When the Travelista TV team was in search of a new international party hot spot, we didn’t have to look any further than Croatia, a Mediterranean country surrounded by the warm waters of the Adriatic Sea. Part of the former Yugoslavia, and bridled by war throughout the early 1990s, Croatia has emerged as one of the most sought after travel destinations of the new millennium. This Mediterranean locale has it all: an economy that isn’t run by the euro, sun, sea, and beautiful people.

We began our journey in Split, where we stayed in a restored castle in the center of the city. The Dalmatian Islands are known for a tall population, and we were surrounded with Croatian basketball players (think NBA baller Tony Kukoc) and gorgeous models. We hung out with a Croatian who was home for the holidays from Chicago, where he currently works as a basketball coach. He was very entrenched in the black culture in the US, due to his relationship on the basketball team. We developed a small following of fans in Croatia, as the locals were curious about us and enamored with our brown skin. We partied with the basketball player/coach as he showed us around the hottest parties in Split. The fun was just beginning!

We left Split by private speedboat, jetting off to the party island of Hvar. Hvar is quickly becoming the Ibiza of Croatia, where the rich and beautiful yacht and island hop all summer long. For 5 days straight, we partied until the sun came up, enjoying the good life with Croatian glitterati and celebrity, including soccer celeb Davor Suker. We were told that the island of Hvar had never seen so much champagne flow before our arrival. What can we say? We pop bottles…and bottles….and bottles!

We continued our epic journey around the Dalmatian Islands to the southern tip of Croatia, in the beautiful city of Dubrovnik. We visited this enchanting city, which overlooks the Adriatic Sea. The old town of Dubrovnik, enclosed by a stone wall, is where all the magic happened…men proposed to us; we crashed a wedding; sang Croatian songs with the locals; and we popped bottles!

Dubbed as the “next Italy”, Croatia’s underground status makes the experience that much more authentic. The tall, gorgeous people are humble and inviting. Chic cafés, international boutiques, and hotspots are slowly popping up around the country. As more and more Western Europeans continue to buy real estate and Croatia becomes less undiscovered, we hope that the uniqueness of this little Adriatic jewel will not be lost.

Watch our footage from Croatia here.

We had a fascinating time at the Sundance Film Festival 2008 in Park City!

From movie fanatics to film critics to celebrities to partygoers, Sundance 2008 lived up to the hype. Travelistas were on the scene, chatting up the who’s who in black Hollywood and the music world.

We ran into the attractive Lee Thompson Young of The Famous Jett Jackson at The Blackhouse.

We also caught up with actor and producer Ty Hodges. Known for his role on the Disney channel’s Even Stevens, Ty was at Sundance promoting his film, Miles from Home, featuring Meagan Good. The beautiful young Meagan talked to us about some of her on-screen romances and how she feels about kissing so many men! Meagan Good has starred in Eve’s Bayou, Biker Boyz, Stomp the Yard, and You Got Served.

Music video director turned filmmaker Benny Boom was at the festival highlighting his film, Next Day Air, featuring Mos Def and Inny Clemmons. We already know the soundtrack to this flick will be a hot one!

From red-carpet premieres to the after parties, we were never disappointed. The Blackhouse at Sundance continues to serve as an avenue for talented African-American filmmakers to showcase their stories through independent and feature films. The Blackhouse at Sundance is a unique space where filmmakers, celebrities, talent, students, and veteran industry executives hang out to attend workshops, socialize and entertain. We caught up with newcomer and black-indie-film-world showstopper Dennis Dortch, writer and director of the sexy and soulful A Good Day to be Black and Sexy. The film is formatted into six vignettes, which explores romanticism, sexuality, and intimacy. Hear his take on the new wave of black sexuality in storytelling.

Our mission as Travelistas is to experience the finest in lifestyle, travel, and entertainment. This sometimes includes hobnobbing with the very best in Hollywood, and there is no better place than the Sundance Film Festival. At this year’s event in Park City, Utah, there were many notable African-American filmmakers, actors, and music celebrities. At The Blackhouse Foundation, there was a home for us to congregate, network, and party, located smack-dab in the heart of the festival. This year’s festival showcased several black indie art films, documentaries, and theatrical adaptations.

We were superimpressed to meet and interview Elvis Mitchell, creator and writer of the new documentary, The Blacklist, and his fellow director of the film, famed photographer Timothy Greenfield Sanders. The two are the best of friends and seemed to be able to finish each other’s sentences. Their joint production, The Blacklist, provides a glimpse into the zeitgeist of black America, which challenges the traditional definition of the term “blacklist,” showcasing luminaries Toni Morrison, Vernon Jordan, and Chris Rock. The BlackList airs this fall on HBO.

We partied with music celebrities, including Grammy Award winner Chamillionaire and Sticky Fingaz of Onyx, who recently directed, produced, and starred in A Day in the Life. Sticky was hot and sexy as always.

We also ran into The Wire’s Andre Royo, who was at Sundance promoting his next project, August. Royo, who is commonly known as Bubbles, was delighted to be at Sundance and at The Blackhouse around the many talented African-American filmmakers and actors.

One of the festival highlights was the silver-screen adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. Directed by Kenny Leon, the film stars talented and legendary Tony Award winners Phylicia Rashad and Audra MacDonald, the beautiful Sanaa Lathan, and Sean P.Diddy Combs. Phylicia’s tear-jerking performance brought the audience to their feet at the premiere while Audra, Sanaa, and P. Diddy received warm, heartfelt applause.

Indie-film newcomer Matthew Stanton, writer and director of North Starr, made a smashing debut at Sundance with his film that explores multiculturalism and racism in America today.

If you missed it this year, make sure to book your tickets for next year. See you at Sundance 2009!