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Croatia for Couples

Croatia is quickly becoming one of the top pics for couple travel. Croatia offers a sun drenched coast line dotted with over 1,000 islands, lush forests complete with waterfalls, and vibrant historical cities.

Croatia is appealing to couples on a number of levels: its water playground aka the Adriatic, its breathtaking national parks, and its rich history as the crossroads of the Mediterranean. We will return to Croatia– that is certain.

We are going to share with you three must sees for any traveling couple. For those of you who are keen to check out Croatia first hand, there are more than enough holiday operators out there that would can help you with this such as, First Choice, Travelsupermarket and Thomas Cook to name a few. Let’s begin our adventure following the sounds of falling waters.

A Paradise Called Plitvice

The crown jewel within the national park system in Croatia is hands down Plitvice Lakes National Park.   It offers the perfect couple travel adventure.  It also scores a place in UNESCO World Heritage list as well as our hearts. Plitvice is unlike anywhere we have ever visited. The entire area is strikingly beautiful.  Plitvice lakes are a collection of limestone lakes connected by streams and waterfalls. Small paths meander through the small ponds and lakes giving a feeling of walking on water.

waterfall

The waterfalls of Plitvice Lakes

Visiting the area is a must for any visit to northern Croatia. You could easily get a feel for the lakes in a day. A stay of 3 days will allow you to take the longer hikes into some of the more remote sections which present unspeakable beauty and adventure. The rock formations and crystal clear water make for wonderful hues of blues, greens and turquoise. Wildlife is also abundant in the park. Due to the clarity of the water, all kinds of aquatic life are on full display. The park also offers views of birds, insects and all kinds of flora and fauna. We will let the pictures do the talking.

Croatia waterfall

The water colors of Plitvice Lakes.

ocean view hotel room

The view from our room on Rab Island.

Sun Soaking on Rab Island

Here’s a little hint to cost conscious couple travelers: the same sun, sand and surf you pay mega Euros for washes Croatia’s beaches at half the price! Its like paradise is on sale everyday! As we mentioned above, Croatia offers 1,185 islands, there must be one that fits your fancy? We chose the Isle of Rab for our sun seeking. The little island did not disappoint. Getting to Rab is half the adventure. Located half way between Pula and Split is this wonderful undiscovered gem. You must take a car ferry from the mainland port of Jablanac. It sails every half an hour or so, but check the sailing schedule in advance.

Rab offers a number of great little resorts that offer amenities that you would expect at any seaside stop. Fortunately, for the time being, none of the big chains have moved in, so you have a lovely selection of independent resort options. Time slows on the island. There are a number of beaches offering selections of sand or stone, secluded or swarming, as well as “clothing optional.” We didn’t go to one of the latter. Food options on the island are also surprisingly good. The main city is also called Rab and sports a number of good seafood options.

You should be able to rent a boat and motor around the island. This was our plan before visiting the island. We had everything arranged, then when we showed up to rent our boat, they had “lost” our reservation. We were bummed out. Just a reminder to check and double check reservations. If you do rent a boat, zing us the pictures, we want to know what we missed.

Do you ever have a couple travel question?  You can “Ask us Anything!”

Historic Pula

If you follow the Fighting Couple, you must know that we are students of history. One of our favorite spots to take in a collage of history is Pula, Croatia. Located on a seaside perch in the northeast corner of the country, Pula offers couple travelers with an eye to history a full plate!

roman colosseum

The Roman Arena of Pula.

A little background on Pula. It has been a resort community and important trading port literally since Neanderthal times! Early evidence of historic human like creatures has been found in nearby caves dating from nearly a million years ago. The area has yielded up many important artifacts from the Bronze age. In more recent times, the area has been ruled a chessboard of potentates: Romans, Germans, Byzantines, Charlemage, the Republic of Venice, the Holy Roman Empire, Napoleon, the Hapsburgs, Fascist Italy, the Americans (for a short time after WWII), Yugoslavia and then today’s government, the Republic of Croatia. Wow! Each one of these rulers left their mark on this city of 60,000. We challenge you to play historical bingo, attempt to find remnants of each of these in Pula. Good luck!

