Where to Eat:
The grilled seafood platter we shared at the casual outdoor garden of Café Monika was a culinary masterpiece. The platter was about 2 ft. long and arrived overflowing with scampi, mussel, eel, squid, sardine, sea bass, and scorpion fish that tasted like they had been swimming in the pristine Adriatic only minutes earlier. We had farm-fresh sides of spinach, fava beans, and swiss chard mashed with potatoes, with just a drizzle of the fragrant local olive oil. Out of curiosity, we ordered “hot chutney salad’’ and were handed a dish of spicy red pepper sauce that provided a little zip. Dalmatian Pošip, a pleasant southern white wine, paired beautifully with the seafood.
The Perfect Guide:
Ante Batarelo is a superb guide who covers the whole Dalmatian region. He’s an independent who has worked with the most demanding high-end tour companies. Usually my eyes glaze over after the first 20 minutes of historical background, but Ante’s enthusiasm and humor, peppered with fun tidbits of Croatian trivia, brought it all to life.
Email:[email protected]
How to get there:
The #37 bus runs about every half hour to Split and takes 30-40 minutes. Trogir is only 5 km from the Split airport.
Idea:
Many tourists stop here for a quick visit en route to the airport or their hotel in Split. But a most pleasant alternative would be to go against the grain and use Trogir as your home-base for exploring Split and island-hopping along the coast.
We are planning to go to Croatia in early fall. I would like to contact the guide
you mentioned, but have not really worked with an independent before. How
would you suggest I start with him to see if he works out? And, is the
fee structure set in stone? Also, does one “tip” a private guide or is it
an all inclusive single fee?
Thanks!
Suni
Hi Suni,
I would suggest that you email Ante well in advance of your trip and tell him exactly what you are looking for and what your interests are: hiking, history, culinary tour etc. Or you could simply tell him how many days you have and ask for his suggestions. I’m sure you could arrange a price that is acceptable to both of you.
If you’re not sure about working with an independent, you could hire him for an afternoon and see how that works out, ( although he might already be booked if you decide you want to keep him longer) and you could certainly ask to email others who have used him and contact them about their experience.
Tipping is always welcome for excellent service.