Self Care in Dubrovnik

When I first moved to Budapest there were a few cities I knew I would make time to see. Dubrovnik was at the top of my list so when I found myself with 5 days off of work around Easter I knew it was fate. I was so lucky that my friend, Stephanie, was visiting as well. Stephanie and I met in college. She was one of my only friends who lived in New York when I moved there and I leaned on her heavily for help so I was excited to get to show her around. After walking around Budapest for a few days we hopped on a plane to Dubrovnik. Well actually, we tried to hop on a plane but after 2 canceled flights which we only found out about when trying to check-in, we took a 5am train to Vienna. In Vienna we were booted off that flight and made to take a plane to Zagreb then transfer to Dubrovnik. The point is we arrived in Dubrovnik Saturday afternoon with 3 days ahead of us to explore. 

The first thing that stood out to me about Croatia is the landscape. I found it to be a crazy mix of tropical and Mediterranean with palm trees and beaches set against a rocky lush green wild and untamable land that I have found to set the terrains of Eastern and Western Europe apart. Similar in some ways to the South of France the beaches are rocky and the water is the type of azure blue that makes it seem photoshopped. 

I’m normally not one to opt for a resort or all inclusive vacation as opposed to trudging out on my own and building my own experience. However, after almost 7 months of teaching, my brain was a bit fried. I honestly just needed to be told what to do. So I’m glad we chose to stay at a resort called Dubrovnik President Valamar Collection Hotel right outside of Dubrovnik in a little area called Babin Kuk.

It was cheaper than usual to travel and stay in Croatia as the resorts had literally just opened for the season. Because we visited in mid-April, we knew it would be cold. We were just happy to be in the sun. The hotel was just in its second weekend of being open for the season and was running a bit slow. Honestly, I didn’t mind as I was there to relax and lay in the sun. If my cocktail took an extra 10 minutes I didn’t really care. There were however quite a few guests who I noticed did care so I will say the same thing I have said before. You have to make sure your expectations can align with the reality of the destination where you are traveling. Do not go to a European seaside town in April and expect the same service you would get in July. 

On Saturday we arrived around midday to the hotel. Stephanie immediately headed down to the beach. I was exhausted from the trip so I grabbed a book and headed out onto our balcony, which overlooked the beach and resort’s property. I immediately conked out. I awoke two hours later with a snort in a pool of my own drool feeling like a shriveled up raisin. 

After rehydrating and splashing some water on my face I headed out to explore. I found the spa where I promptly made an appointment for a massage. The next day was Easter and so Stephanie and I had decided to have a chill self care day. Then, I headed down the beach. Just being around the water always lowers my blood pressure ( is that science?) but it was really windy. So windy, in fact, that one of the hotel’s restaurants located on the beach itself had delayed opening until next weekend. 

I walked back up to find my friends on a beautiful spacious terrace that overlooked the water as the sunset. We ordered drinks and made a plan for the night. We found a restaurant that offered vegan options in Lapad Bay- a 20 minute walk away from the hotel. 

We headed out and walked onto a winding road with a rising red clay hill on one side with tufts of dark greenery and a sharp cliff with occasional pull offs for cars to enjoy the view of the ocean on the other. After a short detour when google told us to go down an alleyway of stairs that was closed by a locked fence halfway down, we finally made our way onto a pedestrian street. The street led to a public beach that looked amazing – public slides that I’m sure in warmer times flung little kids ( and probably adults) into the Adriatic. 

As we walked I was struck by how vertical the whole town felt. All the houses were piled on top of each other  with one house’s garage roof serving as the driveway for another. One house’s garden planted on the roof of another’s balcony. Nothing seemed cramped and all the houses had unobscured views of the ocean far down below. Looking at all the houses neatly arranged, level by level, reminded me of a perfect game of tetris. Everything fitting just so. 

The restaurant we chose, Restoran Madonna, was owned by 4 brothers who were eager to give us recommendations. They told us all about all the food we had to try while in Croatia and all the bars we should go to. While Lapad Bay and Babin Kuk seemed to have beautiful houses it didn’t feel like a super residential area. I couldn’t help but compare these little neighborhoods set on the outskirts of Dubrovnik to the similar areas in Budapest that felt a bit sleepy and inaccessible if English was your only language. 

After dinner we had plans to walk around and have a drink or dessert at another restaurant lining the pedestrian only streets but the wind had picked up and dropped the temperature. We found a much better walk way back to the hotel that lined the beach and included entrances to all the resorts in Babin Kuk as well as a few little swimming holes and docks for private boats. 

We had a drink at the hotel bar before heading to bed where I promptly fell asleep and slept for a full 12 hours 

The next day was Easter so it was easy not to feel guilty taking it easy and not heading out first thing in the morning. After an amazing breakfast that was included with our booking, the rest of the day involved walking around the resort in white terry cloth robes, massages, sauna, aperol spritz, mimosas, and many other luxuries that made me feel like I’m everyone’s rich single aunt who pops in for family gatherings in her fur coat and leaves early because she’s got happy hour with her friends. 

Monday I awoke ready to do the one thing I knew I couldn’t leave Dubrovnik without doing; The Game of Thrones Walking Tour. I had followed Game of Thrones since the beginning and when it ended I was left with a show hangover for quite some time. Maybe this tour would alleviate some of the foul taste the last season had left. 

