HEARING someone shout: “Shame!” while I’m walking along the street is not something I’m used to experiencing.
But in the Croatian city of Dubrovnik this is thankfully not an insult, it’s just fellow set-jetters getting into the spirit of one of Game Of Thrones’ most famous scenes – The Walk of Shame.
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The Jesuit Staircase in the Old Town is where this iconic story line was filmed, so I channel the character of Cersei Lannister and give it a go myself.
Although, I hasten to add, I draw the line at stripping off – despite an earlier lunch spent indulging in Croatian wine, £6 a glass, at the picturesque cliffside Buza Bar (Bbuza.com).
(Not) Below Deck
I’ve always fancied trying life at sea, which is why my friend Lizzi and I have booked a Go Croatia Sail cruise from Dubrovnik to Split.
Soon it’s time to see our home for the next five days – a boat named Ocean – and our 28 fellow travellers, all aged between 30 and 45, and an eclectic mix of Americans, Australians and Brits.
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We’ve booked a Premier Plus cruise, so the en-suite cabins are surprisingly spacious and a hot tub sits on the top deck.
Each morning at around 5am the ship sets sail, before stopping at a swim spot on the way to its next destination.
Jumping into the clear blue Adriatic Sea soon becomes my favourite way to start the day.
A daily three-course lunch is included and served before the boat docks, with the likes of seafood risotto, chicken salad, and pork with vegetables, as well as desserts including the most delicious chocolate mille-feuille.
Meanwhile, the bar is stocked with local tipples, including beer from £4, and excursions can be booked with the rep each evening for the next day.
Grape expectations
We arrive at stunning Korcula Island, famed for its wine culture, and immediately set off to find the best bottles on our first excursion.
The Lumbarda mini wine tour tasting experience, £25 for 1 hour, takes us on an open-top sightseeing bus tour of Lumbarda village at the eastern tip of the island, before visiting family-run Winery Adria.
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Guide Vito has us all giggling with his jokes – although our chuckles might be in part due to the very generous wine samples along the way.
We also taste local lemon curd, honey and olive oil.
Having toasted our guide quite a few times, we return to the Old Town to climb a precarious ladder to the famous Massimo cocktail bar in the medieval Zakerjan Tower.
Here, we sip mojitos, £12.50, as the sun sets, before taking a stroll along the little lanes to idyllic Restaurant Filippi for a dinner of freshly caught fish with vegetables, £20, as well as more local white wine, £20 per bottle (Restaurantfilippi.com).
Hvar it large
Hvar Island is our second dock – and my favourite.
Strolling up to the Spanjola Fortress gives us the perfect view of the town, before we venture down the streets of Stari Grad’s Old Town for some souvenir shopping.
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At rooftop bar Coffee Snob (@Coffeesnob_hvar) – where the cocktails come caffeine-fuelled – the Krimi Kapucino with vodka, cold-brew coffee, apple, cinnamon, milk and agave, £9, makes the perfect aperitif.
We then feast on pasta loaded with mussels, prawns and clams, £15, at buzzy La Bocca (@Laboccahvar).
Later, some of the group head to club Seven’s silent disco for a boogie and a blast (Sevenhvar.com).
Our last day begins with a swim near Brac Island, before we make our final stop at the biggest city on the Dalmatian coast – Split.
Bacvice Beach is perfect for a splash before we wander through the beautiful ruins of Diocletian’s Palace.
Our pick of posh Bajamonti for our last supper proves a great choice, as we tuck into swordfish tartare with beetroot gel, basil cream and balsamic pearls, £12, followed by sea bass cooked in salt with vegetables and theatrically deboned at the table, £50 for two people (Bajamonti.com).
There’s just time to visit the ice-cream pros at Gelateria Emiliana (@Gelateriaemiliana2019) for two huge scoops of its fig speciality, £3.50, before goodbye drinks with the group at O’Hara’s Irish Bar (@Oharaspubsplit).
All too soon we have to “Split” from our shipmates and catch our flight home.
But there’s no doubt I’ll return to Croatia’s gorgeous coast one day.
FYI
Five-day cruises from Dubrovnik to Split with Go Croatia Sail cost from £559 per person (Gocroatiasail.com).
Flights from the UK to Croatia cost from £25 each way.
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