A Dalmatian Dream — Winnie Van

I remember being mortified the first time I saw a rocky beach in Europe. How are you meant to lie down and tan on rocks and pebbles? Will I have to wear those funny looking water shoes to go swimming? It all seemed so … terribly uncomfortable!

Fast track a few years and I realise that it was extremely naive to assume the rest of the world had white sandy beaches like Australia. Now I have even warmed up to the idea of rocky beaches - especially when it means no sand in all of your belongings for days afterwards.

On our final morning in Dubrovnik, we went for a dip at an undisturbed rocky beach along one of the winding roads in Lapad. Lapad is the newer bay area of Dubrovnik with many beaches (tick! both sandy and rocky ones too!) and resort style accommodation (tick!).

The Adriatic Sea seemed to sparkle in fifty shades of azure and with such a beautiful backdrop, I couldn’t resist taking a few cheeky snaps in between our swim.

I also wanted to make a quick note about where we stayed in Dubrovnik - a charming B&B on the hilltops of Lapad (Apartments Maslać, Dubravkina 11, Lapad, Dubrovnik - 60 Euro per room per night).

Our trip was hopelessly disorganised - we were literally googling accommodation options whilst driving down the coastal road en route to Dubrovnik. Luckily, Dalmatians are very laid-back with their businesses and it was unusually easy to book last minute accommodation in August (the busiest time of year to visit).

We were a little unsure about whether to stay in either the Old Town or Lapad but both areas are easily accessible to each other by bus and either are great to stay in. At twilight, the boulevard in Lapad really comes to life with flocks of tourists in search for dinner and drinks.

From our room, we woke up to sweeping views of the bay area ...