Hvar is a small island located on the Dalmatian coast in Croatia. It’s known for great food and amazing swimming spots! I just spent a week there, this is my 3rd visit to Hvar and love it more each time I return.

Getting there:
The easiest way to get to Hvar is a fast ferry from Split and takes 1 hour. If you want to bring a car, you need to take a big ferry that comes into Stari Grad. There is a bus from Stari Grad to Hvar town. There are 3 companies that run ferries from Split to Hvar, Kapetan Luka, Jadrolinija and Krilo. 

Transport:
If you stay in Hvar town, everything you need is in walking distance. You can hire cars, quad bikes or scooters on the island. There is a bus station in Hvar town and loads of taxis.

Where to stay:
Hvar town is the place to be. Cute alleyways and shops, amazing food and a port that provides day trips to swimming spots and neighbouring islands. There is a mix of air bnb, hostels and hotels here. Other places you could stay include Stari Grad or Jelsa. Cute small towns with restaurants but I recommend coding on day trips and staying in Hvar. 

What to do:

SWIM! Croatia is known for it’s amazing clear water so get to the beach. By land, I recommend Pokonji Beach which is walking distance from Hvar town. There are restaurants and sun beds available. If you have a car, visit Dubovica Beach which has a small beach bar. You can get a water taxi for 50 kn return to close by islands Jerolim, Carpe Diem beach or Milni. 

Boat day: I highly recommend hiring a boat with HvarBoats and seeing the island! We visited the red rocks, hidden underwater caves and had lunch on a gorgeous island. The itinerary was organised by HvarBoats based on what we wanted to do. We loved it so much we booked again for 2 days later and explored the island of Vis. Again we were treated to see some exclusive swimming spots and a submarine tunnel. The company was so professional and responsive, I cannot recommend them highly enough. 

Wineries: Hvar has some amazing wineries. We visited Duboković Winery in Jelsa and had a tasting of 11 wines with olive oil for 150 kn each. It has a really cool atmosphere. Some other wineries that were recommended were Wine Tomic, Bilo Idro and Hora Hvar. 

I would recommend having a car one day to drive and see Jelsa. It’s a cute port village where a lot of the wineries are based. There are lots of great restaurants in this area and on the way to Jelsa too. 

Restaurants: We were never disappointed with any meal in Hvar. Every restaurant had amazing food and great service. Hvar is known for amazing seafood (lobster, tuna steak and mussels) and cevapi which are mixed meat sausages. Some of our favourite restaurants in Hvar town included Dva ribara (who gave us 20% off for being Aussie), La Bocca and Fig for breakfast (this is a must)! Kava 37 has great coffee. 

We went to Palmižana on our boat day and ate at Laganini Lounge bar & Fish house. It was fancy AF but worth every cent. We were hoping to get to Zori restaurant on Palmižana island for dinner but the water was too choppy. I’ve heard great things though. 

Going out: Carpe Diem Beach is usually the place to be. To get there, you take a taxi boat from the main port which is 50 kn return. During covid it was open but not the usual vibe. We spent time at Hula Hula bar for sunset then headed to Carpe Diem Bar which was loads of fun. If you have a group, definitely invest in a bottle and private table. Was well worth it. 

We ended up meeting up with some other Conscious Travel Community members and spending majority of the week with them! Amazing how the universe aligns!

Kefalonia is part of the Ionian islands in Greece and is filled with amazing beaches, food and people! You can drive around the whole island with amazing hidden beaches and towns.

Transport: There are infrequent local buses. Taxis are available but quite expensive. Your best mode of transport is to hire a car. 

Where to stay:

• The main town is in Argostoli. Filled with restaurants, shops, cafes and is by the water. If you don’t have a car this is a good central location to be. 
  
• Lassi is close to the airport and is popular for tourists. There are restaurants and beaches close by, also a good option if you don’t have a car. 
  
• If you have a car, Luxouri requires a small ferry from Argostoli to Luxouri but is a nice smaller and quieter area to stay. I have a friend here who manages houses if you would like to stay in this area. 
  
