Why not spend a long weekend sailing in Croatia?
We’ve all heard of take your child to work day, but what would happen if your mum was forced to do your job for 24 hours? I was about to find out.
The original plan was to meet in Croatia - my mum flying in from Newcastle, me from London - on Friday evening. We were heading to the Neilson Alana Beach Club for a three night stay, a long weekend of inclusive activities such as tennis, water sports, mountain biking and swimming. We were booked on return flights home at 8am on Monday.
But, as is typical for someone born on a Friday 13, my journey was plagued with setbacks. Firstly, I was randomly offloaded from my flight, then the one I was moved to the following morning was cancelled a few hours before takeoff. The next replacement flight would get me there by 11am Monday… after my scheduled departure. A slow clap for BA.
In the end, I was 30 hours late getting to the resort, pulling in at 11pm on Saturday night. This meant that for day 1 of our 2 day break, my mum, June, was dispatched on the ground with a simple but vital brief: Do things, make notes and take photos.
I inherited a lot of my most vital journalism skills from my mum - like talking to anyone who makes eye contact with me, observing, and asking lots of questions - and now it was time for her to put them to use.
Between us, here’s how we got on…
What is a Neilson Beach ClubsHoliday?
With resorts across Europe, Neilson Holidays offer the ultimate activity destination for families and adults. Return flights and transfers are included in the price of the holiday, with flights coming from Bristol, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Glasgow, Heathrow, Leeds Bradford, Manchester and Stansted.
You also get breakfast and lunch included as standard, as well as loads of activities. At the Alana Beach Club, these included dinghy sailing, windsurfing, water skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking and you can even sign up for sailing lessons.
Mum and I tried paddle boarding, it was really relaxing and surprisingly easy for us (uncoordinated) first timers.
On solid ground, you can go mountain biking, join a fitness class, scale a climbing wall, hike or just hit the gym. Neilson Beach Clubs are famed for their commitment to tennis, and there are six courts at the Alana Beach Club, plus pickleball courts.
While most people stay for a week, 10 or 14 days, from 2024, they started offering 4-day breaks, meaning you can have a long weekend of sailing, tennis and climbing - in glorious sunshine.
What's the Neilson Alana Beach Club like?
Set right on the shore of the Adriatic Sea it is overlooked by the Paklenica National Park. This means its ideally situated for both water sports and more challenging outdoor pursuits such as hiking, trail running and mountain biking. There are over 20 activities in resort, with 55 hours of free tuition. It's a brilliant opportunity to try something new, or further develop sports and hobbies you already enjoy doing at home with more one-on-one expert guidance.
After entering through the hotel, you find yourself at a large 50m swimming pool, and beyond that is the restaurant, and the beach.
The restaurant is a buffet with a decent selection of options for visitors of all ages (Neilson Holidays are famously child-friendly, with kids clubs welcoming all ages from 4 months to 17) and all dietary requirements.
There's a Neilson Holiday to suit every taste BOOK NOW
The only thing that irked me about the resort as a whole is that there is a burgeoning colony of stray cats here, and sadly they're not in good condition or well cared for. I watched two battle scarred tomcats fighting in a bush as a kitten begged for food beneath a table. Another young cat, clearly in heat, yowled pitifully around the corner.
Earlier this summer, I was beyond impressed with how the Hotel Cordial Mogan Playa in Gran Canaria works with a local cat rescue to neuter and rehome the stray cats who have set up home on the hotel's grounds. I wish something similar could be done here, but I discovered, after a bit of research, that there is no established cat rescue in the area at all so it would really be up to the hotel management to catch and neuter the cats who fight and beg for food around the restaurant. I sincerely hope that they do.
What is the accommodation like at the Neilson Alana Beach Club?
The hotel is situated in a large tower block, and the en suite rooms are simple and clean - which is fine as you're not going on a Neilson Holiday to rest, this is very much an activity break with minimal time spent lying in bed! I was pleased to see that the toiletries are all from TEMPLESPA, but I would recommend taking some suction cup hooks for the bathroom as there is nowhere to hang your towel or toiletries bag.
The location of Alana Beach Club makes it brilliant for sailing, it's a bit of a wind trap, but prepare yourself for some very perturbing howling and whistling once night falls. It freaked me out a lot!
Is there a spa at the Alana Beach Club?
Just as the rooms use TEMPLESPA products, so do the treatments at the spa. I had an All About The Glow facial, which I am a huge fan of after having one at the Harbour Hotel in Brighton. I can imagine that having a spa day and massage at the end of a week of sailing, rock climbing, playing tennis and mountain biking feels very well deserved.
Before my facial, I spent some time relaxing in the spa. It was built 18 years ago and has a really cute, almost retro, vibe to it. There's plenty of loungers for stretching out for a snooze, plus a hydromassage Jacuzzi pool, a very powerful 28 °C resistance swimming pool, two saunas, an aroma grotto and a Swedish cold plunge.
What is there to do in the evenings at the Alana Beach Club?
Neilson Holidays are famously sociable, and it's not uncommon for families to meet up year after year at the same resort. On site you can enjoy some sundowners and chat about the day's activities at the Sky Bar, situated on the top floor of the hotel, or as you listen to the waves lap the shore at the Beach Bar.
Outside of the hotel, there are scores of restaurants further up the road as you walk towards Starigrad. We enjoyed pizza, pasta salad and wine at Bistro Ankora, which set us back just £41.
Go there!
There's a Neilson Holiday to suit every taste BOOK NOW
Prices for a 5-night stay at Neilson Alana Beach Club start from £549pp which includes flights, transfers, activities, and club board for 2 adults sharing a double or twin room with no balcony departing from London Gatwick on 14 October 2025.
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