Zagreb - Rijeka - Opatija

Opatija (Oh-pah-tee-ya) is quaint ancient resort area, well preserved with minimal touristy kitsch. You can't really look anywhere without feeling relaxed. It is on the expansive Kvarner Bay, which really isn't a bay by American standards, more like a peaceful blue ocean (no waves) surrounded by majestic mountains and wooded islands. In a way it is not an ocean by American standards either, because the water is crystal clear and fish are easily sighted on your strolls. Don't expect classic beaches, the bay is treated like a giant swimming pool so you can access it by walking down little ladders from the expansive Lungomare...that's an old, stone boardwalk that snakes around the coast. Walking along the Lungomare itself is a delight, I never found the end of it. On your walk you'll find a few pebble beaches, but don't expect sand. Opatija is favored by Croatians and Germans, so don't expect everyone to speak English, but you can get by as a lot of Croatians speak basic English. A tip: before you go, learn to read and pronounce Croatian. The alphabet is simple, one letter makes one sound, no tricks, and you can use Google translator to translate what you'd like to say. The translator's grammar is poor I was told told but I was able to get my point across in a pinch and I got a lot of friendly responses for making the effort. A warning to Americans, our hotel catered to Croatians, so my American taste for air conditioning when the room temp went above 78 went neglected. We left the windows open to our stunning view and there were no screens. This left us open to attack one night by a gigantic wasp-like creature with bee-like markings. He would not leave and was therefore killed. Hopefully not a nationally protected wasp-bee. The moral of the story is: make sure your hotel suits you before going...that's true everywhere of course. That said, staff was friendly and helpful and service was good except for one staff member who was clearly complaining on the phone about an "Americki" who was asking fro a cooler room temperature (um..that was me). Oh, and take a walk through the Angiolina park, the foliage in Croatia is almost prehistoric...think palm-like trees snuggled up against tall skinny pine trees, giant aloes and bamboo along with some well sculpted gardens...this park gives you a very concentrated way to see it all. The food! Not bad at all. Seafood of course, pasta, pork, fresh vegetables and truffles (they are harvested locally) and a conspicuous lack of takeout and junk food in general. Plenty of gelato and cappuccino to be had as there is a blended Italian influence along with the Eastern European vibe. Plenty of casual to high-end eateries. And remember to ask for the check, it will never be brought to you because you can stay as long as you'd like! Finally, safety concerns. Aside from the bee-wasp, none. Very safe-feeling country with delicious water out of any sink, excellent roads and infrastructure and an obvious police presence. Only thing that made me sad was the occasionally pocket of graffitti marring the overall beauty of this exotic EU member country.

The car was nice and clean. Anto was very nice and friendly. Excellent service. He took us to a beach near Opatija, after the tour, then stopped by at a wine store on the way back, as we wanted to buy a bottle of wine... I definitely recommend the service. One caveat is that he needs to provide more information about the places. I would recommend getting a local guide or just read in advance (like we did) to know exactly where you want to go and what you want to do.

We were picked up by Anto in Zagreb and drove to Rieka, where we visited the old castle and then to Opatia, where we walked along the Lango Mare, looked at the old villas, and then had a nice lunch at the Veranda restaurant ( on our own). Anto was very polite and friendly. He also drove us to the Beach where we got a quick dip in the Adriatic. Overall, it was a very pleasant experience.