Million Air Spring 2024

elite traveler SPRING 2024 115

Most top-notch tour operators are able to imagine a dream itinerary for clients and profess to be fully available should there be any hiccups . I had fi rsthand experience of Kensington Tours’ ability to problem solve after a rocky start to my custom weeklong itinerary in Croatia — my plus one, my 60-plus-year old mother (who would never let me reveal her true age), missed her fl ight thanks to the UK’s unreliable train service. Cool, calm and collected, Kensington barely fl inched when I sent a number of panicked emails from the airport where I was supposed to be meeting my mother. A quick Plan B was concocted; my mother was on the next available fl ight and touching down in Split the following morning. DAY1-2 Following a stressful few hours, I arrived at the sleek Hotel Ambasador for a good night’s sleep. The hotel is on the West Coast promenade in the heart of Split in a superb location — it’s right on the waterfront yet close to the city center. The next morning I meet my private guide, Milenka, in the lobby, and we head out on a walking tour through a number of bustling markets selling fresh produce, traditional pastries and clothes, and then on to Diocletian’s Palace. The huge palace was built for the Roman emperor Diocletian at the end of the third century AD; today, it forms about half of the old town of Split. Milenka expertly navigated us through the palace, while simultaneously reelingo ff tidbits about its fascinating history. After a quick detour to the airport to collect my mother, we drove to Kozjak Mountain for a private lunch, arranged by appointment only. Steadily ascending the mountain, passing vineyards and white stone churches, we pull up to a Maroma, a small house in the Biblical Garden. At a smartly dressed table set up on the patio, surrounded by the vineyards (which belong to our sommelier Ivan’s grandfather) and the gentle hum of birdsong, we sampled the hyper-local wine and delectable cuisine.

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