18 Feb Sail Croatia: Health Retreat With a Side of Party
When the hardest decision you have to make is whether to sunbathe, swim, eat, sip mojitos water or wander cobblestone streets, you might actually be in heaven. Or you may just be island hopping along the Croatian Coast on a superyacht bigger than your house.
After hearing fellow travelers recount their Sail Croatia experience with extreme wanderlust, we decided it was the perfect escape from London’s poor excuse for a summer. But, with our party animal days well and truly behind us, we were looking for something closer to a floating health retreat than a full-on pirate party ship. And after much research and discussion with those who’d been before, we decided to hit the Dalmatian Coast with a little bit of luxury, a whole lot of healthy relaxation and a small side serving of letting our hair down.
Here’s how we turned our week with Sail Croatia into a DIY health retreat with a side of party.
Superyachts vs Pirate Ships
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One of the best ways to make sure your week in Croatia is more healthy and less hangover, is to pick the right boat. If you go for the cheapest boat, you’re likely to get a whole bunch of 18-year-old Australians on a backpacking gap year, looking to party 24/7. And we saw plenty of these, bouncing their way up the coastline.
We chose the slightly more expensive option, what Sail Croatia calls an ‘Explorer Cruise’. They market it as the ideal cruise for “young professionals & young at heart travelers”. This basically translates into travelers in their mid-20’s to early 40’s who are looking to explore the coast, enjoy the local sights and activities without the non-stop partying.
Rowdy backpackers aren’t likely to shell out for hotel-sized rooms with private ensuites and air conditioning. Most of the 30-ish people on our boat went out for a drink each night, but there really wasn’t much drinking or partying on the boat itself, which suited us fine… ‘cause beauty sleep and all that! And early morning yoga routines.[/vc_column_text]
Our super yacht, the Paradis, was perfectly named.
When Traveling is the Most Relaxing Part of the Holiday
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We love travel, but aren’t big fans of wasting time traveling. By that I mean catching flights, trains or overnight buses. But, when your mode of transport is a floating sun deck on calm, crystal clear waters… that, I could get used to. Most mornings after breakfast, our crew pulled up the anchor and we were on our way to the next slice of island paradise. This meant we were ‘stuck’ on the yacht for the next two to three hours. I use the term ‘stuck’ loosely because this was basically the perfect excuse to grab a book and some sunscreen, head to the top deck to claim your sun bed and soak in the Vitamin D.
And when you’ve been living in London for a few years, you’ve got some serious catching up to do in the sunshine department.
Top deck on Paradis.
And this is how it’s done. Note: ‘The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul’ by Deborah Rodriguez is an awesome read.
From Vitamin D to Vitamin Sea
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Salt water is good for the soul. But it also turns out it’s good for the skin, respiratory system and sex drive (or so I’ve heard). So with that in mind, and because it was generally in the high 20’s (c. 80°F) by mid-morning, a 30 minute swim-stop was an essential part of our daily routine.
Take a swim to the shore if you’re feeling active or buy an inflatable lounge chair (or flamingo) from an island store if you’d prefer to continue your sunbathing with your toes dipped in the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic Sea. And for anyone feeling slightly more adventurous, try your hand at jumping from the top deck – not sure if it’s the healthiest thing to do, but apparently it’s loads of fun for anyone NOT scared of heights.
Jesse as the sacrificial jumper… one of us had to give it a try, right?
Food, Glorious Food
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A cruise can sometimes be limiting when it comes to healthy eating options. Fortunately, this wasn’t the case for us with Sail Croatia. I’d advised them of my food intolerances to gluten, dairy and eggs months before we left and they were more than accommodating. They even let us bring our own healthy snacks on board. This meant we could stay away from the chips and pretzels (which we were never going to eat) and save money at the same time.
We generally had breakfast and lunch on the boat and ate out at local restaurants for dinner. Breakfast was usually fruit and gluten-free cereal, with lunch typically a clean-eating style meal of grilled meats, vegetables and rice with soup or salad on the side.
With a huge volume of tourists in the Summer, eating fresh produce at local restaurants and markets is a pretty safe bet. Most of the time, I ordered fresh seafood with grilled vegetables. We also explored many of the local produce markets and picked up fresh seasonal fruits to munch on as we wandered the streets and to eat later on the boat.
Given neither of us eat dairy, we were pretty stoked to find lots of fruit sorbet options on many of the islands. The perfect treat for dessert on a warm summer evening as you stroll back to the boat.
Local produce market in Split.
Fresh grilled fish from the markets in Makarska.
Liss and I getting into the dark choc sorbet in Makarska.
Get Active and Explore
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If mornings were for relaxing, afternoons were generally for activities. Here’s a list of my favourite ways to keep your body moving while on this relaxing island holiday:
> Bike ride through the national park on Mljet Island
> Walking (because we didn’t follow the signs it was more like a bush walking hike) to the top of the Glavica peak overlooking Stari Grad, Hvar
> Swimming / flapping around in the ocean each morning
> Exploring the island of Vis in a cute little convertible and hiking down Stiniva Cove to explore the hidden pebble beach – do this! This is awesome…
> Sea kayaking and a little bit of snorkelling off Korcula Island
> Morning stair runs in Dubrovnik to get amazing views down over King’s Landing (GOT fans out there?)
