Taking a sailing holiday as a family is something that has grown in popularity in recent years. Possibly the biggest reason for that is that every stage of such a holiday can now be booked online with very little stress or sweat involved.
That includes everything from selecting the place to visit to chartering a boat for duration of your trip. It can all be done very simply using the internet these days and the prices are a whole lot more reasonable than might be expected.
That just leaves you to decide where to go and what boat to take. Here we will look at why you should consider sailing around Croatia on a Catamaran.
Family holidays in Croatia
Set on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, Croatia is one of the smaller European countries and is comparatively undiscovered by the tourist trade compared with many others. It is referred to by the people who live there as “our beautiful homeland” though and once you have visited you will not find that motto hard to understand.
The country presents a particularly fine holiday prospect for families because there is something to please everyone there. Croatia has nightlife and historic sights to delight any adult visitors as well as numerous national parks and outdoor activities that will allow the kids to burn off their energy.
Exploring Croatia by boat
The single biggest reason to opt for a sailing holiday in Croatia is that you will not be restricted to one place. Chartering a boat means that you can explore much more of what the country has to offer, moving on at your own pace whenever you are ready. You can now quickly and easily charter a catamaran from Borrowaboat, a site that have a wide range of Catamaran boats to choose from while on your travels around Croatia.
The water surrounding Croatia is clean and clear as crystal and there are plenty of little islands that can only really be experienced properly on a boating holiday. These include Brac, with its white stone buildings, the scenic Maslinica and Hvar, which offers glorious food and wine that can be enjoyed while you bathe in its summer sunshine.
Of course, the mainland of Croatia also has plenty to offer families and taking a boat means that you can sample as much of it as you want. If you are looking for some after dark fun once the children are in bed, Hvar town is known as the Ibiza of Croatia for its nightlife revels.
Entertainment that is more child-friendly can be found on Paradise Beach. While some Croatian beaches are rather rocky, this one is very sandy and will allow the children to swim in the warm sea or build sandcastles.
The country is also home to several national parks that the whole family will relish exploring for the day.
Mljet National Park is the only coastal one and can be found if you sail to the island of the same name. Alternatively, if you want to dock the boat and go inland for a while, there are seven to be found scattered throughout mainland Croatia.
All of these boast lakes, rivers and waterfalls that the family can dive into, alongside canyons and mountains that can be climbed by those who are adventurous – and fit – enough! Croatia is generally blessed with beautiful weather during the summer, so it is likely that you will want to get outside as much as possible during your family holiday there.
It is a country of fascinating sights like the Museum of the Krapina Neanderthal that is full of fascinating technology-based exhibitions detailing the birth of humanity. Its interactive, cutting-edge displays will delight children of all ages.
The sort of boat to take to Croatia
As you can see, there are plenty of good reasons to take your family on that sailing holiday to Croatia, but that still leaves the question of what sort of boat to charter. There is no shortage of boat types available, but a Catamaran offers many advantages.
One of the biggest of these when sailing with small children is that a Catamaran does not heel, unlike other boat types such as Monohulls. Heeling means when the boat tips to one side or the other, either due to wind in its sails or weight, and it will greatly increase the likelihood of seasickness in children or anyone who is not that familiar with the water.
The luxury that a Catamaran provides compared with other boats is another major argument in its favour. The size means that the cabins are apart from each other, affording a lot more privacy than other types of boats – which is essential if you have teenagers in tow.
Many Catamarans also offer clear separation between sailing and relaxing sections, so the family can sunbathe or lounge on board away from any crew that are helping to sail the boat.
Croatia is beautiful and there is no finer way to find that out than by taking a relaxing sailing holiday there with your family.
It will let you explore the peaceful islands off the coast, swim in the blue Adriatic Sea and stop off at points of interest.
