Ryan and Leanne
August 19, 2021
Ryan eventually popped the question when we went to Havana in the summer of 2017. Ryan organised a vintage Cadillac tour of the city which ended at the top of a hill overlooking the city as the sun was setting.
Ryan then weirdly made us both sit down on a rusting old bench and began playing some soppy music. He then revealed a VERY large photo album showing pictures of us listed from A-Z. On the last page we’re the words ‘Will You Marry Me?’ and Ryan was on one knee!
Leanne obviously said YES, after a little too long a pause for Ryan’s liking and we cracked open a bottle of Havana Club and celebrated the night away!
Our very first holiday together was to Hvar, an island off the coast of Split and the neighbouring island to Brac. We had just moved in together in London having spent 2 years living apart. We booked a fairly last minute, cheap trip to somewhere we'd never even heard of and we LOVED IT! And so our love for Croatia began!
We spent our 2016 summer holiday in Dubrovnik and fell in love with the old city! We stayed just outside the walled city and had a fantastic view across the harbour from our balcony. We spent our nights eating amazing food, drinking excellent wine, meeting our friends and making new friends! We certainly would love to head back to this place one day!
This was our wedding venue scouting trip, and we definitely scouted! We travelled hundreds of miles across the country searching for that special place. This is the trip where we discovered Split and the island of Brac- where we eventually chose as our wedding destination. Although this wasn’t the most restful trip it further cemented our love of the country and we knew this was the place where we wanted to say ‘I do’!
Ryan and Leanne
Wedding Snaps
The is the island we have chosen for our wedding. We love its laid back atmosphere, great wine and glorious blue sea! Bol has it all from it's relaxed marina side cafe's to it's busy beach side bars. It is a small town with a Mediterranean feel and cobbled sloping streets. Its greatest attraction however is its famous Zlatni Rat beach. Bol also has the highest peak on the Adriatic islands, Vidova Gora for those who want to adventure out into the wild! There are many places for those who want to explore land and sea with bike rentals and windsurfing lessons all found along the beach front. For those who like to party a little harder Bol has its own club, Club 585, each summer hosting some big DJ names. Enjoy!
This is Croatia's number 1 beach. The picture speaks for itself, although it is covered with pebbles and not pure white sand. It is 500m of v-shaped beach sticking out into the Adriatic surrounded by deep blue and turquoise water! The beach has water sports and trendy beach bars on offer serving up cold beers and cocktails throughout the day and into the wee hours! Definitely worth a visit whilst on Bol!
This is our favourite beach in Bol and it's how we discovered our wedding venue. The Dominican Monastery can be seen rising up along the beach side. This beach is much less busy than Zlatni Rat for those who want a more relaxed afternoon in the sun!
Wine is a big deal in Croatia and you'd be hard pushed to find a better place to sample it than Stina Winery. It can be found on the main promenade, where you can pull up a pew on the sea front and sample their finest tipples. Drop in at 5pm for a tour of the winery.
If you want to entertain the kids whilst on Bol there looks like no place better than this floating inflatable aquapark. Kids can bounce around the inflatable slides and walls until they have no energy left whilst the adults catch the rays on the beach! Deffo looks like fun!
If you want to up your Insta likes as well as get a bit of a workout then Vidova Gora is for you. This is the highest point on all of the Adriatic islands and gives outstanding panoramas across the Adriatic overlooking its most famous beach - Zlatni Rat. A round trip is around 7 miles in distance and takes between 3-5 hours depending on how casually you take it up and down the trail. Its not the most challenging of hikes but I wouldn't be heading up in my Birkenstocks. For those who like the Instagram worthy pictures but without the hard work there is also a very easily accessible road and many a taxi to help you summit the clifftop!
Find some instructions for the hike here: https://bbqboy.net/hiking-vidova-gora-from-bol-brac-island-croatia/
Diocletians Palace is an amazing place that you must dedicate some time to. Take a wander around the old palace ruins and with every turn you'll find a new narrow lane filled with restaurants and bars. There's plenty of live singers taking their stand in archways and doorways around the old palace where you can enjoy a beer or glass of wine whilst sitting on the steps and taking in the locals dancing. Don't just ramble the palace of a night though, go back in the day and take a walk up the bell tower and have a look around the Cathedral and Mausoleum whilst you're at it.
Split has various beaches to choose from depending on what you're after from your beach days. There are beaches you can walk to such as Bacvice or Ovcice beach or jump in an Uber for 15mins and travel a little further out to find some more secluded space at Znjan, Kasjuni or Bene Beaches.
The Marjan forest is a huge area to the West of Split which can be explored on foot or by bike. Offering shady paths for a stroll or steep climbs if you really want to work up a sweat. Whilst exploring you will find plenty of viewpoints over the city. Hidden in the pine forest you will find Jewish cemeteries, medieval chapels and cave dwellings. Well worth a visit if you want to get out of the city life!
Vis is another island not too far from Bol or the Split mainland. Although smaller than its counterparts of Brac and Hvar what Vis has that the others doesn't is that it was the star of the film Mamma Mia 2. Vis was the real life set of the fictitious Kalokairi Greek resort in the infamous film. The harbour of Kut is the main area to stay in and is filled with restaurants embedded in old Mediterranean style ruins. If your'e looking for the least tourist-like, most natural island destination this is your pick - plus you can dance like Meryl Streep through the streets - whats not to love!
You can book your ferry direct from a port on the island of Brac (not Bol) but we would suggest travelling to Hvar from Bol for at least 1 night and then continuing your journey through to Vis.
Get your tickets here: www.jadrolinija.hr/en/schedule/LineSearchResults/Index/2331746/2331806/07082019
Stiniva Cove is a small beach cove which is circled almost entirely by large steep cliffs apart from a 10m opening to the sea beyond. There is a steep trail which you can hike to with your beach bag or much easier is a quick boat transfer from Vis town. This is consistently voted 2nd best beach in Croatia just behind Zlatni Rat in Bol!
The Blue Cave is the location of a strange natural phenomenon where the pools of the cave are brightly lit by the suns rays through an underwater opening during the middle of the day. The light delivers an unearthly blue light to the cave and a 16m depth of crystal clear water. Again the Blue Cave is best reached via an organised excursion in Vis town.
Why not retrace the steps of the Mamma Mia 2 cast in a tour of the whole island taking in the locations most used in the film. This can be done as part of an organised tour or on your own in a rented car. Use this link to learn more and direct yourselves around the sets! - http://tour-of-croatia.com/mamma-mia-filming-locations/
