Bluesun Holiday Village Alan

Gerade zurück von einer Woche im Alana Beach Club von Neilson in Kroatien. Erste Erfahrung mit einem Neilson-Urlaub und alle hatten so viel Spaß, dass wir sehr wahrscheinlich wiederkommen werden. Die Kinder entschieden sich, nicht an den Kinderclubs teilzunehmen (was auf meine Kinder und nicht auf die Clubs zutrifft, die, soweit wir sehen konnten, gut besucht und genossen zu sein schienen), aber wir konnten trotzdem viele lustige Aktivitäten als Familie unternehmen und bekamen wirklich guten Unterricht, insbesondere in Tennis und Segeln. Die Zimmer im Club sind gut genug (gut klimatisiert, sauber, bequeme Betten und anständige Duschen), aber der Punkt bei diesen Clubs ist, dass man kaum Zeit in seinem Zimmer verbringt, also ist „gut genug“ absolut in Ordnung. Das Essen war abwechslungsreich und von guter Qualität, die Getränke waren angemessen günstig. Da es zwei Pools und das Meer zum Schwimmen gab, gab es Platz für alle und niemand wurde jemals belästigt, wenn gerade ein Wasserballspiel oder Aqua-Aerobic usw. stattfand. Die Fahrradständer waren gut bestückt und die geführten Gruppenausflüge, an denen ich teilnahm, machten viel Spaß. Der Tennisunterricht war ausgezeichnet. Beim Segeln herrscht morgens praktisch kein Wind, ab Mittag wird es aber allmählich windstill. Das bedeutet, dass die Nachfrage nach Booten gegen 14 Uhr am höchsten ist, und an ein paar Tagen mussten wir uns auf eine Warteliste setzen lassen, da praktisch jedes Boot voll war. Das war etwas frustrierend, da man nur ein halbes Dutzend Laser mehr gebraucht hätte, um alle zufriedenzustellen. Es gab jedoch viele Kajaks und SUPs, und wir haben diese besonders an windstillen Morgen sehr geschätzt. Die umliegende Landschaft ist wunderschön, und wenn wir länger geblieben wären, hätte ich den Nationalpark definitiv noch mehr zu Fuß oder mit dem Fahrrad erkundet und mich für die Klettertouren angemeldet. Das steht alles auf der Liste für das nächste Mal.

This is our second time at this Neilson resort and it was lovely to be back. Unlike the previous two reviews state there wasn’t a serious d&v issue. Yes we had a precautionary letter and yes a few people were ill but it lasted a day and 90% of people never got ill. Grossly over exaggerated by that guest. Also people do not wander in from the other resorts and have meals! This place has definitely been upgraded since 2017, our last visit. A new Olympic size pool, lots of cabin accommodation and a general refurb all round. Staff are friendly, food is on the whole good but could be a few more options especially on the dessert side. Lots of fresh fruit though and pastries are delicious! Not a lot to do after 8.00pm and if the weather is bad there is nowhere to have a drink as the main bar is a beach bar. Not great when it’s raining, there’s a storm or the Bora wind makes an appearance! I wasn’t there for the sport, that’s my husbands department, but the beach is great and the pool is lovely to sit round and sunbathe. The Temple Spa is great for treatments. Jane is very friendly and extremely good in her role there. A few suggestions: Food could be much hotter, especially vegetables, possibly why a small number of people got ill. There needs to be more evening entertainment and if it’s cancelled people need to be made aware. Needs an indoor bar for the rainy nights otherwise there is nowhere to go. Resort manager needs to be seen out and about mingling with guests: only saw ours twice in 10 days. Some of the pathways could do with more lighting at night especially between the two pools. On the whole a great resort with lots to do - could just do a little bit better in some areas.

Just returned from a fantastic two weeks with two teens, on our first Neilson experience. From the moment we were collected from the airport by very capable and entertaining host, Mark, we were looked after to the highest standard. The hotel is perfect with amazing views of the mountains and food was always delicious with lots of choice. But activities just blew us away. Our teens reluctantly joined the TAG team and we barely saw them again! All the activities teams were outstanding, creating a really friendly fun atmosphere alongside really professional coaching. I did the green windsurfing course with fantastic instruction from Lou and Teegan, completely addicted by the end. Waterski team also do a fantastic job and I was up on skis in no time. I took an e-bike out twice, doing the two black rides, really appreciated the extra help in the heat and the hills, but views were totally worth it. I also hiked and climbed in Paklenica. I had thought climbing was included but for rock climbing you need to book. Recommend the cave hike. Also visited Zadar and Plitvice, hiring our own car. Also did volleyball, numerous fitness classes, open water swim and made use of lovely spa to recover. Super impressed with the whole experience- it will be hard to beat.

