"A nice little resort" Cavtat by ranger49

I first visited the small resort of Cavtat to see friends who were staying here when I was staying in Dubrovnik many years before. I was been impressed by the lovely old town and quiet atmosphere of the place but never really explored the waterfront around the bay.

On my last visit in 2004 as soon as we left the main road to drive down to the town and harbour I saw the sad sight of derelict and abandoned buildings - apartment blocks and hotels that had been damaged during the war in 1991. Such a sad sight to see this beautiful coast so scarred. Friends who have visited more recently told me that a lot of reconstruction work has been done and is still on-going.

Almost by accident we found ourselves in the little harbour that it is sometimes called Silent Bay, to the east of the little spit of land in the middle of the bay and which divides it.There was ample parking space there so we stayed.

The attractive waterline fronted by what appeared to be old warehouses now providing a few shops, tempted us to walk around to the other side of the bay and here, by chance, we found the very restaurant that had been highly recommended to us - the Ivan.
Just beyond the restaurant we had a look at and admired the enviable location of an hotel with its own private seawater pool at the waters edge.

The setting was ideal so we enjoyed the views until leisurely service delivered very good fish meals accompanied by a glass of white wine and followed by coffee.

This restaurant is still in business but I am not including it as a Tip because it is now 7 years since we ate there.

We had planned to linger for the afternoon and take a walk along the coast. But as we walked a way from the restaurant the air was filled with the most pungent foul smell - it was though the flood gates of a sewage outlet had opened.
We headed back to the car park on the other side but there was no escaping that smell.
Sadly we drove away.

• Pros:Picturesque and unspoilt
• Cons:We think we chose the wong day to visit