Sun. Soul. Sail. · Croatia 2027 · Optional Experiences
Make this journey yours.
Two ways to go deeper on the Adriatic – before we sail, and while we’re out on the water.
Here’s the thing about travel, friends: no two people experience the same place the same way. Some of us want to sit at a long table and taste our way through a country. Some of us want to move – bike the lavender fields, walk the waterfalls, get out into it. And some of us just want to stand somewhere impossibly beautiful and capture the moment. You’re allowed to want what you want. So we built a few optional experiences around exactly that.
May 22 – 29, 2027 Šibenik to Dubrovnik 30 Guests Only
Before We Sail · Two Nights in Šibenik
The Prelude
What if your journey didn’t begin the moment you stepped aboard the yacht? What if it began the moment you arrived in Croatia?
The Prelude is an intimate, two-night experience for those who want to ease into the adventure, connect with fellow travelers, and settle into the beauty of Croatia before we set sail.
Because here’s what usually happens: you fly all night, you land, you rush, and you board a yacht with your body still somewhere over the Atlantic. This is the other option. Arrive early. Slow down. Sleep. Let the time zone catch up with you. Start meeting the people you’re about to spend a week with – before the week begins.
Together we’ll paddle hidden waterways, taste local wine on a family vineyard, and stand inside a UNESCO fortress that’s guarded this coastline for five hundred years.
This is more than arriving early. It’s the beginning of your transformation.
Your Prelude includes
Excursion One
Kayak Adventure Through St. Anthony’s Channel
There’s no better way to meet Croatia than from the water. We’ll paddle through St. Anthony’s Channel, finding secluded coves, hidden caves, and water so clear it hardly seems real.
As we glide through, we’ll pass the WWII submarine tunnel locals call “Hitler’s Eyes,” and take in St. Nicholas’ Fortress from an angle almost no visitor ever sees.
This isn’t about getting from one attraction to the next. It’s about slowing down enough to become part of the landscape.
Excursion Two
Ante Sladić Winery Experience
One of the greatest joys of travel is experiencing a place through its people. Just outside Krka National Park, we’ll visit the family-owned Ante Sladić Winery, where generations of winemakers have cultivated indigenous Croatian grapes using organic practices.
Surrounded by rolling vineyards, you’ll enjoy an authentic tasting and learn about the history, the traditions, and the particular terroir created where the Krka River meets the Adriatic Sea.
Warm hospitality. Exceptional wine. Beautiful scenery. And permission to simply sit still and savor it.
Excursion Three
St. Nicholas’ Fortress
Standing guard at the entrance to St. Anthony’s Channel, St. Nicholas’ Fortress is one of Croatia’s most remarkable historical treasures. Built during the Renaissance to protect Šibenik, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2017 as part of the Venetian defensive system.
Reachable only by organized boat excursion, it offers centuries of maritime history and views of the Adriatic coastline you won’t get anywhere else.
It’s one of those places that reminds you how much beauty – and how much resilience – can stand the test of time.
Why choose The Prelude?
Most people arrive just in time to board. Those who choose The Prelude experience something different.
By the time we step aboard the yacht, you’ll already feel connected – to the country, to the group, and maybe a little more deeply to yourself.
MOST POPULAR
Double Occupancy
$888
per person
PRIVATE ROOM
Single Occupancy
$1111
per person
Your investment includes two nights in a Superior Sea View Room, airport transportation from Split to Šibenik, and all three curated group experiences – a seamless, memorable beginning to your week on the Adriatic.
Space for The Prelude is limited, and it’s available only to guests joining us aboard the Adriatic Awakening: Yacht Retreat Through Croatia.
If you’re looking for an even deeper, more relaxed beginning to this unforgettable journey, I invite you to join us for The Prelude. A 3% processing fee is added for all credit card transactions.
While We Sail · Curated Experience Collections
Customize your week on the water
Three optional collections, built around three different ways of loving a place. Add one, add all three, or add none at all – this is yours to shape.
Some people travel to savor incredible food and local traditions. Others crave adventure, movement, and hidden places. And some simply want to capture every unforgettable moment.
That’s why we’ve created a few optional experience collections that allow you to personalize your Adriatic Awakening.
Whether you join us around a table filled with incredible Croatian cuisine, explore breathtaking national parks, or capture stunning photos along the Adriatic coast, these curated experiences are designed to deepen your journey and create memories you’ll treasure for years to come.
These experiences are optional and may be added to your retreat registration.
Collection One
The Foodie Collection
Authentic flavors of Croatia
Croatia isn’t just something you see. It’s something you taste. If you love discovering a place through its food, wine, and traditions, this one was made for you.
