40 and fabulous in Croatia

What better way to celebrate the pinnacle marker of mid life than to leave the kids with the husband (and au pair and parents), and hop on a plane with all my best friends to Croatia? Though we had talked about a big milestone trip, I really didn't think we would pull the trigger with our work, kid, and family schedules. It took one brave soul to actually book the ticket before the rest of us, shockingly, did the same. So, all six of us were off to Dubrovnik and Barcelona to celebrate turning 40 and our decades of friendship - yes I have known some since grade school .

Our group is pretty laid back and so despite having zero plans, we were able to have an amazing time. Though I absolutely love planning trips, for girls trips I just generally go with the flow on activities, but do make an effort to have a few dinner reservations. Dubrovnik is definitely a fun and relaxing city and it's small enough to go for 3-5 days.

Through a serendipitous booking error on my part, we had to change hotels at the last minute and got reservations at Hotel Excelsior. Upon arrival, we were greeted by friendly hotel staff and our rooms were modern and spacious. The best part was having our rooms overlook the water, which made mornings extra special. Apparently, the hotel has welcomed Queen Elizabeth, Elizabeth Taylor, and the cast of Game of Thrones. Though we didn't spend that much time in the hotel, we did relax for a couple hours at the large pool area and found the piano bar area a good meeting place before dinner.

Dubrovnik is a quaint city with a lot of history and beauty. The city has seen a lot of more tourists since Game of Thrones, as many scenes were filmed in Dubrovnik and surrounding area. We went in May, so it wasn't too crowded, but like many European cities, tourist start arriving in large numbers in July and August. Our first full day, we walked around Old Town and the entirety of the City Walls, which allowed us to get a good lay of the land. If you are a Game of Thrones fan like me, seeing Kings Landing from the City Walls was extraordinary. Another place to go for Game of Thrones enthusiasts is Lokrum island which is a 15 minute ferry ride. Lokrum has a GOT Museum inclulding a replica of the Iron Throne, and the island boasts a beautiful botanical garden and natural swimming holes. During our stay, we also chartered a boat to cruise the Adriatic Sea. We were able to stop at a couple nearby Elaphite islands where we had lunch and did a little hike to a private beach, swim in the salty sea, and take in the beautiful views of the coastline. In the evenings we tried some well rated restaurants like Restaurant 360 (one Michelin star) and Pantarul, as well as partake in some lighthearted debauchery. Our evening escapades included doing a bar crawl at a few hotel bars, spontaneously going to a dance club, and reenacting the "Walk of Shame" scene on the Jesuit Staircase in Old Town. On the last night in Dubrovnik, we went to the Cave Bar More which is a bar inside a natural cave. The cave bar is three levels and has such an intersting ambiance that makes it a must go and a good ending to the first leg of our trip.

After four days in Croatia relaxing, it was now time to hop to a bustling city....Barcelona.