Dubrovnik Travel Diary

One thing I learned during my travels to Croatia is that seaside is where I find my zen – where my creativity flourishes and where I feel most like myself.

I traveled into Dubrovnik from Sweden (the complete opposite side of Europe). Surprisingly, the weather was colder + more rainy than Sweden. There is definitely something going on with the weather. It’s still raining in LA!

Typically, when I travel through Europe I visit nearby countries to make travel time less stressful and easier, but Sweden and Croatia were of the few countries I haven’t been to, so it just happened to work out this way.

It was quite the contrast in regards to culture, food and environment. From my observation, Swedes are very reserved and shy which is not even slightly characteristic of Croatians. Eager to talk and with big personalities, I felt as though I had entered a different world.

My apartment was centrally located in Old Town Dubrovnik, which made getting around very convenient. After a quick rest, we strolled around town and had lunch at Restaurant Dubrovnik (IG: @restaurantdubrovnik_lopud).

The old town is a cute area with various stores (mostly touristy shops with tacky souvenirs) but it was interesting to browse the town nonetheless.

For dinner, we headed to Restaurant 360 (IG: @360dubrovnik) which holds a Michelin star and boasts gorgeous views of Dubrovnik. I like to explain Dubrovnik as a mix between Santa Barbara + Greece (my two favorite places).

Dinner was followed by drinks at Hotel Excelsior – a stunning boutique hotel just a short walk from the Old Town with a beautiful view of the city. Surrounded by the Adriatic Sea, there really is no bad view in Dubrovnik.

Feeling fully rested the next day, we fueled up with some coffee and walked the city walls. This is one ‘touristy’ thing everyone should do. The walls hold some of the most breathtaking views of Dubrovnik and this is where I fell in love with the city.

The short walk along the city walls left me feeling a sense of significant gratitude. To be able to experience something so beautiful left me in awe.

PS: The weather was not in our favor the week we were there, but if it was, drinks at Buza Bar would have been on the itinerary.

The rain kept us indoors for most of the day, which was fine – I had a ton of work to catch up on.

Between work and escaping the rain we headed to Hotel Excelsior for massages and some R&R which I quickly realized was much needed. There is so much excitement with travel that slowing down doesn’t feel like the best option, but sometimes it really is the best choice.

After the grey clouds cleared we picked up some souvenirs at Kawa (IG: @kawa.dubrovnik), which carries handcrafted items created by local artisans. It was such a breath of fresh air from all of the touristy souvenir trash I cringe over.

I picked up a bottle of the worlds best olive oil (Perdisacca), a handcrafted tea towel and some truffle chips. If you don’t know by now, I have a major obsession with truffle.

I couldn’t leave Dubrovnik without visiting Restaurant Nautika (IG: @nautikarestaurant), which holds the title of “Dubrovnik’s Best Restaurant” in many publications.

With such high price points my expectations were high but thoroughly exceeded. First, the restaurant is two stories. Upon arrival, my first thought was that the restaurant was on the second story of a hotel. I was mistaken. The restaurant is huge. Because of the weather we opted for indoor seating, but if you visit with good weather a seat outside is the obvious choice.

Upon arrival, we were escorted to the second floor where our chairs were pulled out and we were presented two menus and a book, which was the wine menu carrying wines from all over the world. I’ve never seen such a large wine list in my life. I was seriously confused by why the menu was so long, but also very excited.

Obviously, there was no way I was going through the entire menu so sommelier Marco Sram came to help. I have never had a sommelier come help me choose wine and I have been at some incredible restaurants. This was a nice touch and highly appreciated. He helped me chose the perfect wine for my meal, and was super knowledgeable and patient. Being a wine lover, I was excited to ask questions and probably annoyed Marco. Sorry, Marco.

We started with baked scallops which were incredible, followed by pan seared sea bass (TO DIE!) Overall, food was great – but I’ve had some really great food in my lifetime. What made this dining experience so exceptional and the reason why I recommend this restaurant to everyone who visits Dubrovnik is because of service.

Service was beyond attentive, kind and knowledgeable. I could easily say this was the best service I’ve EVER experienced. That’s a huge compliment coming from a service snob. If you’re a foodie and in Dubrovnik, be sure to check out Nautika.

Dubrovnik made the list as number 2 for most beautiful places I’ve ever been, with Santorini being the first. I’m curious, have you been to Croatia? I know it’s an up and coming travel destination, and I HIGHLY recommend.

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