• Lourdas beach is about 20 minutes from the airport. It has a beautiful beach with restaurants along it. It’s ideal to have a car in this location. 

What to do:

• Kefalonia is known for it’s beautiful beaches. Some of the most popular include Mytros beach. You will need a car to access this. 
  
• We did a day drive around the west of the island stopping at Mytros, Assos (a cute town with colourful buildings, a beach and restaurants) Empasili beach and Fiskardo. I’d recommend all of these. 
  
• On the east side of the island is Sami which is another port. You can do day trips from here to other islands, there are also restaurants along the water. Close by is Antisamos beach which has a beach bar, crystal clear water and great vibes! 
  
• If you want to treat yourself, Alexandra is a mobile masseuse and she is amazing. She was very intuitive about areas of my body and able to give me some tips for my pain areas. She lives in Argostoli or can come to you. Will link her in the comments. 
  
• There is horse riding available 
  
• Mountain hikes (Mt Anios) and paragliding over Myrtos beach
  
• Boat trips to near by caves or islands. 
  
• Zakyanthos is a 1.5 hour boat ride from Kefalonia. 
  
• The ferry runs from Argostoli to Luxouri every half hour in high season. This is a really cute 20 minute ride to the other side of the island. You can drive a car on too and it’s very cheap. 

Where to eat:

• There are loads of amazing restaurants!
  
• Lorraine’s Magic Hill in Lourdas is my #1 pick for restaurants. It has an amazing view over the beach but the food is the real winner. Lorraine owns a farm and most of her produce is her own including the meat, feta and freshly baked bread. It’s a family run business with the best hospitality we have experienced in a long time.
  
• At Lourdas beach we go to Taverna Lovidis because they have free sun beds and reasonably priced food (and gyros 🥙)
  
• Luxouri has a really cute square right where you get off at the port. If you don’t have a car this would be cute for a date night. VS restaurant on the left of the square is good. There are a few shops, an ice cream store and a chocolate shop hidden at the back that you should check out. 
  
• Captain Nikolaos is near Luxouri, very secluded with a beautiful view. 
  
• Argostoli has heaps of restaurants along the water and in the square. K63 bar restaurant is good. 

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Kos and Josh and I got engaged here!

Here are some activities I recommend doing and places I recommend you check out. Kos is part of the Dodecanese cluster of islands in Greece. It has an airport with direct flights from London. It has a port that connects you to other islands within the Dodecanese islands.

Where to stay
Definitely in the main town. There are loads of restaurants along the water between Lampi beach and Kos harbour. Somewhere near there would be central to the bus, supermarkets, restaurants and the port for day trips or to visit other islands. 

Getting around
If you can hire a car, it’s good to get out and see the island but not essential as there are buses. If you have an Australian license you will need an international permit (Greece is very strict on this now). If you want to get a taxi in Kos, a pre booking is essential. 

What to do

• Natural thermal beach. It’s cool because the water is so hot but meets the sea that is cold!
• Tigaki beach is a really nice sandy beach with white sand. 
• Paradise beach is a long stretch of white sand. You can do organised water sports on there 
• Agios Stefanos Beach has beautiful clear water. It’s at the other end of the island. 

• Day trips to some islands are good day outings if you have the time. We went to Kamimnos and some other smaller islands i na full day excursion. There vendors selling tickets near the port. I think it was €20-25 for the day and included lunch.

• You can do a day trip to Bodrum in Turkey which is a cute little tourist town. Shops, beach etc. The boat is about 40 minutes.

Where to eat

Lofaki needs to be #1 on your list! You need to go to this restaurant for sunset. It’s the most gorgeous view and where Josh and I got engaged. It’s so perfect!!! You will need a car or get a taxi there. 

One thing I didn’t know about Kos is you always need to pre book a taxi. I thought the guy at the hotel was joking but we couldn’t get a taxi to dinner and missed our dinner reservation (and unknowingly our engagement) lol wherever you’re staying, get the taxi number if you’re not getting a car. 

Have you ever had clear signs from the universe you needed to change your direction or travel plans?

