TRAVELER REVIEWS

There's no better way to learn what a trip is like than from the firsthand experiences of your fellow travelers, and our Traveler Reviews are the real deal—unbiased and unedited—giving you an honest appraisal of the experiences that await you on this trip.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

This was the perfect trip. Tour director Zoren was excellent plus. Every detail was well planned and well executed. La Perla was very comfortable with an excellent staff. Local tour guides were clearly articulate and knowledgeable. The Cultural Connections were icing on the cake. In no other way could travelers have experienced the home meals, farm visits, local entertainment, etc. All were wonderful. The pre and post extensions were also very much worth experiencing. My only complaint is that the journey had to end.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

We had a great time on this trip. The pre-extension to Lake Bled is well worth the money -- the hotel was great, the lake is beautiful, and the side trips are wonderful. The small ship experience is wonderful. We only had 20 (of 26 available) travelers on our tour and it seemed a good number. Plenty of time to get to know each. The food was wonderful, the drinks were plentiful, and the crew fantastic. If you get the chance to travel with Darko - take it. He was the BEST tour director we've ever had!

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

Our August, 2019 Vantage trip to Croatia was an outstanding experience. Our tour director, Djukan Djukanovic, was exceptional. He took care of every detail, brought the group together and expressed a true love and knowledge of the region. We have traveled with Vantage 9 times and we feel this was the most memorable as we were truly immersed in the area. We learned about the interesting history of the area, the lectures provided insight into the people, our interaction with the people on the home visits and winery visits gave one on one contact with the beautiful people, and our itinerary provided a picture of the entire country. The balance of history, geography, culture, government and the arts truly provided an interesting enjoyable trip. This is an area one can only explore on a trip like Vantage offers.
The La Perla crew made our trip complete. They, like Djukan, attended to our every need and suggestion. The owner of the yacht was on our cruise and provided a quality experience that could not be achieved on a larger ship.
The carefully selected itinerary and each city guide provided special insight into the hearts and minds of these great people of Croatia. They were at war just 25 years ago and have since rebuilt an efficient, beautiful country.
We urge all of our friends to take this trip with Vantage. We hated to leave and long to return, especially if Djukan could again be our guide.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

I loved this trip, and our tour guide Tomaslav Bukovsek was fantastic.
His planning was thorough and he personally connected to each traveler and secured our trust and always made us feel comfortable and always at ease.
He was always one step ahead of all the tour guides and made it easier when arriving at our destinations.
The ship La Perla was terrific and the staff were very friendly and the food was great
and we always new what to expect as Tomasev explained the days events and gave us even more detailed descriptions as he was always available.
The choice of destinations and stops ON THE BOAT were carefully planned by Vantage and it was interesting and beautiful
The guides provided were knowledgable. and and interesting and I enjoyed having planned meals with families in Croatia and Slovenia.
The bus part of the trip went easy and the bus driver was very skilled and made us feel at ease considering the narrow roads
I thought that the hotels chosen were first class and a good choice on this trip.
All in all it was a very enjoyable trip.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

I loved this trip, and our tour guide Tomaslav Bukovsek was fantastic.
His planning was thorough and he personally connected to each traveler and secured our trust and always made us feel comfortable and always at ease.
He was always one step ahead of all the tour guides and made it easier when arriving at our destinations.
The ship La Perla was terrific and the staff were very friendly and the food was great
and we always new what to expect as Tomasev explained the days events and gave us even more detailed descriptions as he was always available.
The choice of destinations and stops ON THE BOAT were carefully planned by Vantage and it was interesting and beautiful
The guides provided were knowledgable. and and interesting and I enjoyed having planned meals with families in Croatia and Slovenia.
The bus part of the trip went easy and the bus driver was very skilled and made us feel at ease considering the narrow roads
I thought that the hotels chosen were first class and a good choice on this trip.
All in all it was a very enjoyable trip.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

I loved this trip, and our tour guide Tomaslav Bukovsek was fantastic.
His planning was thorough and he personally connected to each traveler and secured our trust and always made us feel comfortable and always at ease.
He was always one step ahead of all the tour guides and made it easier when arriving at our destinations.
The ship La Perla was terrific and the staff were very friendly and the food was great
and we always new what to expect as Tomasev explained the days events and gave us even more detailed descriptions as he was always available.
The choice of destinations and stops ON THE BOAT were carefully planned by Vantage and it was interesting and beautiful
The guides provided were knowledgable. and and interesting and I enjoyed having planned meals with families in Croatia and Slovenia.
The bus part of the trip went easy and the bus driver was very skilled and made us feel at ease considering the narrow roads
I thought that the hotels chosen were first class and a good choice on this trip.
All in all it was a very enjoyable trip.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

