I've been clinging onto the side of a 50-foot limescale rockface in Paklenica National Park in Croatia for about seven minutes. I know there's a way up this wall – I've just seen three other women navigate it with ease. But I'm scared; scared of heights, scared that I'm not strong enough, scared of embarrassing myself in front of the group watching below. “REMEMBER TO BREATHE,” one of them bellows from the safety of the ground. I inhale, count to three, and then jump.
After I body-slam the rock wall, my climbing instructor grins, “You want to try that again?”
As part of my stay at the Neilson Alana Beach Club in Paklenica, Croatia, I've been getting better acquainted with the great outdoors, from rock climbing up awe-inspiring mountains to kayaking on the turquoise waters of the Adriatic Sea – often all within the same morning.
It's quite the departure from the lazy holidays that I'm used to. Since hitting my late twenties, I've been searching for a holiday destination with more to offer than lounging by a pool. Don't get me wrong; I like having it as an option – especially when accompanied by a good book and an Aperol spritz – but doesn't a lie-down always feel that much better when you've earned it?
At the Neilson Alana Beach Club, you don't have to work too hard for your poolside cocktails – but there are plenty of activities to tempt you all the same.
While my best friend Josie and I could hardly be described as fitness fanatics, we love hiking, running, and messing around in the great outdoors. When we arrived at the Alana Beach Club after two hours on a coach from Split Airport, we instantly knew we were in for a treat.
The Alana Beach Club at a glance:
- Holiday packages include direct flights and airport transfers
- Water activities include paddle boarding, water skiing, dinghy sailing with tuition, or windsurfing with tuition.
- Land activities include tennis, pickleball, mountain biking, fitness classes, yoga and stretch classes, a climbing wall, an indoor cycling studio, a fitness studio, and volleyball.
- Spa, including indoor hydromassage Jacuzzi, resistance swimming pool, hot tubs, steam bath, Bio sauna, Finnish sauna, aroma sauna, cold water pool, ice bath and several treatment rooms.
- All-inclusive breakfast and lunch every day
- Olympic-sized swimming pool
You can see the Alana Beach Club long before you arrive outside its doors, as the hotel's central tower has become part of Starigrad's local landscape. Situated between Paklenica National Park and the Adriatic Sea, practically every room in the hotel has a striking view. However, for the best view, you need only hop in a lift to the top floor of the hotel, where you'll find a rooftop cocktail bar worthy of a solo spot on the 'gram.
Before Josie and I knocked back a few cocktails on the rooftop terrace, we unpacked and settled into our apartment, which had two spacious double rooms with en-suite bathrooms and a shower.
All rooms have air-con (a lifesaver), a mini-fridge, tea and coffee-making facilities, a telephone, a TV, a safety deposit box, beach towels and a hairdryer. While the room was functional rather than extravagant, it still had a luxe feel. I could have slept in that glorious double bed all day – if there wasn't so much more to get on with outside!
We spent the dusky evening wandering along the stone path through the hotel's leafy grounds, checking out the Olympic-sized swimming pool (one of three pools), tennis courts, climbing wall, and, best of all, the sun setting into the glittering ocean.
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.
It's not just wakeboarding and kayaking on offer; you can also try paddle boarding, water skiing, dinghy sailing with tuition, or windsurfing with tuition. If you prefer to keep it active on dry land, there's tennis, pickleball, mountain biking, fitness classes, yoga and stretch classes, a climbing wall, an indoor cycling studio, a fitness studio, and volleyball.
While the activities were certainly enough to keep us busy, we also found time to unwind in the spa: Josie opted for a massage, and I enjoyed a rehydrating facial to restore my skin after a morning on the sea. Other treatments include manicures, pedicures, anti-ageing eye treatments, and vitamin C facials. If you've really exerted yourself, you can also go for a recovery or sports massages.
That brings me back to my climbing endeavours. Hanging off the rock, bruises forming, I look the climbing instructor in the eye and say, “Yes, let's go again.” When I finally reached the top, I was met with an underserved (and slightly embarrassing) applause from the group.
I feel a glimmer of pride, smiling as I abseil down the rock face. Now, that was a trip to remember.
To find out more and to book your own holiday, visit neilson.co.uk.
For more from Glamour UK's Lucy Morgan, follow her on Instagram @lucyalexxandra.
Taking the road less travelled.
