I’ve never understood friends who go back to the same place on holiday year after year.
We have so little time, and the world is so big; why go back again and again?
I’m not talking weekend retreats or holiday cabins, or even a week-long timeshare. I’m talking the big 2-3-week annual holiday.
But after gate-crashing my cousin’s annual trip to Bibinje, I am beginning to appreciate the why.
The beach is about 100 metres from their front door.
Croatia doesn’t do sand. The beaches are pebbly, but we know that, so we go prepared. What I loved about Bibinje is that the water is mere steps from the sun lounger and once you’re in, you’re waist-deep in no time. No long walks over hot sand to the edge of the water and then more wading until you’re deep enough to swim.
I don’t do sunbathing any more. My tanning days are behind me. But I lathered on the factor 50 and enjoyed a few hours by the water, knowing I could get wet without effort any time.
Lunch was on the apartment balcony. Dinner was down in the town – a 20-minute walk.
Bibinje has 4 km of coastline, and you can pretty much walk it all. It has cafés, bars, and restaurants. Some interesting churches. A fascinating cemetery. A couple of marinas. And the food is amazing.
Both mornings, we walked downtown for coffee and watched the steady stream of holidaymakers make their way to the closest beach. I heard some Hungarian, some Italian, some German, and lots of Croat.
On the drive over, I’d spotted license plates from 20 countries. Croatia draws a crowd.
Evenings by the coast are picture perfect. The town is very walkable and well lit. There we were, in July, peak season, and we still had room to move around. Just the right number of people.
It’s the perfect base for exploring nearby Zadar or heading down the coast to Split or Dubrovnik. There are ferries to some of the islands. You can even hire a boat and take off yourself. Himself hired a bike and cycled into Zadar for the day.
Me? I was happy by the sea.
I’m at my happiest when I’m near salt water. And I could think of worse places to be.
Half a million would buy me a house with a pool only 70 m from the water.
Note to self to buy a lotto ticket.
