Frapa Marina Croatia your experiences?

[Pedro2729]

Have trawled the forum - apologies if this has been done before and I can't find it. We are thinking of an annual contract in Frapa Marina, Croatia. Boat is currently in ACI Dubrovnik. Difficult to get proper info and we have not been there. Specifically - the marina looks quite open and exposed - we think to a decent southerly blow. Anyone any experience of the place, good or bad and specifically the shelter for the boat and pontoons when we are not there in mid winter gales? Lift out possibilities? Costs? PM me if you don't want to reply here.
Thanks

 

[tawhiri]

It is a bit OTT with emphasis on Super Yachts, The town is nice and there is good public transport to Split or Primosten. I can’t comment about the service as they were too busy servicing the Big boys.
However Kremik is only 5 miles away and is a Volvo service center with excellent service.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

We have berthed for 3 seasons in Frapa and I intend to stay there. It bills itself as the best marina in Croatia and based on our visits to other marinas, I would say that's justified. Firstly it's only 35mins taxi ride from Split airport; we have negotiated a fixed rate of €30 with a local taxi company. There's every facility you could ever want on site including supermarket, chandlery (limited stock), swimming pool, gym, night club, tennis courts, 3 restaurants, 4 bars, hotel rooms and various shops. The staff are generally friendly and competent although rumour has it that the marina owner is a bit of a ogre and there seems to be a regular turnover of staff. Rogoznica town is about 10-15mins walk and there's a good range of shops/restaurants there although if you're looking for sophistication go elsewhere but you could say that about Croatia generally. The marina is located right in the middle of the Dalmatian island chain so there are many cruising destinations close by.
There is a boat hoist and it can lift quite large boats but hardstanding space is limited so if you need to stay out of the water for extended period, you're best going elsewhere. One big issue I have is that the marina charges a €100/day fee for allowing an outside contractor to work on your boat. That forces you to use the marina's own service dept who are sometimes overstretched and their competence is limited. I don't trust them to do complex engine service work, for example. However, as tawhiri has pointed out, Kremik is around the corner where there are 2 competent maintenance companies. The other issue I have with Frapa is that it is a big marina but all the facilities are at one end so if you are stuck on one of the outer pontoons, you've got a long walk to get a litre of milk. With regard to shelter, it is well sheltered from the Bora wind but it is a little exposed to the south and west although not dangerously so. Put it like this. I haven't overwintered my boat there every year but when I have, I haven't had any great concerns.
Personally I find the annual berthing costs reasonable but thats maybe because we spent many years in the W Med, where the costs are astronomical, before we came to Croatia. The service labour rates are also reasonable. There is a fuel dock but the prices seem to be a little higher than other fuel docks in the area.
One other big issue we have is that there are no direct flights to Split from any London airport between mid October and April. That means to get to Frapa, we have to fly to Zagreb or Dubrovnik and rent a car for the 3.5hr drive.