If there are countries in the world that are specially created for a comfortable stay with children, then Croatia tops this list. It has an amazingly mild climate, blue sea, clean air, infrastructure that will ensure a pleasant vacation and an interesting pastime for both babies and older children.
Pros and cons
A definite plus for a joint holiday with toddlers is a short flight. It lasts only 2.5-3 hours if you fly on a direct flight from Moscow. In the country itself, excellent conditions have been created for recreation for every taste - from sightseeing tours (there are a huge number of attractions) to beach holidays.
A trip to Croatia can be beneficial for children with respiratory diseases, as the local climate and the abundance of pine forests have a strong therapeutic effect.
If the purpose of the trip is health improvement, the possibilities are very wide, because local thermal and mineral springs help with a variety of disorders of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, digestion and genitourinary system.
The disadvantages of resting in this Eastern European country are the relative high cost of both the rest itself and everything that you want to buy there.
There are few water parks in Croatia, there are almost no sandy beaches. Recently, a visa is required to travel to Croatia. Holders of the current Schengen area have nothing to worry about, everyone else needs to contact the Croatian embassy in Moscow or any major city close to them where there is such a diplomatic mission in advance, and obtain an entry permit.
Best season
To relax on the beach, it is better to go to Croatia in the summer months (from late May to September inclusive). The air temperature at this time here is about 30 degrees Celsius, and the water temperature all summer is kept at the level of 24-25 degrees with a plus sign. Another tourist boom in the country occurs in January and February when the ski season is in full swing.
In the off-season, the weather is quite warm, even in winter the thermometer rarely drops below zero. This period is good for those who travel to Croatia for medical treatment and excursions. Low season prices in the country are significantly lower.
The best sandy beaches
The beaches in such resort areas as Istria, Zadar, Hvar, Pelješac are considered the most convenient and comfortable for family holidays.
With the sandy beaches in the country, as already mentioned, things are not in the best way, the Adriatic coast is mostly rocky, and the beaches are rocky and pebbly. However, if you try, you can find small pebble and even sandy places for swimming with children.
We have compiled such beaches into a single list to make it easier for you to find:
- Saharun Beach;
- Lapad beach;
- Mlaska beach;
- Nin Beach;
- Paradise Beach;
- Bijeca beach (Bijeca);
- Rajska plaza beach.
Hotels with children's clubs
It will not be possible to save on a child on vacation in Croatia, since most hotels do not provide free accommodation for young travelers. Even discounts on child seats in the hotel are not always possible to find. However, the service for children is excellent.
It is very convenient to choose from several dozen hotels in Croatia on the Internet. The available options can be viewed on the websites of the tour operator, while hotels with children's clubs are usually highlighted with a special icon.
The best family hotels that have entertainment for children, pools with water slides, mini-clubs, animators, Russian tourists have long recognized several options that are included in our small rating.
Bluesun Hotel Soline 4 * (Brela settlement)
It is only 80 meters from the sea, there is a children's pool for children in the hotel, high chairs are provided in the restaurant, you can ask for a baby cot in the room. There is a playground, animators.
Falkensteiner Family Hotel Diadora 4 * (23 kilometers from Zadar)
A great place for children from birth to teenagers. A huge number of own attractions, several play areas, there is a mini-club, you can use the services of a nanny, the restaurant offers a full-fledged children's menu.
Valamar Club Dubrovnik 3 * (Dubrovnik)
Optimal for children from 4 years old. The hotel has a kids club, play areas, high chairs in the restaurant, where meals are all inclusive. You can invite a nanny, there is an interesting animation.
Remisens Hotel Albatros 4 * (Cavtat)
Suitable for children of all ages. There is a separate children's pool, animators work with the kids, in the mini-club there are many events and children's discos every day. There is no children's menu, but most of the dishes served are quite suitable for feeding preschool children.
Zaton Holiday Resort 3 * (Zadar)
The hotel is ideal for families with small children, there is a sandy beach with a small inflatable water park for children. The hotel has a mini-club, animators, and a separate children's pool. Each room has a kitchenette where you can cook for your child yourself.