Last year, I chased the crystal clear waters of Greece, literally did hours of searching and going to different islands.I was so excited to visit Symi. Pictures looked great, had a good recommendation so off I went, solo. When I arrived, it wasn’t what I expected. I ended up walking to a beach and just sat to absorb the atmosphere. I planned on staying a night at least but hadn’t booked accommodation because I’d begun realising how controlling I was with my travel and planning and was making a conscious decision to let go and work I’m trusting the universe to guide me.

I began searching online and for some where to stay but accommodation was showing up ridiculously expensive (way more than I’d budgeted for) or unavailable. I could feel my anxiety increasing and then, the strangest thing happened…

A worker renting sun lounges came to ask if I wanted one. I said no, I was ok with my towel on the beach, he made a comment like “what, you’re just going to sit on the rocky beach?” He looked at me strangely and walked away. I continued searching frantically for somewhere to stay. I lost my presence and the beauty of my surroundings. I became immersed in my phone looking for accommodation.

The man then came back a few minutes later and said his boss said if I didn’t want a sun lounge I would have to move away from the beach shore where the sun lounges were because if people saw me sitting on the beach they might not buy a sun lounge. I was super confused. It’s a beach. I can sit where I want… right?

Anyway, I said I’d move soon and continued with my accomodation search (by this stage almost in tears… or maybe had shed one or two). He left and returned a few minutes later. Then…

He picked up my bag and said I needed to move right now. I was shocked. Stressed. Couldn’t speak. Felt powerless. And I wish I took a photo of where he moved me to. Behind the rocky beach was a patch of dirt. He put my bag down there and I was in so much shock, I laughed. It’s all I could do. Was he joking? I wasn’t even on the beach anymore! I spoke up and moved closer to the beach. He was annoyed but moved away.

For me, being physically removed was like a slap in the face; a big enough sign from the universe I needed to move on from the island. I stopped searching accommodation but instead looked up what other ferries were coming and going from this small island that day so I could get out of there!

And that I did! I needed to get a ferry to Rhodes. 

Best. 

Decision. 

Ever! 

Everything about Rhodes was divinely orchestrated. A true blessing!

On the way to Rhodes, there were 2 hostels I was tossing up between. Mind you, I rarely stayed in hostels (mostly feared getting bedbugs but also feared strangers). I ended up booking Rodos Backpackers because it had smaller room sizes (less strangers I thought).

After my traumatic ordeal in Symi, I was so thankful to arrive the the hostel. I was greeted by Mike… an Aussie who ran the family owned hostel. I felt right at home and was so thankful to be there (thank you universe)

That night I went to dinner with some people from the hostel and all the dramas from the day felt insignificant. I was safe and happy!

The next day at the hostel I met Vesa. He offered to drive me around the island as he had hired a car. At first I was like 😳 no thanks (with my fear of strangers and all) but as we got chatting there was something comforting about his energy. I had a decision to make…

Go with my original “fear of strangers” program that’s kept me safe from a place of fear OR trust my intuition that I was safe with him and go out to see the island…

Next thing we know we were off! And I’m still here to tell the story. Vesa was an absolute God sent. So kind and caring. I remember we were chatting in the car and both said “it feels like we know each other or have met before”. Truly magical. For me, Vesa reminded me of my dad. He talked about his kids and his life in Finland. He was calm and inspired me with his passion for wanting to travel solo more and do more hiking. We visited the butterfly valley, beaches and another village, Lindos. We truly had the best day!

A few days later, Vesa had moved on but a girl Bridget arrived at the hostel. Bridget was super chill and calm. We got along so well and spent the day at the beach. We chatted about life and past experiences, we had so much in common! None of this ‘small talk’ business. We were having deep and meaningful conversations and then Vesa came and met us!

None of this would have been possible if I stayed in Symi, or if I let my fear of strangers take over my decisions or if I didn’t trust my intuition and stayed small. I’m not saying everyone is trustworthy but there are good people out there.

I am grateful to Vesa for breaking down my fear in strangers and showing me that it’s safe to travel solo and make friends and for Briget who was there when I needed a sister!

When have you seen signs from the universe that you followed and it led to something magical?