An anniversary trip to Croatia
In 2017, we received a wonderful request from a facilities consultancy firm in Utrecht. They wanted to take their entire team on a trip in 2018 to celebrate their 20th anniversary. The travel period was already set (September or October 2018), but the destination had not yet been decided. However, the client indicated that ‘small scale’ was extremely important to them. Therefore, their preference was for a cosy and slightly smaller destination, combined with an overnight stay in a boutique hotel and good restaurants within walking distance. It was goMICE's task to surprise them with a unique destination!
Brainstorming session for the anniversary trip
Following an extensive and creative brainstorm session with the goMICE team, we quickly arrived at a shortlist of possible destinations that suited the client's wishes. Although multiple destinations selected by goMICE appealed to this client, the final preference went to the beautiful city of Split, located in Croatia!
Split
Split is, on the one hand, a large city: it is, after all, the largest city in the region of Dalmatia and, due to its location on a peninsula in the Adriatic Sea, it has grown into one of Croatia's most important port cities. The historic, old, car-free centre of the city, on the other hand, is small-scale! Split is also an ancient city: around 300 AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian commissioned a palace to be built, and this palace is considered the origin of Split. The Diocletian's Palace still forms the centrepiece of the city of Split. In the meantime, houses, a cathedral, hotels, restaurants, and shops have been built behind/in/against the walls of the historic complex, among other things. The palace has also been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979.
Overnight stay within the palace walls
For this group, we had selected a very special hotel, namely an authentic, small-scale four-star hotel. inside the palace walls! The nice thing about this hotel is that all the spacious rooms are different in shape and layout because the hotel is located in a historic building. Add to this hospitable staff and a delicious local breakfast and it will not come as a surprise that all participants were immediately impressed by this special hotel!
Great anniversary trip to Croatia
The participants thoroughly enjoyed 4 wonderful days together at this beautiful destination. Naturally, not only Split but also the surrounding area of the city was explored together. For example, a private speedboat tour was on the agenda.
Combined with a visit to the impressive town of Trogir.
During the tour, of course, various swimming and snorkelling stops were made. This included the famous Blue Lagoon / Krknjasi bay where the water is truly crystal clear!
The island of Hvar was also visited, and the island was explored together in brightly coloured Volkswagen Beetles.
One of the highlights of the tour was a delicious lunch at a local Konoba: a traditional restaurant that serves purely Croatian and homemade dishes exclusively. The ingredients come from local farmers and fishermen, and the dishes are prepared by the owner himself.
Eating in a Konoba is a unique experience; it's a chance to get to know real Croatian life and taste homemade dishes, where the recipes are often generations old!
goMICE app
Naturally, many more activities were on the programme these days that the participants enjoyed. The participants could easily view this programme in the mobile app developed by goMICE. The goMICE app It also offers participants the opportunity to chat and post photos. This was used to full advantage, ideal!
Each journey is unique
Elke travel The ones we put together at goMICE are unique. For example, we've travelled with groups to Split before, but every group is different, and for each group, we always look for the most suitable locations and activities.
Naturally, we are happy to make use of our network and our established local suppliers. We have even built up such a good relationship with some suppliers that we now send each other Christmas cards (it's true!) and, of course, we were also cheering loudly when Croatia reached the final of the World Cup.
In addition, we often visit destinations ourselves several times a year to discover new locations and activities.
This trip has certainly borne fruit again! The participants were enormously enthusiastic, and after the trip, we from goMICE were surprised with a beautiful bouquet of flowers and many lovely messages. This is what we do it for!
Participant 1:
Had a great trip organised by goMICE with Lotte as Project Manager. She understands the art of hospitality by going that little bit further than you expect without putting herself in the spotlight. Thank you for the wonderful trip!
Participant 2
The service was excellent, both during the choice of destination and the preparation, as well as during the four days we booked through goMICE. Good restaurants, a good itinerary, and a fine hotel. Our Project Manager Lotte was very professional and pleasant.
Participant 3
A fantastic trip to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Good, pleasant and enjoyable guidance from Lotte Brandwagt. Compliments, we'll be off on another trip with goMICE in 5 years.
Participant 4
Enjoy true peace of mind!