5
Brilliant
Patrick
Jul 2022
We travel often and far, and we have been around the world and had amazing experiences. But our vacation on the Romanca, was truly unrivaled! Airline travel these days can be beyond hectic, and our vacation seemed to get off to the wrong start when the airline lost our luggage. Ivana (the local operator) and Andrea (owner of the Romanca) arranged a speedboat to take a passenger to get medication that had gone missing with the bags and PERSONALLY tracked our luggage down and had it hand-delivered to the boat as we were eating breakfast under sail. Additionally, a member of our party had a bicycle accident, and Marin (Romanca’s captain) was on location in minutes with the town’s doctor and sat with us through the process of going to the hospital and getting a few stitches, then offered to buy the injured person an ice cream, (because everyone knows when you get stitches, you get an ice cream). Despite our two mishaps, all 15 of our party fell madly in love with Croatia, the Adriatic, the local operator, and most specifically the Romanca and its crew. The Romanca is by far the prettiest wooden gullet on the Adriatic; you cannot help but share the pride of her crew as she sails into port. You can tie her up next to the largest, newest ship in any marina, and know you are the one privileged enough to call the Romanca home. Valentina and Mario knew everyone by name on the first morning and never forgot our food or drink preferences -- my latte was being made before I could sit at the Romanca’s massive table. Victor is a world class chef and a true artist who goes out of his way to please everyone. He woke up in the middle of the night to feed the three of us who waited for the doctor to finish his work on our patient, and we got a beautiful steak with rice and salad, totally unexpected and above and beyond. Ivan, the first mate, went out with several of our younger “sailors” (as per our request) when they wanted to go to a club at midnight. He watched over us and protected us like family, even at the sacrifice of his night’s sleep. And Marin navigated us through it all, recommending phenomonal wineries, restaurants, and excursions on the islands. I’m not prone to write reviews, or be loquacious, but for this trip, I must! These people are so special and amazing; they find a magical way of outshining the scenery. That said, Croatia and her islands are not to be missed, their beauty is unparalleled and the experience is unmatched. Do yourself a favor, spend a week on the Romanca... just don't book the weeks we want, we will be back!
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