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Let me tell you a little bit about my island.

His name is Korcula, and we fell in love off the coast of Croatia under the hot, August Mediterranean sun. I fell hard for his rolling hills and indented coves and simply couldn’t resist his turquoise waters and secluded beaches. After discovering the medieval cocoon that is his Old Town, I was smitten. Yep, Korcula is the one for me.

After a drive up the scenic, unspoiled coastline of Croatia, we sailed into the island of Korcula. This is Croatia’s largest island in an archipelago of 48. It sits at the southern end of the country just a few hours north of Dubrovnik. Gliding in on the water, we caught our first view of Korcula town, a red roofed labyrinth of stone homes and ornate buildings.

In the 10th century, Venice controlled much of the Dalmatian coast, including Korcula. In this once important Venetian city you can still see the influence of its former ruler with the gothic, renaissance and baroque architecture. In other Korcula history lessons, Marco Polo was born on this island and the town makes a big deal of their superstar explorer. Here you have the chance to visit his house and a small museum detailing his famous voyages.

We rented out a room in a home sitting just above Korcula’s Old Town. It’s here, on our patio under a trellis of grapevines, we spent most of our time taking in the view just below. With no set agenda for our days, we passed the hours with our books and journal in hand watching the lighting change over the medieval town while listening to the symphony of bell towers chiming in unison.

When we were feeling a bit more energized, we took off on runs around the island and spent a day venturing off to some secluded beaches. With a strong recommendation for Korcula’s most beautiful beach, we hopped on a bus to the southern end of the island. Winding down a dirt path through the vineyards we came upon a rocky shore with crystal clear waters and a backdrop of pine forests and towering mountains. This was the perfect spot to spend our day. The only thing missing? Bathing suits on all other patrons. Yep, we found ourselves on a nudist beach!

By night, we scoped out a seafood joint where we soon would become regulars. Sitting in the alleyway of the narrow streets, we sipped on Croatian wine and dove into mounds of fresh mussels. We even had a local Klape group (an acapella form of music) singing folklore tunes under a stone archway. As the traditional music flooded the narrow streets of Old Town, we had the perfect soundtrack to our nightcap: gelato!

Yes, Korcula, he is my perfect island.

Croatia has been one of those standout places on our trip I’ve been dreaming of visiting. Seemingly stranded way out there on its own hovering over the Adriatic Sea, I imagined it sitting along Europe’s less trodden trails just waiting to be discovered. Those remote red-roofed villages suspended on the mountainside along the pristine Dalmatian Coast, this was the Croatia I was after.

Claiming to be one of Croatia’s most picturesque cities, our first stop in Croatia was Dubrovnik. Following a brief bus ride from the nearby Montenegrin border, we pulled into Dubrovnik and were greeted in true Mediterranean style: by a harem of dowdy women trying desperately to rent out their rooms.

Following strangers into their homes for a place to lay our heads has become commonplace on our Mediterranean holiday. Though it may seem quite strange to the outsider, it’s a nice option for budget travelers, like ourselves, who are feeling too old for the hostel scene yet unwilling to succumb to the high prices of hotels. But while economical, it’s also a gamble. We’ve won a few and struck out on quite a few more (story on our stay in the home of a porno-watching, 60 year-old female hoarder is a story we will save for offline!). This time around in Dubrovnik, we would win, settling into a room at the home of a middle-aged couple just steps away from Dubrovnik’s Old Town.

After enjoying a few glasses of homemade Croatian wine with our gracious hosts, we stumbled out to explore. Behind the protective city walls guarding the pedestrian-only Old Town, we found historic churches and public buildings, trendy shops and cozy restaurants, ancient sculptures and contemporary galleries, fountains and bell towers, monasteries and gardens. We discovered a little something for everyone… AND that we’d be sharing it with, well, everyone.

On our first day in Dubrovnik I realized a few things: Undiscovered Europe this was absolutely not. Croatia, and Dubrovnik specifically, attract hordes of tourists. Many are just docking here for the day on their cruise ship, but traveling in loud, obnoxious packs, they are hard to ignore. I also realized, with the sweltering heat of August, this was not the ideal time to visit. The heat was stifling. If you weren’t in the shade, in the water or at least under a sun hat, you were doomed.

While the naïve notion began to wear off that we’d be discovering this pearl of the Adriatic on our own, I also realized no crowds or even stifling humidity could destroy the allure of enchanting Dubrovnik. Mornings were spent over coffee on a park bench overlooking the panorama of red terracotta roofs. When the city filled up, we made our exit to the heavenly landscaped beaches outside of town. Here we listened to the turquoise water lap up against the shore while our bodies basked in the Mediterranean sun. At dusk, we walked the Old City walls and watched the sun illuminate the medieval stone buildings into a bright, golden hue, overlooking a sea strewn with lush islands.

Although we had to share its beauty with countless holidaymakers, jet-setters and backpackers, there was no denying it: Dubrovnik is special.