After breakfast we took one of the public buses about 20 minutes into Old Town. The bus ride was really lovely and took us through a super residential part of Babin Kuk that we were yet to see. The tickets can be purchased at any hotel’s front desk or from the driver himself. 

As the bus pulled up and I got out, the view knocked the wind out of me once again. It was incredibly breathtaking and I was struck again by how impossible it was to capture the beauty with an iphone camera. The Old Town’s white stone wall and the red roofs set against the turquoise blue of the Adriatic felt like a true intersection of Mediterranean, Central, and Southern Europe. At one point, as we were sitting on top of the Wall at a café enjoying a glass of rose, I noticed that the sea sparkled in the sunlight the way Disney animates water. All shimmer and dazzle and no trash or seaweed or debris to be seen. At any moment I felt like Ariel was going to wash up on the beach. 

Old Town in Dubrovnik is an incredibly fortified area with one main entrance and exit, not including the port on the other side. The tour began at The Onofrio Fountain, a hub for artists and vendors, right at the entrance. The first stop was a fortress outside the city walls called Lovrijenac. The tickets to get in were not included in our tour but once purchased could also be used to walk the Wall as well as a few other sites in Dubrovnik. As we walked up to the fortress, our tour guide explained that to be a tour guide in Croatia you must pass extensive and intense tests on the history and landscape of the country, so he was eager to talk about more than just Dubrovnik during the years that Game of Thrones filmed there. During the two and half hour tour we saw not only the filming locations but also learned about Dubrovnik’s history. Unfortunately my school’s history books didn’t include a lot on the invasion of Croatia by Serbia or its successful claims for independence ( those books did however include a lesson on the Ten Commandments so don’t worry about my thorough education!) 

The tour ended on the famed “Shame Stairs” where Cersei takes her naked walk of repentance. We used Dubrovnik Walking Tours  and they were really wonderful. The most unexpected part of the tour was learning how the local Croatian people reacted to (and clashed) with production in the early years. After the tour, we walked down the stairs and through a market with tiny streets all shooting off and winding away to find lunch.  

After lunch we decided to walk along the top of the Wall surrounding Dubrovnik. As we walked we got a panoramic view of the islands surrounding as well as the few brave tourists on excursions in the water. After wandering for a bit longer and window shopping we went to dinner and got the one dish we had been urged to try- Black Risotto- made with cuttlefish. A few bites was enough to know I’d probably never order cuttlefish again but glad I tried it! 

The next day our flight wasn’t until 4pm so we took our time at breakfast trying to savor the dwindling all-inclusive perks. We walked along the boardwalk taking our time popping down a few stairs to different docks. We stopped and had a coffee at one of the cafes on the public beach in Lapad Bay and watched the waves, trying to soak up as much vitamin D as possible. The weather in Budapest was still dismal and would be for a few more weeks. After walking around the local port for a bit we stopped for a quick lunch in a literal cave called, Špilja Bar, and headed to the airport. I was sad to go and really look forward to when I can return. Although, from everything I’ve heard from the locals and my Hungarian friends who have gone, Dubrovnik is a bit of a nightmare in the peak summer months so I count myself lucky we went right as things were opening. 

My Final Thoughts on Croatia are this: I thoroughly loved my time there. Everything felt extremely accessible. The exchange rate was amazing and helped assuage the guilt of staying in a resort. With that being said I almost feel like I’m not allowed to say I really saw Croatia, you know? I went at a time when alot was still closed. The weather wasn’t great for spending more than a half hour on the beach. I spent a whole day just at the hotel. But I’m allowed to be a tourist! I was on vacation to enjoy myself and that’s what I wanted to do! I always say that you shouldn’t go to a noteworthy monument just because its noteworthy. If you’re in Paris and don’t care about going to The Louvre; don’t go to The Louvre! And in that same vein I will say I am not going to allow myself to feel guilt for taking it easy on this holiday. 

I went into my Dubrovnik trip with no expectations, therefore I wasn’t disappointed when the weather was bad and I didn’t do as much as I usually would. Normally when I’m traveling my eyes fly awake as the sun rises and I just can’t make myself go back to sleep. I have to go out and experience everything and it’s hard to allow myself to actually relax because of the imaginary checklist I sometimes inflict upon myself ( have I mentioned how chill and cool I am). 

I was able to actually sit down and read a book which I hadn’t been able to do in so long- honestly since Christmas break. I don’t know if it was because my mind has been occupied with teaching or part of me feels like I’m not allowed to sit and do leisure things like reading when I have things I want to accomplish. I’ve felt my time here slipping away and I’m starting to feel a bit panicky about not getting to do everything I wanted. I had this grand idea that I’d write a book while I was here. I have two half written stories that I haven’t been able to flesh out in the least. I don’t know why I thought moving to a foreign country and starting a new job would give me the stable and consistent environment needed to write a book. 

Anyway I’m trying to be ok with what I’ve done and remind myself that just because I didn’t get to travel to certain places while living here doesn’t mean I’ll never get to do those things.

I hate the idea that I can just dip in and out of people’s lives in Budapest and go back to New York having gotten what I wanted out of this experience. But I know this year was more than just a dip. 

I’ve been traveling in Hungary quite alot and can’t wait to write about it. Also feel like I’m on the verge of another full on freak out as I prepare to move so can’t wait to chronicle that as well! 

You can check out my instagram to follow my travels and a few pictures below.