We had a fabulous experience here, all the staff and Neilson team delivered a fabulous holiday. The kids club for our 2 and 4 year old girls was so good they did not want to come home. Plenty of activities for adults, this was our first Neilson experience and we could not have wished for a better location. We stayed just cabin 1 which has a sea view but is also near where allot of the sailing and outdoor studio activity are throughout the day. It was never an issue for us but at points of the day there is music or people milling around for their activities. Food wise we are very well, both our children have food allergies and my wife can’t tolerate gluten, there was plenty of options for us all. On the non inclusive nights a walk into Starigrad is worth while, there is a supermarket next door and a fridge in the cabin so there are lots of options.

We had an action packed three days at Alana and would highly recommend. We tried most of what was on offer and loved all of it! Ethan, Teagan and Jack gave us an excellent adventure wakeboarding. Fantastic instruction and encouragement, not something we’ve tried before, but would love to do again! Eilidh offered fabulous tutoring with tumble turns and my technique has definitely improved. Eric and Stella - lifeguards - offered helpful tips for open water swims. Both Luca and Luca were welcoming and helpful during our stay. THANK YOU! Nicola, in the spa, gave us a great induction and all parts of the spa were fabulous! Becca’s yoga class at sunset was very serene and would highly recommend. Jordan and Lora gave us consistently excellent bar service. Great quiz night, thank you Mark and Charlie! The welcome meeting was helpful and informative, thank you James and Sam. All of the Reception staff were helpful and accommodated a room change to better suit our needs. We’re a family of vegetarians and enjoyed great choice each night. The seitan steaks were a real treat, vegetarian lasagne, vegetable gratin, aubergine coated in breadcrumbs. All excellent and lovely to have a variety on offer. Salad bar was constantly refreshed and a great range of breads. Breakfasts were a highlight - gorgeous omelettes and the most incredible eggs shakshuka - especially with the local bread, which was gorgeous! So many coffee machines there was never a queue and freshly squeezed OJ in abundance. Set us up for a great day of activities. The hotel was clean and well maintained and we would highly recommend. The Neilson Staff and the local staff were a credit to all. Special nod to Charlie - he was an all round top fella, his parents must be SO proud! Neilson are VERY lucky to have you on board :-)

Just back from the Neilson Beachclub Alana which was our first experience of an active holiday and it was way more than I had expected. ACCOMMODATION- family of 3 we had prepaid to secure a cabin so we were nextdoor to our friends and I loved our cabin. Our son had his own twin room with ensuite and air con/heating and the rooms were bright, comfortable and in great location. Our friends cabin next to us experienced a lot of noise from the boat park with maintenance going on most days. The cabins have a large veranda with sunloungers, table and chairs and a clothes dryer and I'd chs we got the sun a fair bit allowing clothes to dry and relax in private. FOOD - the restaurant is large and has seating outside (mostly undercover) and inside holds a lot of people. The restaurant was crazy busy on Saturday and Sunday nights as everyone seemed to arrive all at once at 7pm but was more staggered other nights. The food was outstanding at every meal and there was so much choice. The staff bring water to you and you can ask for more and every one of the staff were amazing, especially Mia who paid attention to small details and made us feel welcome and looked after. They all work so hard and deserve to be acknowledged. On the fresko nights there are several restaurants to walk to - ask the reps and reception for recommendations and they can book for you. DRINKS - my only criticism is the Price they charge for coke, sprite etc. It was €3.50 for a small bottle which was more than a glass of wine. KIDS CLUBS - our 12 year old son did the Hotshots club the first week and absolutely loved his time on the water with instructors Millie and Nessa, passing levels 1 and 2 in windsurfing, worked towards sailing seamanship level, paddleboarding, waterskiing and much more. He joined surf Squad with Anna the 2nd week and had great fun doing so many activities and made new friends. ACTIVITIES - My husband and I made use of the other activities and the neilson planner is great to help with this. Download it to your phone on arrival. I came down with a temporary medical condition a few weeks before travel restricting me from doing everything I'd hoped to but I did manage to do the green sailing and passed my stage 1 , despite problems with my vision and concentration, which was hugely down to the support and encouragement from the amazing instructors Trixie and Abbi and the other participants. I cannot thank them enough. The Spa is amazing and included in the holiday and I wish I'd used it more. The quiz was really good fun - Mark, Ethan and Charlie were extremely entertaining hosts. HOTEL - well kept, clean and lots of areas to relax and enjoy. The reception staff were extremely helpful and pleasant. The pools were freezing cold but a really nice area to sit and no sunbed wars here!! Though it is October 😆 my son preferred the leisure pool of the 2. There are loads of sunbeds along the waterfront too allowing you to watch the watersports. PHOT

