We took the ferry from Ancona in Italy to Split. It was an overnight journey and we bought the cheapest ticket possible, which mean sleeping outdoors on the hard, iron deck. The stars was wonderful, but the sound of the engine running and the cold, hard floor not so great! We arrived at Split in the morning and hopped straight onto a ferry to Hvar.

Hvar is a gorgeous place full of gorgeous people and is by far Croatia's swankiest island. There are trendy bars galore and you can play "spot the millionnaire" (not a very tough game here) along the harborside where all the yachts moor. You should definitely go hiking or mountain biking on Hvar. The island has a lovely, rugged landscape of lavender fields and vineyards.

Legend has it that Marco Polo (1254 - 1324) the famous world-traveller was born in Korcula. Much of the island is probably still recognisable too from those days. Korcula is quieter by far than Hvar, but is has a lovely town (that looks like a mini-Dubrovnik) and some really stunning bays where you can swim in crystal-clear water (in fact, all of the water in Croatia is crystal clear, it incredible). Some of Croatia's best wines are produced in Korcula, especially desert wines, so make sure you stop off for a night or two!! If you do spend the night here, check out Bar Massimo in Zakerjan Tower at the western edge of Korcula Old Town. It's very cool and if you scale the ladder to the top you'll feel like Rapunzel! You should also do a day trip (or go and stay overnight on) Mljet. It's a lovely island that is also a National Park. Not much at all happens, or has ever happened here, hence it's unspoiled beauty, but the monastery and the island's lakes are definitely worth a look. We spend the morning at the monastery and the afternoon swimming in lakes. Bliss.

Vis was one of my absolute favourite places in Croatia. The sea is amazing, totally clear, although there aren't any sand beaches, just rocks. We're did a day trip sailing round the island and to a place called the "Blue Cave" and the "Sealion Cave", where there were lots of stalactites. We also visited the incredible, and deserted, cove pictured. Amazing. Another day we rented an old Citroen Diane to explore Vis island in. When we got the the top of one hill it made some really scary noises and we stopped to see if we could find anything that was wrong and when I tried to start the engine again it was totally dead! Thankfully there were some Croatian guys about and one of them hill started the car and then escorted us all the way back to town - phew! In the evening we went to a fantastic restaurant in the garden of a big house on Vis. It has high walls and loads of palm trees. All the tables are tucked away from each other and it looks amazing. They serve all fish, but (given the proximity to the sea) it is all really fresh. Annoyingly I can't remember its name, but we had to walk along a long promenade from the main town of Vis that connects to the other part of the island to get there. On the third day in Vis we rented a small motorboat to try and get to some nice coves where there wouldn't be any other people. We did find a really nice place, but our boat broke down (ha ha, we didn't have much luck in that department!). Luckily we were saved by a a whole gang of Croatian chaps who swam to the boat to help us!!!! Thank God there were there, otherwise we could have been in some serious trouble....

I could go on for hours about Dubrovnik, it is such a gorgeous place. As soon as you arrive you will see why it is called "the jewel of the Adriatic". I loved walking along the old city walls and looking down at all of the city's terracotta tiles. I loved the apothecary museum in one of the old monasteries. I loved exploring the Old Town and its criss-crossing cobbled streets. I loved relaxing and meeting locals at the cafes, bars and restaurants that line the seafront. Spend a good couple of days here. It is mighty impressive and you won't want to leave.

Last stop on our trip was Brac island. Here we stayed just outside of the fishing village of Bol within walking distance of Zlatni Rat (Croatia's most photographed beach). If you like watersports you'll be in heaven. We weren't interested so we spent our days lazing on the beach. Unfortunately Bol is pretty tacky, so stay somewhere where you can either cook for yourself or eat in so you can escape if needs be.