Some people think we’re a little crazy for exercising on our holidays, but none of this was very intense and was just a great way to explore more of these amazing islands. And this type of exercise is not so much gruelling as it is fun and energising. If you like to stay in shape when you travel then there are plenty of options to get in some ‘travelcise’ (get it – travel + exercise?!?).
My Dad taught me to always find the highest point of any destination and Glavica peak overlooking Stari Grad, Hvar Island was the perfect lookout.
The descent to Stiniva Cove on Vis Island. Definitely do this.
Stay Hydrated and Let Your Hair Down A Little
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It’s can be pretty warm during the summer months so plenty of water is a must. Sail Croatia provided a few free bottles a day but some operators make you buy this at a nice little mark-up. Topping up your bottle supply at local grocery stores is a clever way to minimise the cost.
As for alcohol, a lot of the companies operate on a bar-tab system and sting you at the end with a pretty hefty bill. We don’t really drink much alcohol so this wasn’t a concern for us, but I know others who’ve been left with an end-of-cruise surprise. If you are drinking, I recommend sticking to clean spirits or local organic wine. Both of these are much more affordable on the islands than on the boat. And unless you’re doing the pirate party ship thing, having a drink over dinner is probably the bulk of your alcohol consumption anyway.
The one night we chose to let our hair down was the night of the Captain’s Dinner while docked in Makarska. With half-price cocktails and a blue rave cave to kick-on to, it was the perfect place to get a taste of the Croatian island dance party scene. And while most of our crew mates spent the next morning recovering, we had unwisely booked a day tour to Bosnia which required a 5 a.m. get up. Bosnia was fascinating and beautiful but on the queasy bus ride there, I was definitely questioning my decision.
Pamper Your Skin With Natural Local Products
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No pseudo health retreat would be complete without skincare pampering or essential oils. Luckily for us (and you), Croatia is one of the largest producers of lavender and it was everywhere on Hvar Island. Especially after the blooming season from June to July. They use it to make a lot of natural health and skincare products which you can purchase from local stores. I’m not the biggest fan of the smell, but if you like it and you need some natural skincare, especially after-sun lotion, look no further than the lavender stall ladies.
Side Notes on Sea Sickness
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Sea sickness can be a very real thing when sailing the Croatian coast. We had perfectly calm weather and glassy waters but I know of friends who suffered through at least one choppy day on their sail adventure. I had packed some Travella, a natural option for seasickness prevention available from the UK, just in case. It works a treat, but thankfully I didn’t have to abuse it on this holiday.
It’s pretty hard to get sea sick with calm water like this but not everyone is so lucky.
An Average Day on Our Sail Croatia Cruise
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I’m calling it a floating health retreat and here’s why. Our Sail Croatia days looked a little something like this:
7am – wake up for some yoga on the top sundeck with my new gal pals.
8am – breakfast of fruit and gluten-free cereal.
8:30-10:30am – navigation time which meant relaxing back on the top deck for some vitamin D and reading.
10:30am – swim stop time!
11:00am – get involved in any daily activities like kayaking, wine tasting or general island exploring.
1 pm – lunch of fresh fish, vegetables and rice.
2pm – siesta!
3-4pm onwards – arrive at Port and head out for an afternoon of adventure. I’d usually check out the local markets for fresh fruit or sorbet as a snack.
7pm – dinner time at a local restaurant of grilled vegetables with chicken.
8pm onwards – more time to explore the port before heading back to the boat around 11pm for bed. I like to get at least 8 hours of quality shut-eye on holidays 🙂
If a week of that doesn’t sound like the perfect holiday / health retreat, then I don’t know what does.
Healthy Travel Tips
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1. Don’t pick the cheapest party boat you can find, unless pirate parties every night are your thing. Large rooms, ensuite bathrooms and a shaded sun deck are a good place to start.
2. Make sure you notify the tour company of any food intolerances well in advance and ask if you can bring your own allergy-friendly snacks onboard. Also make sure the crew are aware of your requirements when the tour starts.
3. Take time to unwind and relax on the sun deck while the boat is navigating from one port to another.
4. Soak up the vitamin sea every chance you get, including daily swim stops if on offer.
5. Eat what the locals eat – fresh seafood and grilled vegetables – and sample exotic fruits from local produce markets.
6. Get active and explore these beautiful islands. Hiking, kayaking and bike rides are a great way to stay moving and experience more of what Croatia has to offer.
About Sail Croatia
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A Sail Croatia Explorer Cruise is great option for those wanting to cruise beyond the party scene and rejuvenate the mind, body and soul instead. We loved every minute of our tour and would go back in a heartbeat.
And in case you’re looking for another person to convince you to visit Croatia, send me an email or a comment and I’ll be more than happy to twist your arm.
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