 7150 and we are glad to provide you with advice on what solution is best for you.

Croatia Travel Tips

Below I have listed a few of the JayWay Travel tips that we pass on to our clients to help them prepare for their stay in Croatia.

Money

The local currency in Croatia is the Croatian Kuna. (Exchange rate) Croatia will probably not be on the Euro in the near future. Cash machines are everywhere so this is the most convenient way to get money and will give you the best exchange rates. Credit cards are not accepted everywhere so be prepared.

Tipping

Customary to tip around 10% at restaurants but for bars and taxis it is not expected

Water

The water from the tap is safe for drinking.

Safety

The cities are very safe for this region of the world. It is no problem walking the city streets late at night.

Internet

You should be able to find at least one internet café in the tourist cities so staying in touch with home is easy.

Taxis

When taking a taxi from the street always ask how much the trip will be and make sure they are using their taxi meter. Taxi drivers in Croatia for the most part are quite honest.

People

You will find the people very friendly and welcoming as they are accustomed to tourists. They are also a very proud of their country and especially their home towns.

Food

One of the highlights of Croatia is the food. You will find Mediterranean style cuisine consisting of lighter foods fresh caught from the sea with an emphasis on cooking with olive oil and fresh ingredients. Grilled meat dishes are also popular.

Drink

Croatia produces very good wines due to the favorable climate and are certainly worth a try. The local beers are light and have a refreshing taste for hot Croatian days. No trip is complete without trying a shot of the local liquor known as Rakija, a good way to digest a big dinner.

Smoking

Croatian government adopted in September 2008 the law on the limitation of the use o tobacco products, according to which smoking will be banned in all public areas from May 2009. That includes bars & restaurants. The law also envisages fines for those who violate the law. Persons who serve food and drinks in a restaurant or café and do not warn guests about the smoking ban will be fined with 500 to 1,000 kuna. Smokers caught by inspectors smoking in areas where smoking is forbidden will have to pay a 1,000 kuna fine on the spot. (Exchange rate)

Electric Voltage

The electric current is 220V, 50 Hz and standard two pronged plugs are used. For American appliances a converter will be required.

This article provided by JayWay Travel. Feel free to contact the experts at JayWay Travel anytime at info@jaywaytravel.com, through our website at http://www.jaywaytravel.com, within the US at 914 595 4540 or within Europe at +44 20 8133 7150 and we are glad to provide you with advice on what solution is best for you.

An American in Croatia

My name is Jay Ternavan, I am originally from New York but have been living for the past eight years in Europe. During this time I have had the pleasure of getting to know the incredible country of Croatia.

Since my first trip to Dubrovnik and Hvar more than five years ago I have returned to Croatia each year discovering the other fascinating parts of this wonderful place. It was my visits to Croatia that inspired me to start my travel company known as JayWay Travel. We specialize in travel to Croatia and the rest of Eastern Europe.

To get my business started in Croatia I decided it would be best for me to live there in order to become an expert on the country and pass my knowledge on to my guests. I based myself in Dubrovnik living directly inside the ancient Old Town city walls. This was an incredible time in my life and one I will certainly never forget.

This is my first posting in a series to follow in which I will share my Croatian experiences with you. Hopefully from my stories of the amazing destinations, friendly people, delicious food, interesting culture and my personal travel tips I can help you to prepare for your own incredible journey to Croatia. Please be sure to return soon to enjoy more stories…