Ann and I want to commend all who supported us on the wet and windy trip to Croatia ----the weather created a very special way to remember the travel ---sights ---food---people --Zoran our director always was with a special way to deal with changes and make every part of the adventure successful and memorable ----our ship and crew were more than excellent which made it very comfortable and added food to the tastes of every one Thanks to all and will and already have shared out trip with many others since returning home --------Ann and Pat Canary Again Thanks to Zoran ----- also a thanks to Sabrina for her help in getting our pretrip set up ---A great help and service

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

absolutely the best cruise itinerary and an outstanding tour guide. Vilium handled every situation with extraordinary adeptness. With a small group that grew close, he assisted every one of us with compassion. He made the excursions educational and fun no matter where we were welcomed. The combination of coastal cruise and interior tour allowed us to get an excellent overview of Croatia. We hope to return in the future.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

This was our favorite trip of all the 4 Vantage trips we've taken so far. La Perla is a nice small ship with decent size rooms, a great staff that included the ship's owner (Ante), excellent food, great tours and local guides, some of the most spectacular scenery one can imagine, wonderful hotels, and the best tour director we've ever had in Darko. He had an excellent sense of humor, was extremely knowledgeable and was very attentive to all our needs. Croatia has finally been discovered by Americans (tourism from the USA jumped five-fold over the past two years) and this small ship cruise is the best way I can think of to find out why. Highlights for us were the towns of Sibenik, Split, Opatija and Rovinj.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

This trip far exceeded our expectations. We highly recommend doing the trip starting in Zagreb and ending in Dubrovnik. This way you get to know your travel companions as you tour through the country, by the time you are rewarded by staying on LaPerla you’re comfortable with each other and can really relax and enjoy each other company. Our tour director Stefan was beyond knowledgeable and a great leader, he made the journey so interesting by sharing his passion for the region. The hotels on the tour are five star, very comfortable and elegant. And LaPerla was delightful! Not pretentious, very comfortable and intimate. We were especially honored to have the owners of the boat join us on our cruise, which added so much to learning the history of LaPerla. Being vegetarian we thought we may have trouble with meals but Vantage was very accommodating. There was always a fish or vegetarian option, and once onboard the yacht of course the fresh fish was a real treat. I just cannot recommend this tour enough. My only complaint, and a slight one at that, would be for Vantage to work more time in the schedule for swimming and enjoying the quiet coves while on LaPerla. Thank you Vantage for a lovely 40th anniversary trip!

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

What a fantastic adventure. We wouldn’t change 1 thing. More than we hoped for in every way. Alan, our director, was so capable, knowledgeable, prompt, concerned, and great fun. Our entire group was so very grateful for his able leadership and warmth. He is certainly #1 in our books as were the staff and owners of LaPerla.

We would love another trip on that size ship. We did see one offered in Spain, but cannot find it in the book now.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

This is a fantastic trip. La Perla was a wonderful base for the first week of the trip along the beautiful Adriatic coast. The crew couldn't have been more helpful, and accommodations and food were perfect. Zoran was an exceptional guide throughout an exciting and interesting travel adventure.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

I've traveled all over the world through Europe, Turkey, Hong Kong and this was by far the best trip I've ever taken! I fell in love with Croatia and her people. Vantage did an incredible job of planning an enjoyable and educational trip and I would do it again tomorrow! Be sure to ask for Tomas as your travel guide as he absolutely made the trip for me!!!!!

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

Thanks, one of the best trips we have had. Great tour guide and boat. Croatia was a beautiful country to see. We enjoyed all tours , hotels and extended trip to Montenegro. Everything went great and good flights,

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

Our group loved Croatia; it a beautiful country. The tour was fantastic largely because of our Tour Director Zoran Antonic. We experienced the coastal cities, the Croatian Riviera, and the continental areas.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

The itinerary and the cruise director, La Perla and its crew and especially the cruise director were excellent.
The food on board and everywhere it was provided was first-rate. The cabin was cramped with too few outlets for recharging camera batteries, computer and phones for 2 of us. It would have been nice to have a few more hooks in the bathroom - there were 2 I could not reach. The hotels in Opatije and Zagreb were very good with excellent breakfasts and location. Borut's knowledge of history, his sense of humor and relaxed manner made this a most enjoyable, informative trip. Our group was very congenial too.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

Our Tour Director, Zoran, was outstanding. Very knowledgeable, conscientious, concerned about the smallest detail and opinion plus funny. Would travel with him in a heartbeat. LaPerla was wonderful. Hotels and food excellent. A very friendly, clean country with an interesting history.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

