Now that winter is fastly approaching, the only thing I can do is count down the days until summer. Or plan a trip to the southern hemisphere. But before any of that come true, I want to share some vacation pictures I took this year while I was on holiday in Vis, Croatia. By looking at the photos in this article, you’ll realize why the title is the hidden gem of the Adriatic sea.
Croatia has magnificent coast and islands that are more than likely the most beautiful islands in the world. Lucky as I am, I had a chance to stay at my friend’s place in Komiza, island of Vis. Now, I know there are so many islands in Croatia that are well known worldwide, but I found Vis a real hidden gem.
Did I mention I’m a lucky girl? This photo was taken from the highest balcony in Komiza, which appears to be my friend’s balcony. (What a coincidence!)
What I liked the most about Komiza is that you can find the beach everywhere you go, it’s not super crowded and you can have your own privacy if you want. Small as it is, it offers wonderful beaches and even a great lounge bar, where we had way too much Corona’s on daily basis. So what, it was summertime!
Since I had a chance to talk with locals (there aren’t many, around 300 offseason) I learned there are no snakes on this island. I don’t know about you, but I’m being super cautious about it. An interesting fact about Vis, Croatia in general, is that it’s rarely raining throughout the summer season and water temperature is the highest in this part of the Adriatic sea. Pretty cool, ha?
Locals are constantly trying to protect the architecture and the spirit of this island, so you won’t be able to see any modern buildings around. Property value has been rapidly increasing within the past 15 years and it keeps going up. One of the reasons for that is because this island is keeping its privacy and many famous people, including Jordanian princess and Michael Schumacher, were spending their vacations in Vis, Croatia. Or to be precise, Komiza.
Although it’s a small island, there are plenty of things to be seen here. If you want to check every famous sight of Vis, you will need around 20 days to do that. Which is not bad at all, considering you can rent a motorcycle or a cabrio and drive around all day. That’s how we discovered Srebrna Beach. Srebrna means ‘silver’ in Croatian/Serbian, which makes sense, considering the color of the sand and the water.
If you are seeking a gorgeous view, make sure you go on the top of the mountain, a place called Hum. We spent a lot of time there, waiting for the sunset, which was completely breathtaking. You will feel like you reached the top of the world.
Some of the useful tips I can give you if you want to visit this island or just Komiza:
– The best and the cheapest way to see the island is to rent a car.
– Get up at 6am at least one morning. You won’t regret it, because I guarantee you’ve never felt that kind of calmness before.
– Don’t drink beer – drink wine. They have great choice of wine everywhere in Vis and believe it or not, wine is cheaper than beer (which made me super excited, since I’m a wine lover).
– Pizza is okay, but you should go for fresh fish and octopus at local market. I said enough.
– Don’t plan to go out. Girls, you seriously don’t need high heels (yes, I brought 3 pairs with me) unless you’re planning to go to Fort George (which I couldn’t afford this time, considering that only the entrance fee for the yacht party was 150 EUR).
– Internet is everywhere.
– People are super friendly and helpful, don’t hesitate to ask for whatever you need. They also have great touristic organization where you can get the most relevant information about everything regarding the island.
– Make sure you grab some drink at the supermarket and go to chill out on the wall next to the marine. I bet you’ve never seen such a beautiful sky.
– Smile and be grateful you have a chance to see how the heaven looks like!
Every time I come back home from traveling, my friends tend to ask – ‘Ok, so, who did you fall in love this time?’ – Yes, I’m falling in love quickly, I love to love and I love to feel loved. Of course, I fell in love this time as well.
The only difference is that this time I fell in love with myself. Crazy as it sounds, but I’m grateful for all disappointment, experiences and difficulties I survived in 2016. It made me so strong and confident. It made me realize I’m a real survivor.
Thank you, Vis. And thank you, Nikola.