I didn't want to write this review but with receiving no apology or interest in our wellbeing after being made very stressed and upset on our holiday, no other option presents itself. An unexpected and upsetting encounter with a member of the spa staff impacted 13 full days of our holiday leaving us stressed and distressed. Since our first visit when Alana opened we have visited the spa more than 120 times. I'm in my late 70's and have limited endurance for activities so the spa became a good substitute for getting value out of the holidays. Have spent 27+ weeks at Neilson Alana Beachclub. On our first visit we asked for a tour of the facilities with the spa manager and for clarification of the detailed Health, Safety, Hygiene rules posted adjacent the saunas and the steam bath. We were told these particular facilities required users to be nude (a standard condition we have experienced in many other EU spas of this type), remove swimwear to enter and replace swimwear before using the pools. As a child of the post WW2 generation children back then were brought up to have respect and obey rules and we respected these. We always checked these displayed rules remained the same over the 7 years (since 2017) and they are still unchanged today (October 2024). [Images 2,3,4] The hotel Croatian spa staff were always appreciative of our respect in this regard. Last year 2023 Neilson even issued a supplementary digital document with the Bookings Documents clarifying the rules explaining that for hygiene reasons clothing should not be taken into the saunas, a towel should be used to sit or lay on (a normal EU requirement to protect benches from body contact contamination) and if modest and wished it was acceptable to wrap a towel. Clean towels for such use are provided at spa reception. This had the effect last year of creating the best most respected environment at the spa we had ever seen here. A similar, slightly less emphatic, hard copy document was given to guests using the spa in 2022? [Image 1] The Croatian spa staff lost their jobs last year. On the final day of employment the manager gave us both a small personally purchased gift to remember her by. This year TempleSpaNeilson have a franchise to run the spa and I was told the Hotel no longer has any control. At the entrance to the spa is displayed a document stating - please wear swimwear or a towel at all times. (I prefer towel). Also stated: - It is an individual's responsibility to follow Health and Safety guidelines set out within the facilities. [Image 5] These Health and Safety Hygiene guidelines for the saunas and steam bath are as described above and logically enhance the external spa entrance statements. These, I think, are the only rules on display within the facilities for the saunas and steam bath and are also displayed in several languages. As the displayed rules appeared exactly the same as they have always been and after checking with staff at the start of this season we cont

First Neilson holiday for us and loved it! Premium tennis lessons with Gavin, 7 in our group (one missing) 2hrs in the morning then super drills in the afternoon with more tennis if you want it. Group was nice people of similar ability and I would recommend it if you like tennis, it does reduce access to other activities though. Neilson staff absolutely make the holiday very cheery and positive, Gavin our tennis coach was an excellent example. Soooo much to do, sooo much we didn't do in our week. Our accommodation was a beach side cabin overlooking the sea. Food was great, no reports of illness and resort spotless. Not much to do outside of the resort however we didn't have time anyway. A great holiday for us.

This is our second time at this Neilson resort and it’s lovely to be back. Unlike the previous two reviews state there ISN’T a serious d&v issue. Yes we’ve had a precautionary letter and yes a few people have been ill but it’s lasted a day and 90% of people never got ill. Grossly over exaggerated by that guest. Also people do not wander in from the other resorts ! This place has definitely been upgraded since 2017 our last visit. A new Olympic size pool, lots of cabin accommodation, and a general refurb all round. Staff are friendly, food is on the whole good but could be a few more options especially on the dessert side. Not a lot to do after 8 most evenings and if the weather is bad there is nowhere to have a drink as the main bar is a beach bar. Not great when it’s raining! I’m not here for the sport, that’s my husband, but the beach is great and the pool is lovely to sit round and sunbathe. The Temple Spa is great for treatments. Jane is very friendly and extremely good in her role there. A few points : Food could be hotter, possibly why a small number of people got ill. Need to be more evening entertainment. Needs an undercover bar for the rainy nights. Manager needs to be seen out and about mingling with guests. On the whole a great resort with lots to do - could just be a little bit better.