Ivan was very professional, knowledgeable and fun person. He was always ready to help anybody on the ship with their problems.
His historical knowledge was fantastic and his sense of humor carried throughout the trip. The ship's service was excellent, especially the 2 waiters who worked tirelessly.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

STEFAN WAS EXCELLENT. MANAGING SO MANY MOVING PARTS AND PEOPLE IS NOT EASY. BUT, HE DID IT WITH ALWAYS A SMILE AND A FIX IF NEEDED. I WOULD TRAVEL WITH STEFAN AND VANTAGE AGAIN. THE REST OF THE CREW WAS ALSO ACCOMMODATING AND EXCELLENT INCLUDING OUR BUS DRIVERS AND LOCAL GUIDES.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic Coast

This was an outstanding and memorable trip!
Many thanks to our Tour Director Ivan Marcovich Ribich whose knowledge of his country both present and past made this country come alive in our hearts. Thanks to Luka (owner of La Perla ) and Captain Matko for going above and beyond to get us on our way. Also all of the staff on board were warm, friendly and efficient.
We would highly recommend this trip to our friends and anyone who would be interested .
Thank you to all of those people involved for making us feel so at home and welcome in your beautiful country.
Sincerely
Anne & Paul Dedumets

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

This was my fourth Vantage trip and my favorite! Croatia was a beautiful country. Each day had something special to offer. I would have liked more cruising time on La Perla.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

Croatia and the Pearls of the Adriatic was fantastic! The pre-trip extension to Montenegro was a great way to start the trip. The accommodations, including La Perla, were wonderful, and the customer service throughout the trip was fantastic. The tour guide was knowledgeable and helpful, and the local guides were full of information and enthusiastic.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

Only one word can explain this magnificent trip and that word is...... beautiful. I would certainly recommend this trip to all who want a perfect overseas vacation.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

If you haven't been to Croatia - - GO!

Everything about the Croatian coast from Opatija to Dubrovnik far exceeds anything you would find on Italy's Amalfi Coast or the French Rivera. The country is unspoiled, clean, and safe with lots of history to see. Cities and towns are in fine condition, beaches abound (although rocky), and the people are the friendliest in the world. We have never seen such clean sea water and no air pollution. It's impressive the Croatians have been able to rebuild their country after the Croatian War of Independence from 1990 - 1995.

Wonder about food and wine, well it too is extraordinary. They don't export their wine because they drink it there!

Our trip on the 28 passenger La Perla was incredible. Their staff of waiters, bar tenders, cabin housekeepers, deck crew, and Captain was well worth the long flight over from the US of this 12 day trip. The owner of La Perla, Luka Bubalo, is so proud of his ship that he had his father accompany us to make sure everything went smoothly.

We had an knowledgeable outstanding Tour/Cruise Director, Tomislav Bukovsek, who went over and above, taking extra effort to make sure everyone was happy. Before the sea portion of the trip, we spent 2 days in Opatija in a sea side hotel that offered affordable fine food and drink. At the end of the trip, we spent 2 days in the Croatian capital of Zagreb.

Definitely put this area of the world on your "bucket list". Ken and Susan

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

This was a fantastic tour. Enjoyed so much more than my anticipation

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

By far the best trip we have taken Vantage

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

Borut was the most informative, knowledgeable tour guild we have ever met. Kudo's to you for having him join your team! Our travels with him and on La Perla deserve more than a five star rating.

Croatia & the Pearls of the Adriatic

We took the Slovenia pre-trip, which is well-worth the extra money. Borut was a wonderful trip director; the scenery was magnificent, and the lodgings and food top-class.

The main tour was equally wonderful, with well-planned logistics and interesting activities. We were bothered by more rain than expected, but Ned, our cruise director, worked very skillfully to minimize the impacts on us.
Our ship, La Perla, was well-manned by friendly and accommodating staff. We enjoyed our daily interactions with the Owner, the Captain and the rest of the Crew.

Highly recommend, but I might suggest going a bit later in the season (late May to early June), although you risk having larger crowds esp. in Dubrovnik.

Croatia & Venice: Pearls of the Adriatic

This was a wonderful trip - Croatia is a beautiful country, and seeing it with a small group on this ship was the perfect way to travel. The cabins are a little small, but well designed. I had a deluxe room for one, and two large people would find the beds a bit small. The food was ok. There were two selections for each meal. This may improve as this was only the second sailing. There was an hour or so tour at the beginning of each port. Some of these ports were pretty small and a short orientation by the tour director would have been sufficient in my opinion. We had an extremely good and knowledgeable tour guide. He was also a great person who went out of his way to make the trip enjoyable. Swimming off the boat was also a great experience in the beautiful, clear water. Wish we had done more of it. I would definitely recommend this trip.