Ooooh nice. I was always staying in a small town called Tucepi that is not far away from Makarska. Next time I go to Croatia, I'll probably stay in Makarska as well. Lovely little town, but not too little. Nice promenade, good restaurants and bars. And as you said, a good place to reach other destinations. Dubrovnik is definitely worth seeing, but when I was there in 2019, it was soooo packed, and very expensive compared to other Croatian cities.
I've been to Hvar, Brac and to Krka as well. Can't go wrong with that!
I'd add Mostar to the list. It's in Bosnia & Herzegovina, but easy to reach if you have a rental car or probably easily bookable for an excursion. Lovely little town with a lot of history. Well, most of it had to be rebuilt as it was destroyed in the Balkan Wars, but they stayed very true to the original.
And other than that, I'd also say Zadar, Split and Sibenik are worth a visit.
And for something "nearby" to have a stroll on the beach or see a lovely little town I'd also recommend Baska Voda. Only drove through there when the bus took me back to the hotel, but it looked very nice.