Baška Voda

July 31, 2023: Baška Voda is stunning, with hyper-saturated blue skies and water, and the Biokovo Massif looming overhead.  Do we maybe have a new second favorite place?

“To be anonymous and traveling in an interesting place is an intoxication.”

Paul Theroux

I don’t know how we missed Brela on our first Croatia trip, as we drove down the Dalmatian Coast enroute to Dubrovnik.  When friends Rob and Carol enthused about the area one night over dinner in Charlotte, we decided to add it to our 2023 itinerary. 

Excellent recommendation, thanks guys!

Surprisingly Scenic Drive

We started our four-hour drive from Rovinj about noon, taking the expressway instead of the slower coastal route we’d driven in 2021.  To our surprise, the scenery from the highway was beautiful, and most of the landscape much greener than expected. 

Baška Voda

We arrived on a Monday to find the beach packed with Croats, Germans, Poles, Czechs and Slovenes who had driven to the beach for a summer getaway.  We snapped a few photos of the masses and slipped into a shady restaurant for dinner.

The next morning was a different story.  Jean and a few other early birds had the beach to themselves, and I had full run of the three-mile pedestrian sea promenade.

Brela

As the day warmed up, the Baška Voda beaches filled quickly, but I found that Brela, just north along the promenade, was much less crowded and the water even clearer, if that were possible.  We found ourselves wandering up to Brela each morning, for a bit more quiet as the beach crowds swelled to the south.  There were lovely hotels and bars right above the sea.  On our next visit, we’ll stay at this quieter end of the beach.

A new Second Favorite?

With the clear blue waters and dramatic Biokovo massif above, we wondered if we’d found a new second favorite place.  Maybe… our next destination is a return to Bol, so we’ll see soon!

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