Traditional Croatian Peka Dinner
Peka is a centuries-old method of slow cooking beneath a bell-shaped cast iron dome over an open fire. Tender meats, seasonal vegetables, fragrant herbs, local olive oil — roasted for hours into flavors that simply can’t be rushed. We’ll gather in a vineyard or countryside setting with local wines, real conversation, and the hospitality Croatia is known for. Not just dinner. An evening you’ll still be talking about at home.
Fresh Mussels & Sparkling Wine
One of the Adriatic’s greatest gifts is its seafood. During this relaxed onboard gathering, you’ll watch our crew gather fresh mussels straight from local mussel beds before our chefs prepare and serve them on the sun deck. We’ll toast with sparkling wine and take in the coast. Relaxed, authentic, unforgettable.
Your Foodie Collection Includes:
- Traditional Croatian Peka Dinner Experience
- Fresh Mussels & Sparkling Wine Gathering
- Authentic local flavors and Croatian hospitality
Your Investment
$133
per person
Collection Two
The Adventurer Collection
Explore Croatia beyond the shore
Croatia was made to be explored. If your perfect day includes movement, nature, and beautiful scenery, this collection is for you.
Stari Grad Cycling & Lavender
Experience Hvar Island on two wheels. Choose an e-bike or a mountain bike and ride through villages, olive groves, vineyards, and the lavender fields that made this island famous. Ride with the group or venture out on your own, discovering one of Europe’s oldest towns at your own pace.
Mljet National Park & Benedictine Monastery
Bike or walk along emerald saltwater lakes, wander shaded forest paths, or take a short boat ride to the 12th-century Benedictine monastery resting on its own tiny island. This is the kind of place that invites you to slow down, breathe deeply, and simply be present.
Waterfall Flow at Krka National Park
One of Croatia’s most spectacular natural wonders. We’ll explore boardwalks winding through cascading waterfalls and crystal-clear pools, then gather for a special Waterfall Flow Experience led by Sunny. More than sightseeing — an opportunity to reconnect with yourself in the middle of all that beauty.
Your Adventurer Collection Includes:
- Stari Grad Cycling & Lavender Experience
- Mljet National Park & Benedictine Monastery
- Waterfall Flow Experience at Krka National Park
Your Investment
$200
per person
Collection Three
The Flying Dress Experience
Capture the magic
Sometimes it’s fun to simply celebrate yourself. You’re allowed to do that, friends.
What it is
Step into one of our beautiful flowing dresses and let the Adriatic breeze create a magical moment you’ll never forget. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Croatian islands and our private yacht, this professional photo experience is the perfect way to celebrate your journey and capture the beauty of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
Whether you’re commemorating a personal milestone, embracing your adventurous spirit, or simply wanting breathtaking photos from Croatia, this experience is designed to make you feel radiant, confident, and fully alive.
Your Solo Experience Includes:
- A professionally guided flying dress photoshoot aboard our private yacht
- Individual portraits in a stunning flying dress
- Spectacular Adriatic Sea and island backdrops
- A collection of professionally edited digital images to treasure forever
Your Investment
$122
per person
Collection Three – The Signature Experience
The Flying Dress Experience with Sunny
Some moments deserve to be remembered forever.
Join me for a joyful flying dress experience aboard our private yacht, where we’ll laugh, celebrate, and capture the beauty of this incredible adventure together. We’ll each wear one of the flowing dresses while our photographer creates stunning images of us against the sparkling Adriatic Sea.
This isn’t just about beautiful photos – it’s about honoring the woman you’ve become, celebrating your courage to say yes to this journey, and creating a memory we’ll always share.
Your Signature Experience Includes:
- Everything included in the Solo Flying Dress Experience
- A shared flying dress photoshoot with Sunny
- Beautiful photos together aboard our private yacht
- Individual portraits of you in your flying dress
- Professionally edited digital images
- A one-of-a-kind keepsake from your Adriatic Awakening journey
Limited availability to ensure every participant enjoys a relaxed, personalized experience.:
Your Investment
$200
per person
Enhance Your Journey
You don’t have to do everything to have an extraordinary week.
One of the beautiful things about this journey is that you get to make it your own. Gather around a table filled with Croatian cooking. Paddle crystal-clear water. Wander ancient villages. Cycle through lavender. Stand beneath a waterfall or capture unforgettable photos overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Or sit on the sun deck and do absolutely nothing at all.
Every one of these experiences was chosen to help you meet Croatia – and yourself – a little more deeply. But none of them are required. The week is already whole. These are simply open doors, if one of them is calling you.
When we allow our divinity to guide our humanity, love becomes the thing we live every single day.
— Sunny Dawn Johnston