re: Croatia

We liked it. Favorite of our trip, though the first hotel was a communist government hotel at Plitvice. The second one was a neat heritage hotel in Split (Hotel Vestibul Palace) but you don't get grand views in a place like that.

The concrete "beach" platform they have is great. I hate sand!

I stayed in a Villa Odak Deluxe Room with seaview and terrace. My only complaint was there is a "walkway" in front of your terrace that guests in neighboring rooms and staff use, so don't expect privacy from the outside if your French doors are open.

So no boom boom looking at the ocean if that's your idea in that room

Speaking of nice hotels and Hvar. Palace Elisabeth looks awesome, if wanting something less resorty.

If anyone drives there are a bunch of cool small beaches along the coast between Split and Dubrovnik. Very pretty drive. We stopped at Plaza Duba. The town of Omis is a cool stop as well. I had a nifty little stick shift Skoda. I asked for automatic but I drove a stick for years but if you haven't, be prepared for that. I didn't push back since it wasn't a problem for me, but no idea if they had any autos.