The room felt classy and a touch nautical. Black and white photos of Croatia lined the walls of the bedroom and in the kitchen, there were images of cameras and a clapperboard that film directors use to mark the end of a scene. The tones of the rooms were soothing, mostly a light gray and blue with a touch of rust. In the living room, there was a table filled with maps of Split, a Lonely Planet guidebook, and a reference for luggage storage, should guests need it. She even provided beach towels, a bath mat, a placard with the rules of the apartment in English, German, Croatian, and Polish, and a deadbolt on the apartment door. I felt very safe, even as a solo traveler.
After days of walking over 20,000 steps, I easily sank into the king-size bed; thanks to the blackout curtains, I wasn’t woken up by the bright sunlight that shone in from the floor-to-ceiling windows of the apartment. In the morning, I headed for the shower. It had two doors that pull together to close as you step inside; I felt like I was stepping inside a time capsule, but the amazing water pressure made me feel like I was at a spa instead.
The Airbnb is an easy 20-minute walk from the main bus station that can take you to and from the airport or to other cities in Croatia. It is also only a 10-minute walk into Old Town. Right across the street is a cafe and a grocery store, and there’s a nearby playground. Not only is it convenient, it’s also quiet. All in all, it’s a perfect location—you feel like you’re where the locals are, but also not far from the tourists.
After getting my bearings, I easily found myself in the middle of all the action. Bars and restaurants lined the harbor, tattoos shops were lit up, and Roman ruins could be seen everywhere as you walk in and out of Diocletian’s Palace, an ancient Roman palace built between 295 and 305 CE which forms about half the Old Town of Split and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The palace is even where some key Game of Thrones scenes were filmed.
