The Window Seat: #ExploreCroatia

When you arrive home from your overseas trip, the first question anyone asks you for the next month is “How was it?” You normally have a formulated response mapped out in your head, something like “It was just amazing” or “I loved it, but it was too short” or, if you’re lost for adjectives that day it was just “wow”.

Some will ask “which destination did you find the best” – which is obviously a tricky question, when in fact I have not yet seen many of the places that I have still to fall hopelessly in love with worldwide. But what I can say, is that right now, Croatia has my heart.

The main reason why Croatia blew other countries such as Germany and Spain out of the water?

It’s simple – I had no expectations.

I knew Barcelona would be a cultural delight, and it was. I knew that Berlin would be off-the-wall crazy – it most certainly was. But Croatia -what I knew is that it would be filled with small cute towns and some beach adventures. What I didn’t know is that Croatia is visually stunning, vastly different from one corner to the other and surprisingly affordable.

Here are 3 quick-fire facts about Croatia that are sure to get you a little more interested:

1. It is not crowded: We arrived in Croatia in mid-September. This is the shoulder season and because of this, we did get one or two days of rain, but apart from that it was smooth sailing. There were the usual busloads of tourists over 50, but nothing that resulted in never-ending queues and cramped viewpoints.

2. It is pretty affordable: On a South African budget, when the word affordable comes up, we get extremely excited. Croatia is not yet on the Euro, but on their own currency, the Kuna which is about 2 to 1 to the SA rond. That makes for better accommodation, a few fancy meals here and there and still some change left over for one or two trinkets.

3. It has everything, from beaches to National Parks: Towards the south of Croatia lies to picturesque islands and sea side towns. As you move up towards the north, you get areas such as Plitvice, which hold the most magical lakes and waterfalls, surrounded by lush green forests. A little bit of everything – and only a few hours car drive away from each other!

I just cannot understand why the masses head to places like Thailand when there is a truly beautiful destination in Europe that fits into our budget.

With beaches and wine routes, historical tours and nature walks, delicious seafood and indescribable gelato - Croatia really is the new everything.