Honeymoon in late August in Europe?

Joe222

Hey all,
What would people suggest for above. We are thinking about 10 days. We'll have a very tight budget. We'll prob do a proper honeymoon at a later date. So we just want some place to chill out, sun, do few things. As it's August I'm thinking southern and eastern Europe would be too hot. I'm thinking northern Spain/ south of France but I'm not sure if these would be suitable - too crowded, etc. We would like to chill on a beach for few days, bit of sightseeing, nice food and a few activities. We wouldn't rule out hiring a car but it depends on money and other factors. What would you recommend?
Thanks in advance.

byhookorbycrook

Malta?

Joe222

Hey..thanks for replying.
I thought about Malta and looked online a bit but from what I read the weather can be very hot there???
Just looking up Croatia now...thought it would be too hot but saying it would be 27C max??

Joe222

..What I found online about Malta....................
Summers are warm, dry and very sunny. The weather usually shows signs of warming up in April, heralding in a long spell of hot, dry weather. It rarely rains from April to August. July and August are Malta's hottest months with daytime temperatures usually above 30ºC (86ºF) and quite often also above 35ºC (95ºF). The highest ever was in August 1999 when the temperature once went up to 44ºC (111ºF) in the shade at Luqa Airport. However, since humidity is rather high in Malta (due to the fact that Malta is an island) summer temperatures can feel quite irritating, thereby making it quite often unbearable to stay out in the sun. This is especially so in August and September, when a high humidity can make it quite unbearable at night. However, daytime temperatures in summer are usually mitigated by cooling sea breezes, especially along the coast, but in spring and autumn a very hot and dry wind from Africa occasionally brings unpleasantly high temperatures. This wind is called the sirocco, which also affects Italy and Greece, but in Malta it is usually rather drier because of the short sea track from the African coast.
.............

Sleepy

Hvar in Croatia. It's an island paradise and cost of living once you're there is quite cheap. Cheapest way there would be to fly to Zadar with Ryanair, take a bus/train to Split (maybe overnight here? It's a beautiful town with incredible Roman ruins), then a ferry out to the island.

I stayed in Villa Skansi while we were there. It's a hostel but they have private rooms that give you a balcony of your own, en-suite, cooking facilities etc.

If you're looking at Spain / France at that time of year, I can recommend San Sebastian (Donostia) and Biarritz. Both can be done on any budget (though Biarritz is a bit of a loss if you're into clubbing: there's only one club, it's crap and the bars close at about midnight.

Joe222

Ya I'm leaning towards Croatia at this stage unless something else comes up. I see AerLingus fly from Dublin to Dubrovnik direct while Ryanair go to Pula and Zadar through Stansted. Flights from Dublin to Dubrovnik are around €200 return per head. What would people recommend given it's a honeymoon, so would need to stay in somewhere nice. Dubrovnik seems to be a must see. There seems to be a huge amount of islands off the coast of Croatia, a bit like Greece. We would love to take in the sun on one of those places for a few days. The one concern I'd have is that places could be very crowded at the end of August. We'd like to break up our time between 2/3 places with possibility to do some cheap tours from bases.

Sleepy

My impression of Dubrovnik (not having been there so going on heresay from other travellers whilst I was in Croatia) was that it's a more touristy version of the nicer parts of Croatia.

Ryanair certainly flew direct to Zadar when I went.

Joe222

Thanks for replies.
Would anyone recommend a nice hotel in Dubrovnik and also some nice places to eat.

Re travelling to one of the islands would it be better to stay on of them for a couple of nights.

Checked flights...ryanair no longer do direct to Croatia...only aerlingus Dub to Dubrovnik

Thanks again

The Lovely Muffin

I was in Dubrovnik two and a half years ago and it is VERY expensive.

A 500ml bottle of water is around €5 euros (really!). Dubrovnik is a tourist area really hence the high prices.

We found one restaurant which charged for the use of cutlery, table wear (napkins, table cloths etc), even charged us for the water fountain. A few restaurants in Dubrovnik are like this, but not all. This was in the Old Town though, not to far from St. Blaise Church.

We stayed in the Grand Hotel Park which is a bit outside the Old Town (not sure how far) and a bus ride in/out of the Town was around €10, think it was about 5-10mins on the bus.

Some family members stayed in the Neptun Hotel, which was stunning, far nicer than the Grand Hotel Park, but much further, about 25mins in a taxi, which was around €20 euros as far as I know.

Little cups of coffee were around €8, they weren't much bigger (if any bigger) than the one in this picture.



The people generally were OK, there were a good few rude people, but you get them everywhere really.

The mini bars were extortion. Around €3 for a small packet of peanuts. Can't remember how much drinks were.

