Touching down in Croatia – my favourite European country – it felt great to be back and I was looking forward to exploring a new area I hadn’t been to before. We spent the next few days in Makarska, a fishing town about an hour south of Split. The town itself has a long promenade lined with bars, restaurants and plenty of excellent ice cream stalls to choose from. Then, you reach
the waterfront and Old Town area, which has lots of history and charm – the little streets are great to get lost in!
We stayed at the Aminess Khalani Hotel 5*, which is a very impressive and relatively new hotel, just 20 minutes’ walk from the main town. The entrance is grand, and the pool area is amazing
– there are three pools to pick from and a swim up bar! I don’t think I’ve seen many breakfasts with more on offer than this hotel, from interesting local foods to all the familiar faves – it was
difficult to choose each morning. The rooms are modern but cosy and the sea-view balconies look out onto the adjacent island of Brac, not far away.
Day 1 – Brac Island
We landed pretty late on our first night. But on our first full day, we took the ferry from Makarska over to Brac Island – Jadrolinija is the main ferry company to get around the islands in Croatia and they’re pretty easy to use. 45 minutes and a dolphin sighting from the boat later, we docked in Sumartin ready to explore. We spent the morning in Pučišća, a sleepy little village with just a handful of shops, restaurants and a beautiful waterfront. Just a short stroll from the town, we found a perfect spot for sunbathing and swimming in the crystal-blue water. In Croatia, early in the summer season, they clear away the sea urchins, so you don’t need to worry about getting stung in designated swimming spots, but it’s something to be mindful of in other areas. Might be time to invest in some stylish sea shoes…
After lunch in a local restaurant, we continued on to Bol, the main hub of the island and the famous Zlani Rat or ‘Golden Horn’ beach. There are various beach bars in the shaded pine trees here but the main thing is to see the beach from above – if you don’t have a drone then you can take the more adventurous option of parasailing from the beach. On the way back to Makarska, we watched the sunset from the boat and grabbed a bite to eat on the way back to the hotel.
Day 2 – Biokovo Nature Park
Day two was an early start to get ready for an adventure up in the mountains above Makarska in Biokovo Nature Park. We’d added this First Choice experience to our trip and got picked up in a 4×4 to go to the famous Skywalk, which sits at nearly 4,000 metres above sea level. The glass walking platform hangs off the edge of the mountain and if you can brave it, it has incredible views! The windy and steep roads were well worth it and if you’re lucky, you might see some wild horses.
The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the beach and enjoying sunset cocktails at The Above Rooftop – a swanky bar on top of the hotel.
Day 3 – chill time in Split
After another relaxed day in Makarska, we ended our trip with a morning in Split, wandering round the Old Town and hanging out in one of the many cafes. The Old Town of Split is picturesque but small, so half a day is enough to see the best of it. I would certainly recommend staying here though, as it’s a great base for some daytrips to places like the Plitvice Lakes, Krka Waterfalls or Hvar Island. There’s also a little hidden gem of a town called Trogir, not far from the city – it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Game of Thrones filming location! It’s also really convenient for the airport – just 15 minutes on the bus – so we enjoyed our final few hours here before the flight home. I would definitely recommend Franka restaurant here.
Whether it’s a long weekend or a full week, you should definitely consider Makarska for your next First Choice holiday.
If @gracegrangetravel’s trip sounds like a bit of you, have a look at our Croatia holidays and you can find all their picks on our Insiders Hub.
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Author: @gracegrangetravel
Last updated: 7/2/2025
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