Makarska 2010

Makarska has earned it’s prominence as a special city along the Dalmatian coast. I was raised in Colorado and worked one summer in a lovely little mountain town called Estes Park.

It is nestled in the mountains surrounded by natural beauty, but it also a “tourist trap” in the most affectionate sense of the word. Makarska is the same—a fun, touristy city in a beautiful nook of the Dalmatian coast.

There is a “flea market” feel to the little shops, food stands, and restaurants that line the promenade; there are hundreds of beds and breakfasts and motels; yet it maintains it’s village feel.

It is especially suited for families with multiple play areas, including a water slide; and you see many families enjoying the city.

And it is also better suited for wheel chairs than many locations in Croatia.

We enjoyed this sunset while eating supper at one of the many seaside restaurants.

EATING IN MAKARSKA

It’s hard to choose a restaurant along the promenade--there are so many! And most of them serve similar dishes in a similar range of prices.

Gajeta Restaurant

We tried Gajeta on the far north side of the promenade. It was not necessarily the most attractive restaurant, but the food was really outstanding. I ordered the Wiener Schnitzel and it came as two large, thin hand-breaded cutlets fried to perfection with slender crunchy French fries. My husband’s mixed grill contained a pork chop, sausage, spicy hamburger patty, a skewer of pork chucks, a hot dog type sausage, all grilled to perfection and also served with crunchy fries. With a beer and beverages, it was about 160 kuna.

Wonderful Crepe-like dessert pancakes
These traditional pancakes, similar to French crepes are a traditional Balkan food available in restaurants as dessert. But the best way to try one is in one of the small booths along the promenade.

At these booths they are huge, made to order, and only 10 kuna (about $2) which includes your choice of sweet topping. I had cherry and my husband had chocolate with coconut.

Ankora Restaurant

We were full from our afternoon crepes, so we shared a lasagne and fresh mozarella salad at the Ankora restaurant. The salad was excellent with a basalmic dressing and arugula. The lasagne was nothing unusual, but the atmosphere of the Ankora is definitely worth a visit. Rod iron work and wooden benches give it a romantic flavor as does the view of the sea. Our meal with mineral water and a beer was 109 kuna.

Maritimo Hotel

We stayed at the Maritimo located right on the sea promenade. The room was small, but modern, clean, and pleasant.  Internet is an additional charge, which by the hour can be expensive, but if you stay long enough to buy 10 hours or more, it is reasonable.  They have a small parking garage beneath the hotel, making it very convenient, and there is no additional charge for parking.  The staff speak English and they are friendly and helpful.  We would definitely stay again.  We booked through booking.com almost 6 months in advance, and we paid about 100 euros a night including all additional fees/internet.