I have recently stayed at the Villa Moretic Apartments on Zaton Bay in Dubrovnik for two weeks. This is the first time my new husband and I have ever rented an apartment as opposed to a hotel. I would consider both of us at this point quite well versed travellers.

We chose the largest apartment, the luxury suite. There are two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a living room, and a dining room. There is a terrace opening up from the master bedroom overlooking the picturesque Zaton Bay, and a sheltered patio set directly behind the apartment. There is also a clothes washer in one of the bathrooms. As compared to the general standards in North America, (we are from Toronto), the standard of cleanliness within the apartment is very good.

My spouse and I are avid cookers, and the kitchen was relatively well equipped. I am thankful that I brought my own knife set, and dried spices to aid us, as many of them were not available at the supermarket. Cooking utensils and tableware are sufficient. There is a four burner gas stove with an oven that has convection settings.

There is a small supermarket that sells mostly everything you need just about a two minute walk down the street. They were open 6 days a week until 9 pm. Produce, meat, bread, wine, alchohol and toiletries are available.

The Apartment is a 15 minute drive away from Dubrovnik's Old City. There are a few quiet beaches and restaurants very close, that are away from the hussle of downtown.
The villa owner, Irena was very helpful in advising us to save money and travel wisely.

Upon arrivng the first day, both my husband and I fell asleep (after 12+ hours of travelling) and did not wake up until late in the evening. We asked the Moretics if there was any way to get food at this time of night, and before sending us out to a restaurant they provided us with enough goodies to make a dinner and dessert, free of charge. I was definitely not expecting that.

Irena was kind enough to lend us her GPS when we didn't have one, and treated us like we were her family. They even invited us for a family fish dinner when we were unable to purchase fresh fish because of rainy weather. The Moretics reside on the main flat of the house. You may hear the sound of little children going about their daily antics, but it was not disturbing at all to us. Both children are really quite endearing.

There is Wi-Fi, and satellite TV, but only a few Croatian channels. Who watches tv on vacation anyways? Irena also coerced her handsome younger brother to escort us to places around town and on a few day trips. They designed road trips so they would be easy and fulfilling. For FREE. It truely sealed the deal on experiencing Croatia in a way that most tourists never will, from the perspective of locals.

The city of Dubrovnik has an appeal like no other. There is no Hip Hop or Rock music on the radio, just EZ Oldies. There is NO fast food, just fine wine, fresh cheese, and smoked Dalmatien ham. There is a very small local population, and yes, everyone really knows everyone else.

My husband and I are only 24. I run my own bridal salon, and my husband is nearly finished his PhD. We are an interacial couple that planned two weddings in one weekend with over 350 guests at each, while still working on our careers in the largest city in Canada. We desperately needed a sense of deep relaxation and relief that even I thought would be impossible to find.

But we found it, in Croatia. Dubrovnik, Irena, the Moretics, their family, and the apartment, delivered it.