Vodice Revisited In 2009

Hemmed in by drifts of snow in England, our Croatia summer tour of 2009 seems even further away! The thought of a swim in a warm sea provides great motivation to catch up on the trip on Croatia Online.  We’ve covered a number of subjects in earlier postings, and updates on Tribunj, Biograd, and Seget. Now it’s Vodice’s turn.

Vodice is the next town on from Šibenik as you head towards Zadar. A classic Croatian tourist town, with plenty going on and several large hotels, it’s a one hour’s walk from the altogether quieter town of Tribunj (see Croatia Online - Tribunj Revisited).

Many of the hotels have been painstakingly renovated with Hotel Punta providing a slightly more secluded 4 star option than the larger and arguably smarter but more family holiday orientated  Hotel Olympia. Both of these are former Yugoslavian package holiday destinations so it’s good to see that there’s still room for some entrepreneurial initiative in the form of the newly built Villa Radin, just next to Punta.

This 4 star, 12 room hotel is open in summer and maybe outside the season for conferences. The first thing that strikes you is the lush green grass, amidst which is a terrace and a path leading to the outdoor swimming pool, and then the sea. Radin also takes its food very seriously – creative cuisine and gastro illusions are frequently mentioned and the menu is, by Dalmatian standards, very imaginative, thanks to a chef from Zagreb. All in all, Villa Radin makes a refreshing change from its larger neighbours and was already fully booked when we visited.

There’s no shortage of restaurants and bars in Vodice too. The Hookah bar, in the Olympia Hotel Complex, is a good place for after beach entertainment, and if you want to get away from the beach bustle for dinner in the evening, head towards Santa Maria restaurant, a short walk from the sea front. Here you’ll find food with a Mexican twist and an ambience that reflects the eccentric and artistic nature of its owner!

Vodice has the nightlife too. Hacienda, on the main road just outside the centre of town, has a national if not international reputation, and there are two clubs in the same building on the sea front, by the ACI Marina