Posted by Arriving by Ferry from Dubrovnik after a very picturesque journey via Mijet to find the Maskarani Festival about to get started was an absolute delight. Hundreds of people dressed in an amazing array of costumes ready to parade and right in the middle our own Jazzy looking stunning in her butterfly outfit.
We spent plenty of time wandering around the dressed up folks before the parade began which allowed us to see it all go by in various spots along the route before it finished up in the centre of town.
The Marendin cafe was our first meal stop in Korcula and fortunatley they served the wonderful GRK wine and we had a fun filled night with Terese, Clive and Jasmine and our new friend the cafe owner who saw us coming a mile away and got us sucked into the Tapas and Sljivovica Plum/cherry liquor
Being back in Korcula town was so great as the vibe of the people and place really made us feel at home and particularly as we were staying at Villa Jade again just 2km from the centre of town and right on the beach at Medvinjak where we swam every day.
We hired a car and were able to really get around the island easy and with our built-in guide Terese we felt more like locals every day. First stop was the BIRE winery where we sampled all the GRK wines and picked up a few to travel with and then it was time for a swim at Lumbarda beach with the masses before lunch at The Maestral Caffe in Lumbarda town.
The next day we picked up the boat which we were having for three days and headed out to the small islands to the East past Otok Badija, the Deer park and old Monastery island and stopped off for a swim at Otok Sutvara before stopping for lunch at the tiny Otok Vela Stupa and enjoying an amazing meal at the restaurant there.
It was such a perfect day and Ann survived her Vertigo which made it all the better. The waters were just as amazing as we remembered and the colours never fail to tantalise.
The Island Stupe restaurant was crazy expensive but so worth the experience, it even had a water swing and beach so with great food, unbelievable location, a casual atmosphere and swimming all round, what more could you ask for.
We were fortunate that we had caught up with our friends Andrew and Melinda Blake at a wedding the weekend before we left and discovered we were both going to be in Korcula at the same time. So it was perfect to catch up for a fabulous meal at Restaurant Filippi on the walls of the Old Town on a perfect night with such a beautiful setting.
Our second day with the boat saw us head west to Zrnovska Banja and then onto Vela Vrbovica for our first anchor drop and a swim. But before we knew it a near disaster struck when Clive decided to swim a shore and climbed up onto a jetty and subsequently slipped on slippery wet concrete and cracked his head on a step. as you can se below he survived without too much damage after we rushed back to take him to hospital and he was declared silly but lucky by the fantastic doctors at the Tourist clinic at the Hospital. a bandage and a gauze skull cap and off he went to bed to rest.
In the afternoon John, Terese and Jasmine took the boat out for a rip roaring run out to the open water between Korcula island and the ithsmus of Orebic to Kuciste where the kite and windsurfers dominate the bay. The shore is very much unchanged and much more sedate than other parts of Croatia so it was nice to experience the slower pace.
We had heard of a fantastic Knoba that Rick Stien had raved about where he ate the bast lamb ever so we booked ahead and set out to Pupnat in the centre of the Island to the Knoba Mate to partake in said Lamb and other delights. The restaurant is family run and they are now run off their feet with tour buses and the like coming every day and for good reason.
We always love just wandering around the old town and so we would wander in as often as we could and do a bit of shopping and dining.
The last day with the boat was our biggest venture and we headed east again towards Racisce as our lunch destination. Our first stop was into the bay where Terese’s family have a number of blocks and her cousin has a lovely little cottage right on the beach. The little bay was just delightful some anchored and had a beautiful swim.
We went along the coast dropping into Kneza Bay and then along the edge of the rocks to Racisce where we anchored off the beach after offloading the crew. The town is a real delight and has a lovely beach outside the Harbour as well. We enjoyed a nice meal at the main restaurant in town and then after a wander around town we headed off back along the coast for a final swim at Zrnovska Banja Bay before dropping everyone of at Medvinjak so that i could take the boast back to the Marina. It was great having a powerful 150hp rubber ducky boat as it really gave us great versitility and space.
That night we had booked into the Knoba Maha which was located on a ranch in the hills and it really delivered on quality, food, drinks and abundant atmosphere. The sage flavoured Gin Fizz cocktail was a great way to start the dinner and that was followed by a fabulous meal.
The atmosphere of this place will always neb with us and every moment we spent in Korcula was delightful
Korcula Town looks great from every angle and this view from the top of the hill is our favourite.
Our last day on the island was spent venturing further west by car this time via Smokvica and the Posip wine regions of Cara and then down to the coast via Brand then along the cliffs to our swim spot of Priscapac where we enjoyed headland environment before lunching at Danny’s Riva1 at Prizba. we had a swim there and then headed to the big town of Blato before heading back to Korcula town.
As Terese’s family come from Zrnovo we dropped in to see her mums old house and found some really memorable photos and even her mums identity card from the Nazi occupation in 1944. Ann & Terese took great joy in the Ave Maria Grotto and we wandered around the very quiet old town for a while
Our last night we enjoyed a meal at the Marco Polo restuarant and then a few drinks at the Cinci Culjak bar on the old town walls whilst listening to a great live band under the stunning star filled blue sky
Before getting on board the ferry we had lunch at an really good asian restaurants and had a stroll around parts of town we had not been to.
