Croatia with Gate 1

My wife, Rose, and I took the “Affordable Croatia & Slovenia” tour from Gate 1 Travel (Ft. Washington, PA; 800/682-3333). The land cost of our trip, April 5-14, 2013, was $1,049 each plus $140 for airport transfers. 

We made our own flight arrangements, but those flying with Gate 1 flew into Venice and were bused to Opatija, Croatia, where the tour started the next day. 

That night we were told there were 48 of us in the group, and, while we could have been crowded onto one bus, Gate 1 divided the group and provided two buses. We appreciated the extra room in which to spread out, as we spent a lot of time on the bus.

The buses were first class, and both guides provided were excellent. This was our first experience with Gate 1 and we were more than satisfied. 

Most of our time was spent in Croatia, but we also had stops in Bosnia twice, and the tour ended up in Bled, Slovenia. Rose and I also took an optional day trip to Montenegro ($59).

The hotels were just outstanding, with wonderful buffet breakfasts. In Opatija we stayed at the restored and lovely Bristol Hotel. In Split it was the Radisson Blu; in Dubrovnik, Hotel Lacroma, and in Zagreb, the Westin. In Bled, Slovenia, the Park Hotel was well located but marginal; it was a bit worn and even still had small, old-fashioned analog TVs in the rooms. 

I would recommend any of the hotels in Croatia to those traveling on their own, although the Radisson Blu, as nice as it was, was somewhat distant from the Old Town (but the city bus is easy to use). The Bristol was probably everyone’s favorite.

Outside of the wonderful buffet breakfasts, few other meals were provided and that was good. It meant exploring and eating at local places rather than in some tour-group hotel setting.

My main knock on the tour were the hours spent riding the bus. I’m not sure how to get around it, in view of Croatia’s long coastline. We spent one whole day doing nothing but riding back from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, about 600 kilometers (373 miles). 

All in all, it was an excellent tour.

JOE PHELAN

Lincoln, CA