There was a nice little supermarket near the Grand Hotel Park, which was OK price wise, but the staff were so rude and impolite, they had no manners, not so much as thanks, goodbye, hello, kiss my backside, not a word from them.

You queue at the checkout, they put your stuff through, you'd throw (literally) your stuff into a bag, they give you your change and stare at you until you leave the checkout. Not an ounce of manners.

The usual tourist, souvenir shops are a rip off, like they are in most countries.

If you're going for ten days, I would say bring around €1k in spending money - you'll need it.

I know a family of four who spent nearly €3k while they were there, the cost of food, travel, drinks (not all alcoholic) etc. The duty free in the airport there isn't much cheaper than drinks here I found. A bottle of Martini there was around €10 in the duty free, where as it's priced around €12 in my local Dunnes Stores, I don't know how much it is in Dublin Airport. Cosmetics, skin care etc, isn't a whole lot cheaper either.

Nightlife, well I was only out one night and that was enough for me. Most of the clubs/pubs tend to have scantily female 'dancers' who, in my opinion, we're much different from porn girls really.

We were there in June and the day after the wedding (20th June) the weather changed, we had thunder & lightening storms, torrential rain, etc for the rest of the week. So we basically got a week of sun and a week of Irish-like weather.

I personally wouldn't go near Dubrovnik again, even if I was paid to. It's not a city I like, but then, I was there for two entire weeks and really, there wasn't enough there to keep my entertained for two weeks. Three or four days would have been enough for me, but each to their own.

endabob1

North Eastern Spain near Barcelona would be my recomendation or South Western France around Biaritz. Neither will be too hot, both serviced by pikeyair so easy to get to and pretty reasonable

Sleepy

Joe222 wrote: »

Thanks for replies.
Would anyone recommend a nice hotel in Dubrovnik and also some nice places to eat.

Re travelling to one of the islands would it be better to stay on of them for a couple of nights.

Checked flights...ryanair no longer do direct to Croatia...only aerlingus Dub to Dubrovnik

Thanks again

Are you sure? I think when we flew the route was a seasonal one (May to October or similar)...

Joe222

Are you sure? I think when we flew the route was a seasonal one (May to October or similar)...

Yes I checked the ryanair site. 3 places in Croatia but only served by Standsted, not direct from Ireland.

I was in Dubrovnik two and a half years ago and it is VERY expensive.

A 500ml bottle of water is around €5 euros (really!). Dubrovnik is a tourist area really hence the high prices.

I'm really surprised by that. Some of those prices weren't been charged in Ireland during the boom. Is it really that expensive????

Joe222

I believe there is a ferry from Dubrovnik to the island of Hvar. Has anyone done this? Is it a good place to relax for a few days...a nice hotel but not too expensive to stay in?

We are thinking of maybe staying 2/3 nights in Dubrovnik, then maybe a ferry to one of those islands. I believe Hvar is well recommended. We would then prob stay on the island for couple of nights. Would anyone have a itinerary we could think about?
We are thinking about 7(max 10) day trip.
Looking at flights we would probably have to fly in and out of different airports.
However, only Dubrovnik is the only direct route to Ireland. If leaving from elsewhere we would have to fly to Standsted.

Joe222

I believe there is a ferry from Dubrovnik to the island of Hvar. Has anyone done this? Is it a good place to relax for a few days...a nice hotel but not too expensive to stay in?

We are thinking of maybe staying 2/3 nights in Dubrovnik, then maybe a ferry to one of those islands. I believe Hvar is well recommended. We would then prob stay on the island for couple of nights. Would anyone have a itinerary we could think about?
We are thinking about 7(max 10) day trip.
Looking at flights we would probably have to fly in and out of different airports.
However, only Dubrovnik is the only direct route to Ireland. If leaving from elsewhere we would have to fly to Stansted.

wrmwit

Definitely go to Croatia. It's one of the nicest coast lines I've ever seen. Dubrovnik is lovely. A little touristy and a tad expensive but worth staying for three days. I would recommend staying in an apartment in the Old Town. My missus and I went there twice, stayed in the same place and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We booked our accommodation thro www.dubrovnikapartmentsource.com

We also went to Hvar. It's paradise. Got the bus from Dubrovnik to Split and got the ferry over. Stayed there for three nights and could have stayed for a week.

There are no sand beaches in Croatia (well none that I came across!) but at least you don't get sand everywhere!

Sleepy

You'd have to get the ferry to Hvar from Split.

That said, an overnight in Split would be well worthwhile too, it's built in and around beautiful Roman ruins.

Joe222

wrmwit wrote: »

We also went to Hvar. It's paradise. Got the bus from Dubrovnik to Split and got the ferry over. Stayed there for three nights and could have stayed for a week.

