Words & Pictures by Shaun Troke
While visiting Old Town Dubrovnik, somebody asked me why I chose to stay on the island of Lopud…
My answer?
Pictures.
I was due to turn 40 years young while in Croatia, so I weighed up how & where I wanted to be when hitting this milestone:
I didn’t want to wake up hungover…
I didn’t want to wake up to views of rooftops (because I see this everyday from my own apartment!)….
I wanted an island; With a view that overlooked other islands; Somewhere with a balcony I could walk onto the moment I awoke on my birthday!
The search on booking.com narrowed down the options (thanks to the check-boxes they have to select ‘Balcony’ and ‘View’ options), bringing up three ideal locations, accompanied by beautiful scenic pictures:
- A place on the mainland in Gruz (with a shared balcony)
- An apartment on the mainland in Babin Kuk (with a shared balcony)
- A place on the island of Lopud (with my own balcony)
Quite simply, I didn’t intend to share a balcony!
Lopud it would be!
More information about getting to the island can be found in my previous article – Planes, Ferries, & Auto-Mobiles (Dubrovnik Transportation) – and, keep reading this one, to find out more about this lovely island of Lopud…
EXPLORING
Lopud is one of three main Elaphiti Islands, located in the middle of the other two: Šipan and Koločep. I arrived mid afternoon, aware that my accommodation was only a 10min walk along the main Promenade strip on Lopud.
During the day, the Promenade is full of activity. Many people come here for the whole day; Some only stay a couple of hours…
The Promenade adjoins narrow sandy beaches, and the sea is full of swimmers, boats, and water-skiers.
While this may sound chaotic & busy, it never felt overcrowded (at night, it’s almost deserted!)
On the other side of the island, there’s another larger beach…
Sunj Beach
I thought that Sunj Beach might be a more secluded part of the island, kinda like the beach from the movie The Beach.
In blazing sunshine, I ascended the very steep hill on one side of the island, then descended downhill on the other side, before coming to Sunj Beach…
Which (unexpectedly) was a beach resort more than the type of beach Leonardo DiCaprio stumbled across!
Bars & restaurants overlook the beach; Sun loungers spread expansively across the sand; And, people gave me funny looks, as I stood by the water to grab this picture…
Needless to say, I was there maybe 3mins MAX!
Due to not being an avid beach-goer, maybe I don’t recognise a good beach when I’m on one…
Yet I’ve heard so many people rave about how awesome Sunj Beach is.
I also think it might be nudist beach, too…
Which would explain the funny looks I received, since all I did was snap a couple of pictures!
The Rat Walk
On a my birthday, I went off the track (literally!), when Marijeta – the owner of the Guest House I stayed at – recommended I walk to the North West part of the Island, to a place called Benesin Rat.
The walk along the footpath was peaceful.
I passed only 6 people along the way, before reaching a small belvedere at the end of the footpath, housing plenty of shade, and panoramic views across the Adriatic Sea…
I would also like to thank the mystery blonde in this picture, who’s added sex appeal to this standard view.
The Better Views
If the Rat views didn’t blow you away, then these next ones will!
At the very peak of the island is Sutvrač Fort, something else Marijeta had also suggested I do.
For perfect viewpoints, it’s absolutely worth hiking to the summit of this island, but make sure you don’t get lost on the way…
I took the wrong route TWICE, which added an extra 20-30mins to the hike, causing further ferocious sweating, as I tried to hurry up the mountain before sunset!
If this is something you plan to see, this first picture is the signpost you need to look out for…
Then, from the Promenade below, keep following the path upward, taking no detours whatsoever (unless you want to), until you reach the sign in the second picture, and follow what this sign says.
It’s a very steep hike in places, so take plenty of water, and, you’ll certainly develop an appetite along the way…
EATING
The aim was to stick to a budget of 100kn (kunas) a day (approximately 14 Euro), but in the summer months, water is highly essential, so already 10-30kn a day was being spent on that.
Additionally, because Lopud mostly caters towards flocks of visits – and, it relies heavily on imports from the mainland – eating & drinking costs can be quite high.
Establishments on Lopud also seem to cater for couples & groups, particularly when it comes to dining…but, if you’re looking to avoid splashing out at on high-end restaurants, or, if you’re travelling solo & don’t fancy sitting at a table by yourself, here’s a couple of suggestions for you:
A favourite eating spot of mine was the local supermarket – Market Corner () – where I shopped every day, becoming friendly with the staff.
You can buy freshly made sandwiches (the bread is made in-store) and large pizza slices for around 25kn each (a little over 3 Euro), that you can take-away & eat by the waterfront while watching the sun set.
And, it is open until 10pm, too!
For larger meals, I found Restaurant Nikica (), who offer a takeaway service (perfect for the solo traveller!).
While there prices may be a little steep (not unlike most restaurants on Lopud), their portions are generous, and for my Birthday Meal, I had the most delicious Spaghetti Carbonara from them!
Coffee is great on the island, too…
At the far end of the Promenade, just seconds away from where I was staying, was a bakery called Exquisite.
My ‘usual’ was an 18kn Americano, but most visitors seemed to purchase Ice Cream from here.
There’s seating inside & outside, and I tried my first ever Burek here!
Exquisite became one of my regular haunts, with nice & good-looking staff, too.
At the other end of the Promenade, located beside the ferry port, is Caffe Bar, for cheaper coffee at 15kn. But, the clientèle was testosterone heavy, with the majority of customers being local men.
You’ll struggle to do Lopud on a low-budget, though, you can get extremely close to doing it.
EPILOGUE
I’ll put it this way:
After spending 6hrs in Old Town Dubrovnik, I was ever so eager (and glad!) to return to Lopud…
That’s how much I liked this place!
By day, it’s peaceful, secluded, and it’s away from the major crowds of tourists…plus, should your inner extrovert begin calling to you, you know that Old Town Dubrovnik is only an hour & 23kn away…
By night, the relaxing sound of crickets and the ocean waves crashing onto the shore was perfect to fall asleep & wake up to, as was the stunning view from the balcony every morning…
Lopud, by far, is one of the nicest islands I’ve ever been to.
And, if I ever need to escape the rat-race for a few weeks again, Lopud would be one of the first choices of places I’d run to!
Read Shaun’s Old Town Dubrovnik article HERE!
Hey Shaun thank you so much for writing down these valuable tipps about the hikes. 🙂 We are planning to do them as well, as we are currently at Lopud. Just can agree with you on this island – it is an enchanted place and I love to be here. Cheers Simone
Hey Simone – thanks for the nice comment & it’s great that you’re on Lopud (it’s such a lovely island!) I really hope you enjoyed the rest of your visit, and that you’re able to return again in the future, too 🙂