Olive Oil Tour of Solta Island with Lunch

While docked in Split during a cruise of Croatia and Italy we decided to visit the lovely island of Solta, a easy 45 minute ferry ride from Split (30 min. return via catamaran) Ahead of the trip, owner Frane was very prompt in answering questions and he offered a lot of help with ferry/catamaran transport to the island. After being picked up at the ferry dock we were taken on a tour of the olive groves and then went to the production facility where we had a tasting of all of the oils. Afterward, a delicious lunch of cheese & charcuterie, risotto and dessert was prepared for us by owner Frane’s son Marko. We were very happy with our choice to spend the day with such charming hosts!

I highly recommend this tour to everyone! We started with a great tour of the island and a small village in an air-conditioned mini bus before heading out to one of oou fantastic guide's Frane olive groves. Along the way Frane stopped the bus to pick wild herbs, and educated us on the history of the island, which is fascinating. At the olive grove, Frane told us about the production of olive oil from the cultivation of trees to harvesting before heading back to the mill where we saw the impressive processing equipment. Frane's son, Marko, prepared a deliciously home cooked three course meal for us and left us between courses to try all of the amazing Olynthia olive oils they produce on site which gave us a great opportunity to test different tastes and combinations of flavours. The flavours are wonderful and the relaxed setting and helpful guidance from Frane made the experience a lot of fun. There was no hard sell but we were heavily laden with oils when Marko drove us to stretch our legs and walk off our yummy and plentiful lunch at a gorgeous little village on the west side of the island. The last stop of the day was a secluded swimming spot not too far from the ferry port where we swam in crystal clear waters and bathed in the lovely Croatian sunshine. Frane and Marko are wonderful hosts and the interaction between them added an extra element of humour to the tour and we were asking to be adopted by them by the end of the day. This was a superb way to spend my birthday. If you're an olive oil aficionado or not, definitely take this tour!

The tour itself was very informative and interesting however, I felt the price was too high. We opted out of the lunch, which I'm glad we did. The island has nothing to see/do/offer as a way of lengthening the tour, and we ended up catching an earlier ferry back to Split. Maybe during the summer people want to swim there, but in the end of Nov. you sure don't. Maybe you drop your tour price in the fall.