I see there are no trains from Dubrovnik to Split. You can only take the bus which is 4 hrs. Would it have aircon? We would have bags with us, so not sure if we want to be hauling things around the honeymoon.

We would love to spend a few days in Dubrovnik but would then like to spend 3/4 days on a lovely beach area (I know there are little or no sand beaches) without the travel being too arduous. The problem is we would have to get back to Dubrovnik again to get return flight direct to Ireland.

Joe222

I have been checking places to stay in Dubrovnik. Places are quite expensive especially if you want to stay in the city and want a decent place.
Is it worth going outside the city? Would anyone have a good recommendation. I checked a few places out and they seem a lot cheaper.

The Lovely Muffin

Joe222 wrote: »

I'm really surprised by that. Some of those prices weren't been charged in Ireland during the boom. Is it really that expensive????

It really is that expensive.

I had family members (who are well off) tell me "it's not that expensive", however when you have €€€€€ in the bank and no financial worries, everything seems 'cheap'.

If you're going for three days, a few hundred would be enough, but it depends if you plan on buying things.

I can't remember the name of the restaurant that charged all the extra's for the water fountain, cutlery, table clothes etc. I'll have a look on the net see if I can I find it.

I can tell you it's up a side street, there is a downstairs area and an upstairs (where we sat), it had dark wooden stairs with wide steps, it was painted white/cream on the outside and had flowers in hanging baskets. It wasn't far from St. Blaise Church.

There are a few other restaurants (now sure which ones) that charged for the 'extra's', but not all the restaurants did this.

The Lovely Muffin

Right, so I've had a look online and can only find these three pics of restaurants which are similar to the one I was in that charges for the 'extra's'.

I can't remember the name of that restaurant, but it's not too different from this restaurant on the outside.

http://www.mediastorehouse.com/image/dubrovnik_unesco_world_heritage_old_town_outdoor_dining_1637149.jpg

uberwolf

Majorca.

Palma is an interesting city and no shortage of culture and sand on the island. Ryanair will get you there cheaply.

Joe222

Majorca is cheap enough compared to Croatia and others.
Is there enough to do there for a week?
Nice food?

Joe222

Is a week too long to stay in Dubrovnik? Would you be able to do day trips to islands from it?
We're pretty keen to stay in the one spot especially if we're only staying for 1 week.
I'm finding it v hard to settle on anything. We'd love to do Hvar and others but it's too much hassle travelling upto Split between expense and the length of the journey. We'd also be taking luggage etc.

Fugs!!

May I throw up a suggestion. We're going on Honeymoon in August this year and have booked Estonia for 10 days!

Joe222

Can you tell me a bit more about it?
I just know the place from the time we played them lately in the soccer.
Weather, cost, food, things to do?
Thanks.

Sleepy

As far as I can remember the main ferry company Jadrolinija doesn't cover Dubrovnik very well though their website doesn't appear to be available at the moment.

IMHO, Croatia really is best done as a backpacker (couple of days in Split, couple in Zagreb, few in Hvar etc. Personally I did Budapest - Zagreb - Ljubljana - Split - Hvar in 10 days and had a ball but there was a fair bit of travelling involved using overnight trains etc.) maybe save it for an anniversary trip at some point? Dubrovnik really is the expensive side of Croatia and, from all reports I've heard, it's over-commercialised at this stage.

Another option you could look into, that I'd also recommend, would be Budapest - Bratislava - Vienna taking a ferry down the Danube? Again, it's a bit of travel but all 3 places are beautiful, romantic and cheap to have fun in (you can see world class Opera or Ballet in Vienna for a couple of euro, Budapest you'd have the baths and €1.50 pints and Bratislava has a beautiful old-town and great night-life). The ferry trips would only be a few hours between each stop and Aer Lingus fly direct to both Budapest and Vienna...

Lots of romantic places to see in Italy too: Aer Lingus fly to Naples which would get you to the Amalfi coast, both Aer Lingus and Ryanair fly to Sicily etc.

Joe222

Thanks for all the replies.
Sleepy, I think you are dead right. Croatia seems lovely but they seem to have picked up the disease that we had in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger.
I've checked a good few hotels online....
Radisson Blu is a 5 star.....it looks amazing. However, the reviews are quite negative with people complaining about the very expensive food, v poor service and the fact there is little to do in the hotel itself, with taxis being expensive to go into town.
I find a lot of the rooms are very ordinary even in the 5 star and thus you are forced to pick a more upmarket room. The cost thus is huge.
We are hoping to get flights and accom for around €1200. It's a challenge.
Our budget is tight and I'm beginning to worry that our spending money budget would be stretched.
There seems to be a big demand for Croatia as prices remain v solid right upto end of September.

