Croatia Holidays: What to do

Croatia's treasures, pleasures and leisures are more ageless than trendy. Along its thousand-mile shoreline a shimmering sea winds around pebbly coves, splash at pine-fringed bays. Istrian ports buzz with fishermen while kids dive into the shiny water. In Dalmatia, cities throb with nightlife amid ancient Roman ruins. So, it is time you planned for a 10-day Croatia break

Yachts slide up the shoreline movie stars discreetly arrange to buy one of Croatia's 1185 islands and no Mediterranean cruise is complete without a stop in Dubrovnik. The inner landscape is as mesmeric even though less visited. Soak in a thermal health spa at Istarske Toplice in Istria. climb through untouched forests watered by mountain brooks in the west. Let the waterfalls of Plitvice moisten your face. And then there's the customs. The people that endured Roman, Venetian, Italian and Austro-Hungarian regime has a unique and slightly odd individuality. You'll find a concentrated central European taste in the ornate design of Zagreb, and Italian attachment to the good life percolates up from the coast, permeating Croatian cuisine and style. During holidays and festivals the country's Slavic spirit emerges, as flamboyantly costumed dancers twirl about to a traditional folk melody.

Croatians hold on to a strong connection to the land and traditions that fed the hope of independence for so long.