Entertainment
If you are bored with a beach holiday, you can create an interesting entertainment program that will please not only children. So, you can go and go in Croatia to the following places:
- ISTRALANDIA water park (Istria);
- Dinosaur Park (Omis);
- Dinosaur Park FUNTANA (Porec);
- Brijuni National Park (Pula);
- Marine Museum and Large Aquarium (Dubrovnik);
- Cable car (Dubrovnik);
- Aquapark AQUACOLORS (Porec);
- Plitvice Lakes (Zadar);
- Pirate city of Omis (Omis);
- Lokrum Island (Dubrovnik);
- The ancient city of Salona (Split);
- Seashell Museum (Split);
- Rope park KOZINO (Zadar);
- Karting center MOTODROM POREC (Porec).
We rent private housing
At airports and train stations in Croatia, there are always many locals who modestly stand aside with a sign in their hands. It says "Sobe" which means "room."
The room that you rent in this way will not always match in price and quality, as well as in sanitary and hygienic requirements. Therefore, if adventures are not included in your plans, it is worthwhile in advance, before leaving, to find the appropriate rental option without intermediaries on the Internet.
At the height of the tourist season, good housing is dismantled in advance, and therefore it is better to plan everything and book an apartment, villa or room for yourself at least 3-4 months before the vacation, if such an opportunity exists.
The most economical way is to rent a room in an apartment. Often, apartment owners offer to be guides and cooks for an additional fee.
Much more expensive, but also much more comfortable - villas near the sea. In Croatia, there are many such options, but the photo may not always correspond to reality, therefore, when choosing a villa, it is better to turn to the Internet to tourists who have already been there, and carefully read reviews about a particular villa.
You can also choose an apartment with a certain number of rooms. The closer to the sea, the more expensive the apartments are, so many try to find housing in the villages close to the resorts, this reduces the cost of rent by 3-4 times.
Important nuances
The climate in Croatia is mild, and even the summer heat is not perceived painfully due to the proximity of the sea.
Acclimatization in children in this country usually proceeds without complications and ends rather quickly. However, if you are from Yakutia and are going to relax in Croatia in winter or spring, then it is better not to take an infant with you - the change in the usual climate will be too drastic for him.
Not every hotel in Croatia offers all-inclusive meals, the usual thing is only breakfast, and therefore you will have to plan in advance a significant amount for meals in a restaurant or think about cooking yourself. In the latter case, you should be prepared for the fact that food prices in the country are incredibly high.
The average Croatian salary is 700 euros, and a loaf of bread costs about 1 euro. In order to survive, the locals try to get the maximum financial benefit from tourists. It is not customary to bargain on Croatian markets, although you can try.
A children's menu is also not prepared in every restaurant, and therefore you can buy food in stores.
The restaurants of most hotels have specially designated areas for children, where, under the supervision of animators, they can eat purchased baby food if nothing from the menu suits them. Children over 2.5-3 years old do not have this problem, since Mediterranean cuisine is quite suitable for their nutrition.
Reviews
Most of the families who chose Croatia with children were satisfied with their choice. Nature, excursions, sea and sun did not disappoint. Everyone notes the high cost of entertainment (tickets for excursions, entrance tickets to parks and water parks). MMany parents emphasize that Croatian cuisine is very tasty and the children really liked it. The opening hours of local shops are often mentioned with an unkind word; most retail outlets, even in large cities, try to close at 17.00. If you do not have time for baby food, the child will have to drink milk at the hotel, there is nothing else.
Many parents warn that there are many street thieves in the center of large resorts, so you should be extremely careful when walking and during excursions.
Another danger, according to tourists, lies on the beaches - an abundance of sea urchins. Vacationers with little ones should be careful.
The undoubted advantage of families with children is the absence of a noisy nightlife in the cities of Croatia, and in this regard, the influx of tourists - youth companies, which can create inconvenience for those who want to spend time calmly and quietly.
See the video below for even more information on holidays in Croatia.