Joe222

I also note that there is a city tax, which is not included in the room rates.
Croatia are not in the euro and you don't pay til you arrive at the exchange rate at that time. Thus there is a risk if the euro drops further. However the Croatian Kuna is meant to be tagged to the euro so any changes shouldn't be too extreme.

uberwolf

Re: majorca. We spent our two week honeymoon there and only scratched the surface. We spent big money on super hotels though and after the wedding wee happy to take it reasonably easy for a few days.
Palma us like any city. 4 days to get a feel for the place and poke around.
The island is reasonably big and once you avoid the package holiday corner is a charming place with varied terrain.
Re: dubrovnik. We spent a week there before and it was easy too long. Lovely spot but for a long weekend

Joe222

Yes the week would be long but a tour to Montenegro, Mostar in Bosnia could be done. Plus tours around Elaphite Islands close to Dubrovnik. So I think there is plenty to do.
Has anyone an idea how much these tours would cost?

I see Dubrovnik advertised in Indo today (thetraveldepartment.ie). Some very good deals. The hotels are 3 star but half board is included.
There is a great deal in April: http://www.thetraveldepartment.ie/CMSTEmplates/ttd/resultsengine/individualresult.aspx?id=19035/individualresult.aspx
..includes Mostar and Medjugorje tours plus a tour of Montenegro involving Kotor and Budva. All for €700 incl flights ex Dublin. It is very good value.

That's why I'm wondering whether these tours are cheap?

Joe222

Joe222 wrote: »

Yes the week would be long but a tour to Montenegro, Mostar in Bosnia could be done. Plus tours around Elaphite Islands close to Dubrovnik. So I think there is plenty to do.
Has anyone an idea how much these tours would cost?

I see Dubrovnik advertised in Indo today (thetraveldepartment.ie). Some very good deals. The hotels are 3 star but half board is included.
There is a great deal in April: http://www.thetraveldepartment.ie/CMSTEmplates/ttd/resultsengine/individualresult.aspx?id=19035/individualresult.aspx
..includes Mostar and Medjugorje tours plus a tour of Montenegro involving Kotor and Budva. All for €700 incl flights ex Dublin. It is very good value.

That's why I'm wondering whether these tours are cheap?

Joe222 wrote: »

Yes the week would be long but a tour to Montenegro, Mostar in Bosnia could be done. Plus tours around Elaphite Islands close to Dubrovnik. So I think there is plenty to do.
Has anyone an idea how much these tours would cost?

I see Dubrovnik advertised in Indo today (thetraveldepartment.ie). Some very good deals. The hotels are 3 star but half board is included.
There is a great deal in April: http://www.thetraveldepartment.ie/CMSTEmplates/ttd/resultsengine/individualresult.aspx?id=19035/individualresult.aspx
..includes Mostar and Medjugorje tours plus a tour of Montenegro involving Kotor and Budva. All for €700 incl flights ex Dublin. It is very good value.

That's why I'm wondering whether these tours are cheap?

I think you could do better if you travel independantly.
It is easy to come across affordable, decent, private accommodation.

Look at this pension, Almost on top of the bridge in Mostar (Much better location than the hotel in your offer). Great reviews and 30 euro per room per night.


http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g295388-d1801954-Reviews-Pansion_Cardak-Mostar.html

http://pansion-cardak.com/index.php

Eatting out is very reasonable in Bosnia.

I can,t imagine how you could spend a full day in medjugorje. You could have the exact same experience in knock.

I had a half day tour by a local, where I swam in and picnicked by a waterfall, Saw an ancient mosque in an old ottoman town, a dervish house over a karst river spring, medjugorje, and the cross mountain for 25 euro.
I only found out when I came home that I was actually ripped off at that price.

There is a white water rafting day trip, down the canyoned neretva river.
35 euro including your BBQ and drink.

With Dubrovnik, I didn't find it expensive. Paided 25 quid a night for a modern apartment in lapad. The owner ferryed us into and out of town . Although there was a reliable bus service.
There are lots of options in Dubrovnik. If you keep your eyes open, and shop around you,ll be fine.
5 euro for a bottle of water is just robbery. You can get a pizza for that price.

If you wanted to stay somewhere less busy, Cavtat might be an idea. It is only 20 mins into the city for sightseeing.

With the tour to Montenegro. Bear in mind you would have to queue at the border twice.
Lokrum has a better reputation than the Elaphite islands. It is 5 quid to get the boat out.

Hvar it was impossible to avoid paying above the odds eating out etc. It was worth it because the Island is so lovely.
If I was going to Hvar I would take in Korcula and Brac with its famous sandy beach.

Hope some of that is helpful.