The highlight for our visit to Pula was the coliseum or as the locals call it the arena. It is one of six surviving roman coliseums in the world. Candidly, we like it better than its baby brother in Rome. One interesting fact, Mussolini attempted to dismantle the arena a move it to Italy. His plan fizzled due to lack of funds. We strongly recommend a visit early in the morning or in the late afternoon to avoid the hordes of “bus-people” that fill the stadium. We timed our visit and had the entire place nearly to ourselves. There is a small fee for entry, and an interesting museum underneath the seats that includes Roman era pottery.

So Much More

Anyone that is familiar with the country is likely screaming at their screen right now. They are cussing at us for leaving off places like: Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Zagreb. Sorry! We just haven’t made it that far south yet in our travels.  Croatia is a wonderful adventure for couple travel for sure.

Six reasons to skip Santorini for Samos

Spend any time on Pinterest and you are likely to stumble across a pictures of the blue domes and white sandy beaches of Santorini, Greece.  Wow, you are thinking.  That is where I must go.   We know it sounds a little preciouses to favor one Greek Island over another, but hey, you may only get to Greece once in a lifetime.  We want you to pick the right place for your couple’s getaway.  We want to introduce you to a Greek paradise you likely have never heard of: Samos.

Greek Island1) Small Island Slow

We elected to arrive in Samos as one should, on the water.  Our ferry motored into the small protected port of Vathy.  From the second that we set foot on the island, we felt the pace of life slow.  Take it from two driven type A nuts, this place is laid back.  Truly, that is what makes the island special.  Forget staying in a hotel, stay in a villa !

2) Visiting the Island will make you smarter!

One of the little known facts about the island paradise of Samos, is that it is the home to some of the greatest thinkers in history!  The great math genius Pythagoras, called Samos home.  While sunning himself on one of the sandy beaches, Pythagoras developed the Pythagorean Theorem.  The Theorem is important in ways, we just can’t remember from grade school.  The isle was also home to Epicurus, the astronomer that came up with the idea that the earth should revolve around the sun, and it has done so since then.    Just like Luci, Samos just goes to prove that you can be both smart and beautiful.

3) Samos Side trips

If it were ever possible, once you explored every inch of Samos Island, the options for exploration further afield are plentiful.  Take a regular scheduled ferry west for an hour and you can explore ancient world of the Ottoman empire.  Today Turkey offers more Roman ruins than Italy!   There are a number of islands within a short distance of Samos include Rhodes and Lesbos.

Samos Greece4) The Food-

The Greeks do a lot of things well:  Olympics, togas, and transport strikes.  Perhaps the best product to come out of Greece is the food.  Samos offers the foodie a virtual plethora of yummy victuals!  Due to is location just off Asia Minor is takes the very best of Ottoman and traditional Mediterranean cuisine.  How could you visit Greece without taking in the amazing fish and olives.

5)The Sun!

If you are a sunshine seeker, look no further than Samos.  The sun shines in on Samos 76% of the year!  Bask in the warm rays on one of the Island’s white sand or pebble beaches.  The Mediterranean sun is special.  It wraps around you and takes you in.   Samos has over a dozen pristine beaches, some remote and secluded, others right in the center of all the action.

6)The Heart of Samos-The people

We saved the very best of the Island for last, the people.   The Greeks have a word: Xenia, roughly translated it encapsulates friendship, welcome, and hospitality all into one.  From the second that we set foot on Samos we felt welcome.  People stopped and helped when we were a little lost.  We arrived at an eatery earlier than the posted opening, the proprietor engaged us in conversation and ordered the cook into early service.  Samos is one of the friendliest places out travels have taken us to.

Have questions about Samos or Santorini?  You can “Ask us Anything“.

Why not make up your own mind.  Visit both!  Have you been to Samos or Santorini?  What is your take on the two?  We would love to hear your feedback.  Just leave us a comment below.  See you on Samos Island!