A place of simple pleasures

Croatia has become somewhat of a must-do destination. Beautiful coastlines, exquisite architecture, stunning lakes, captivating countryside, intriguing history, fresh cuisine and some delicious wines. It’s not hard to see why it has become so popular.

This is my second visit to Croatia. This time we have travelled to the southern part of Croatia, Cavtat. A town framed by mountains and swathes of fresh pine and cypress trees. With a stunning waterfront lined with palm trees, some describe it as closely resembling St Tropez.

It can be somewhat of a cliche but Cavtat is genuinely a picturesque charming town. It is the main town for the Konvale region. It is conveniently situated by the airport so no long transfers and a great place to explore the nearby travel hotspot Dubrovnik.

Although Cavtat may not have the instagramble allure of Dubrovnik, for me it offered so much more than its illustrious but very crowded and very busy neighbour. It gave us the best of both worlds. The sights and culture of Dubrovnik without the hustle and bustle. Cavtat could be the neighbour that’s under the radar.

Exploring Cavtat

Cavtat is conveniently located to explore the area of not only Dubrovnik, but the region with some beautiful countryside, excellent vineyards, and the opportunity to go island hopping with many different islands conveniently located nearby and easily accessible with many boat trips and transfers available.

As well as exploring Croatia, you can also visit some neighbouring countries as well. Cavtat is one of Croatia’s most southerly resort towns. Only 22 kilometres south of the Montenegro border. If you travel 15 kilometres to the east you will get to the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where you can explore the many undiscovered places that the country has to offer, undoubtedly more than just Mostar another travel hotspot.

Cavtat is a quiet and relaxing place. Life goes by slowly here, a very simple pleasure that is so hard to find in the fast-paced lives most people tend to lead these days. If you are looking for party-central this isn’t the destination for you.

The main hub of Cavtat is its promenade which to me confusingly felt very French in atmosphere but with Italian-influenced architecture, the Greeks also inhabited the country before the Romans and left their stamp on the area. Although I have to say despite similarities with other countries, Cavtat is pretty in its own unique way.

It has many Mediterranean-style cafes and restaurants enticing us to stop for refreshments. I tried hard not to stop as the promenade was so relaxing, I could probably laze around people watching for hours. There is a small harbour at the end of the promenade and there is a delightful wine bar with fantastic views of the waterfront I finally succumb to the temptation 🍷

Away from the waterfront, there is a small but very charming old town. Walking along narrow paths and numerous steps we immediately get transported in time. All the highlights can be discovered quite quickly.

At the edge of the promenade by the harbour, we found the St Nicholas church which dates back to the 15th century and is a prominent local landmark. The many Catholic churches in Croatia are evidence of the many years of Roman and Venitian occupation

Walking through the old town we gradually find ourselves rising above the town with some fantastic vistas. We got 360 views over the harbour and old town.

It’s less than ten minutes from the promenade and well worth it to get some great views of the locality. There are a few access points to the Mausoleum, you can walk through the forest on the other side rather than through the old town like us.

Along with the vistas we also found the Raic Mausoleum designed by a famed Croatian sculptor and architect Ivan Mestrovic using local Brac stone. Definitely worth exploring as the Mausoleum has an interesting history and is well-situated to enjoy the views.

Back along the promenade, we discovered some rather grand sculptures. The sculpture on the left is Valtazar Bogsic a renowned sociologist and politician. On the right Dr Franjo Tudman Crostia’s first prime minister.

Cavtat is very atmospheric at night. After the sun has set it’s still a stunningly beautiful location and an excellent place to relax and recharge till the next day.

Konvale Valley

Just outside Cavtat, we found the Konvale Valley. This area is known as the Golden Valley due to its very fertile ground.

Konvale is an area of waterfalls and watermills with lots of small canals running throughout the area. Konvale derives from the Latin word Canalis which indicates water supply channels in the area.

It was only a few miles from Cavtat. The area is sparsely populated and is an oasis of calm and is now a popular place for visitors to enjoy these naturalistic gems.

This region was once overlooked but is an area which is closely associated with nature and local traditions. There is an ancient fortress situated there, Fort Sokol, due to its strategic location within the old Dubrovnik Republic, defending the area from numerous invaders.

The Konvale Valley is a very popular location with wine connoisseurs. The area is renowned for producing high-quality wines. With vines planted within a fertile valley squeezed between the mountains and the sea.

A perfect opportunity to visit a winery and its winemakers. Many have a tradition of winemaking that goes back centuries. This rich tradition of winemaking has given Croatia many Indigenous grape varieties, many relatively unknown to people outside of Croatia. One example is Plavac Mali the main grape variety of highly regarded Dalmation reds.

Sunsets in Cavtat

Cavtat is an amazing place to view some amazing sunsets.

We didn’t even have to go far this short video was taken by Eve Lounge Bar which was just by our hotel.

Another picture was taken from the Eve Lounge bar as the sun was about to set on another day. For me probably my favourite place to enjoy the sunset while staying in Cavtat.

Another place very popular on Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms was the Beach Bar Little Star. Great place to enjoy a sunset but you will need to get there early to get a front seat to enjoy an unobstructed view.

