The real deal: This escorted cycling itinerary covers seven nights' accommodations, airport-hotel transfers, breakfast, hotel taxes, bike rentals and the services of an English-speaking group leader and local guides, from $1,386 per person — plus fees of about $150.
When: Depart Oct. 4, 2009; add $90 for May 10, 17, 24, Sept. 20; $189 for June 7; $225 for June 21; $261 for Sept. 6.
The fine print: An additional bike-rental fee of $150 is to be paid locally. Based on double occupancy; single supplement is $142. Maximum group size is 16, with the average group size being between six and 16 participants. Refer to the promotional code MVJ when booking this trip. Read these guidelines before you book any Real Deal.
Book by: No deadline; based on availability.
Contact: Adventure Center, 800/228-8747, adventurecenter.com.
Why it's a deal: The cost of this package breaks down to about $205 a day and covers accommodations at three different hotels, breakfast daily, airport-hotel transfers, local transfers by bus and ferry, bike rentals, a van to carry the bikes, taxes, fees, and services of an English-speaking tour leader and local guides.
Itinerary: Meet the group in Split, and transfer by ferry to the island of Hvar, where you'll cycle by Jelsa, Stari Grad, the town Hvar, Vrboska and Sucuraj. Transfer by ferry to Korcula island (the birthplace of Marco Polo) via Drvenik. Pass by Vela Luka, Prizba, Brna, Smokvica, and Pupnat in Korcula.
Ferry transfer to Peljesac peninsula. Bike to Zuljana and Ston, then transfer by bus to Dubrovnik. You'll be cycling an average of 28 miles a day for a total of five days mostly on tarmac and hard-gravel roads. The biking is for the most part not very demanding as it follows a mostly flat route with very few hills. As long as you're comfortable on a bike, you should do just fine.
Lodging: Two nights in Jelsa, three nights in Korcula, and two nights in Dubrovnik. Adventure Center generally doesn't publish hotel lists with their tours as they are subject to change and are not the focal point of their trips, which are primarily about the experience rather than the accommodation. However, to give you an idea of the type of hotels featured, consider the trip usually begins at the 109-room Hotel Jadran in Jelsa and ends at the 44-room Hotel Sumratin in Dubrovnik.
More: If you'd like to spend more time in the area, pre-trip accommodations can be arranged in Split, starting at $140 per room per night at Hotel Bellevue; post-trip nights start at $150 per room per night at Hotel Sumratin in Dubrovnik.
Before you go: Visit Croatia's official tourism Web site for more information.
