Lucy Morgan
For dinner, it was time to head over to the restaurant, a buffet on a glamorous terrace with polished white decking and a view of the ocean. Yes, it’s a buffet, but the quality of the food – prepared by local chefs – was excellent. I loved the variety on offer. While ravenous kids could feast on pizza and chips, more sophisticated – ahem – adults could dine on Croatian cuisine, including my absolute favourite: burek, a flaky layered pastry that demands triple helpings. I’ll admit I may have had the occasional slice of pizza, too.
On our first full day at the Alana Beach Club, Josie and I’s mornings looked a little different. While I opted for an extended sojourn in the hotel room, enjoying the deepest, most comfortable sleep I’d had for a while, Josie was up at the crack of dawn to go wakeboarding. “It was definitely a highlight of the trip,” she said, afterwards.
“The instructors were great. Before we got on the boat, they gave a really informative and helpful briefing and made sure we all felt safe and comfortable. Nothing was too much to ask, and the organisation was seamless.
“Luckily, I had been wakeboarding a few times before, so I got the knack of it pretty quickly. However, the instructors showed me how to improve my technique and were very encouraging and enthusiastic!
“I did the wakeboarding at 7.00 am, so the coastline was empty, and it was an incredible opportunity to see the sunrise over the beautiful mountainous backdrop. Definitely a pinch-me moment.”
After both enjoying slightly different starts to the day, Josie and I enjoyed breakfast and coffee at the restaurant, where we planned our next adventure: kayaking.
Pumped up with pastries and caffeine, we set out in our kayaks to explore the ocean. If you haven’t tried it, it’s a brilliant workout. We managed roughly 4km before paddling back to the shore, exhausted but content.