Although this place was very good I think it’s become a victim of its own success. The bar was very busy and drinks were expensive. I witnessed just as good sunsets in other locations some of which were free.

Eating and drinking in Cavtat

Cavtat is a great place to enjoy some delicious food and fantastic wines. Its definitely not in the budget category but it won’t break the bank either.

There are many restaurants and bars to choose from. Harbour-facing, waterfront-facing and beach-facing, which gives us the opportunity to eat and drink some delectable produce in some beautiful settings.

Before we start the main meal, Cavtat is the perfect location to enjoy a pre-meal drink, cocktail, aperitif or sundowner. Call it what you will, the stunning location is the perfect backdrop to start your evening. They certainly know how to do things in style here that’s for certain.

Some dining highlights for us are Ciparis, La Boheme and Ivan restaurant all having delectable food and great service in some stunning locations. These are my personal opinions but wherever you choose you will have a fantastic dining experience.

Numerous restaurants in Cavtat base their gastronomical offerings on traditional Dalmatian and Mediterranean cuisine, serving local dishes using high-quality local ingredients. Fish is very popular, great quality and fresh.

Italian influences from pizza and pasta, as well as Ottoman influences freshly made cevapi, a grilled dish of mince. Baklava a traditional Turkish sweet pastry widely available. We even saw some Austro-Hungarian influences as strudel is very popular. Apple, cherry or even cheese varieties.

We were fortunate to enjoy some scrumptious food and wine while appreciating some captivating scenery while we dined. Wherever you choose to dine, Cavtat has a bit of a reputation as being a gastronomic hot spot.

Another simple pleasure in Cavtat is enjoying a sunset with a drink. It was wonderful to watch the sunset over the Adriatic Sea. Seeing the final moments of the sun as it dipped down on the horizon. A very magical part of the day.

Runs or walks around the peninsula

Cavtat is essentially two pedestrianised peninsuls with a pretty bay in between.

If you do the two peninsulas together it’s 4.3 kilometres. Cavtat is located on the Rat Peninsula together with the Sustjepsn Peninsula making it a well-protected and accessible bay.

It provides shade for a lovely morning or evening stroll, walk or run under the pine trees. We were able to explore all around Cavtat’s bay.

We ran in the morning and it was also a lovely stroll in the evening to aid with digestion after overindulging on food and drink.

The larger Rat Peninsula containing the old town is completely encircled by well-conditioned tarmac. This is predominantly flat with two slight gradients on either side of the peninsula, which is predominantly wooded along the footpath.

A picture stop on our run with the renowned Croatian painter Vlaho Bukovac. Behind is the Our Lady of The Snow Monastery founded in the 14th century. It now houses Bukovac’s paintings and functions as an art gallery.

With excellent views throughout, the peninsula starts at the car park behind the promenade just past the bus station and loops around to the front of the promenade by the old town and harbour completing the loop.

The smaller peninsula is over on the western corner with varying terrain with views of the old town and views of the sea at the tip of the peninsula and on the western side.

You will have to walk through the Hotel Croatia on both sides of the walk but there is unrestricted access to the peninsula. It has a very natural feel although could be a bit unstable underfoot. We walked this peninsula rather than ran it.

Life’s a beach well sort of ?

Although Cavtat isn’t short of beaches in fact we were staying by the biggest one Zal. They do tend to be rather small and mostly gravel/pebblestone.

We decided to take advantage of the taxi boats from Cavtat and visit a beach location a short boat trip away to Mlini. A 15 minutes transfer to be exact.

Mlini isnt overrun with sights, but that’s okay! It was a great place to relax and enjoy a bit of beach time.

But before that, it is worth taking a stroll along the promenade. It’s a very picturesque walk from Mlini to Srebreno. It is 5 kilometres there and back.

Srebreno was a nice beach with large and very shallow waters making it a popular option for families. There are a few modern hotels there but it lacks the understated charm of Mlini.

We headed back to Mlini retracing our steps along the beautiful promenade. We arrived back at the quaint little harbour, good to know as this is where we get our taxi boat back to Cavtat later on 😆

In the village just off the beach, we found a few old mills which have been preserved, in fact that’s how Mlini got its name. Mlini translates from Croatian to English as mill.

Time to do what we originally came to do and have some relaxing beach time. There are plenty of loungers to hire and the azure blue sea certainly looked very inviting. My only advice bring water shoes and watch for large rocks on the floor. It was a definitely a very chilled afternoon.

All that lounging had certainly worked up an appetite 🤣 For a town of less than 1000 people there were certainly a good selection of restaurants and cafes to choose from.

We choose one on the waterfront, it had a lovely atmosphere which served a large selection of Dalmatian dishes, it’s also well-known for its pizzas. We had the pizza, simple, understated and beautifully presented not unlike Mlini itself.

Then in the blink of an eye, it was time to catch the taxi boat back to Cavtat. I don’t think our public transportation system compares to this one. Catching the last bus back home pales into insignificance compared to catching the last boat home the 19.00 to Cavtat.