Join Marie Molls on board METSUYAN IV in Croatia.

Geographically and experientially, Croatia is halfway between the chic French Riviera and the laid-back Eastern Mediterranean cruising grounds of Greece and Turkey. Like the Eastern Med there are islands speckling the azure sea in their hundreds and it's easy to escape to a beautiful, secluded bay that's yours and yours alone, or shared with a rustic and relaxed konoba serving seafood straight from the sea. It also has the beach clubs and nightlife of Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split, a sprinkling of Michelin stars and some wonderful vineyards making some epic wines.

As a destination Croatia is irresistibly on the rise, as Athens-based broker Marie Molls reports. Here's a little glimpse into what it's like to cruise Croatia on board the 36.2m METSUYAN IV.

Describe the captain in five words

Helpful, professional, passionate, dynamic and service-minded. He is brilliant, always up for it and has some great ideas. One was a competition with guests versus crew where you have to match personal facts to the person throughout the charter, who has won a marathon, who has climbed Mount Everest, who had all their teeth replaced aged 10 - really!

It was a clever way to bring us all together, firstly as guests when we had to talk about ourselves to each other, then learning about the crew as individuals. It was so much fun, we were really into it, it got us talking and laughing after dinner. The crew won, they seem to be able to read the guests, understand them really well.