Bluesun Holiday Village Alan in Starigrad

Just back from 2 weeks and already planning our 4th return. The whole tennis team, you guys were amazing! Honestly, I don't know how you kept up the enthusiasm and the smiles on the hottest part of resort. Every year we think the crew cant be beaten, and you guys topped them all. So thank you! From junior through to premium (my husband, definitely not me) there was something for us all. Will on Surf Squad. You managed to keep a dozen pre teens in line and entertained while I struggle with 1. No idea how you did it, but thank you! Lou was a firm favourite with my windsurf obsessed child. She is a natural teacher and gave advice and pointers to so many people out on the water. A credit to the team. There were grumblings of repetitive food or waits for equipment from other guests. On the food side, its a 3 star hotel. Its not going to be gourmet. Saying that, there was always a good variety, food was fresh and we were more than happy with the options. On top of that, the area was kept spotless and staff were always on hand to take drinks orders or clear tables. Equipment wise, there were 2 days where the wind was so strong the beach was only open to experienced guests. On the day the winds died down, I heard there were over 100 people out on the water. Safety came first, and if you had to wait longer for equipment because they were doing a count its not a big deal. You're in the sun, just wait and enjoy the view. Talking of winds, Ella did great keeping the green windsurf sessions running with land based theory and sim work. Lastly, a special mention needs to go to all the staff and their 'battle of the bands'. What a performance! And lovely to see Neilson raising money for the local communities.

We booked with Neilson and visited July-Aug25 with two children. The positives - the staff of both Neilson and the hotel were great. They genuinely seemed invested in your enjoyment and experience and minor gestures and interactions often reinforced this. I was really impressed and at ease. Food was decent and freshly prepared with good variety. The staff in the restaurant were very nice. The room was comfortable and although configured the wrong way around for us, room service immediately switched it back and fixed another minor issue. The beds were comfy and the aircon worked great. The activities were great with plentiful sailing, tennis etc. We tried lots of different ones and were exhausted by the end of the trip. Equipment was in good order and the staff took safety seriously and were on hand at a moments notice. I would just criticise the timings however as for example, many people observed that it was too hot to cycle in the day, and by the time you went to go in the late afternoon, you had to bring the bikes back for the 6pm close, so there wasn’t time to do a longer ride. I would suggest closing for lunch and opening in the early evening so that people can ride into town etc when it’s cooler. Or drop the bike back later after they had closed somehow. My main gripe was the cost of the drinks. Cocktails seemed more expensive than surrounding bars and restaurants (including next door’s campsite bar owned by the same people) and the beer was 38% more expensive than a restaurant just down the road - 3 euros 90 there and IIRC, 5 euros 40 in the hotel. That’s almost the same price as the UK and was enough to put us off buying drinks when you know it’s a lot cheaper everywhere else. Having paid over 7k for a holiday for four of us, we were nervous about running up a bar tab. I’d also add that turning off the juice machine after breakfast was a bit tight. At least provide squash and juice for kids at lunch and dinner. The sea and resort itself were very clean and it was nice to go swimming in the pools and beach areas. But we sometimes noticed that guests were turning up from outside the hotel (from neighbouring campsite) and using the loungers, seafront etc. Didn’t really affect us, but my son reported back that 3 teenagers had smashed up a bottle one evening and were quite obnoxious, having drunk alcohol despite being under 18. Overall I would certainly consider coming back, but stock up the fridge with supermarket beer unless they reduce the bar prices to a more sensible level. I would say to the owners and Neilson that they have a terrific team of staff on hand and should be proud.

Travelled as a family of three with our 11 year old for a week on a Neilson active holiday for the first time. Pick up at the airport (Split) was all very easy and smooth. Apparently this year they have introduced the Neilson app to book activities. Although the app is a bit clunky and clearly some of the activity staff think so too, can't imagine what it was like prior to that. Also think, if they are going to get people to use the app they should really improve the wifi across the whole site and not just the main reception area. Signal can drop in and out depending on where you are. The app does mean you can clearly see the activities you want to book and we never had a problem getting onto everything we wanted to do, even last minute sometimes. Speaking with other guests that stayed in Greece with Neilson this sounds like a 'bigger' resort. Given our previous experience of larger all inclusive complexes this is not big at all, but we felt that adds to charm and ease of the place. It has a nice village feel to it. Everything is quick and easy to get to, which is great given that you may be doing back to back activities. We stayed in a cabin which I think was a great choice as you are a little bit out of the way and have a great big veranda with sun loungers, table and chairs an good sized drying rack. Bedrooms were comfy and very adequate with aircon. Although not luxurious more than adequate considering you spend most of your time out of them. We got stuck into a lot of activities and our son joined the Stingrays kids club. This is where this type of holiday comes into it's own. The staff are superb. Their logo is good energy and they live by it. They are friendly, supportive and energetic enough without being over the top, cheesy or in your face. Truly a credit to the experience. The variety of activities are fantastic and I'm sure you will find whatever floats your boat. The equipment is of a good standard. Aside from the variety another thing I really likes is how relaxed they were about changed plans, cancelling activities and sometimes dipping in and out of stuff. Although there was structure and good organisation it was not too rulesy. The reception staff were also brilliant. I had a tooth abscess during my stay but the reception staff were brilliant in getting me sorted with a local dentist and I could carry on enjoying my holiday. Our son enjoyed stingrays club and the daily activity schedule is a packed one. Again this was great as we were allowed to sign him in and out when we wanted, so not committed to the whole day type of thing. He missed his final session and the staff did a lovely thing of leaving a personal handwritten note inside our cabin for him. Lovely touch. Also a nice mix of having family mornings and kids club and dining out a couple of nights. Did see some people bring back pizza takeaways during these nights. It was great to get out and try some of the local restaurants. Very handy that there is a large supermarket

I came for just one night, but my stay was perfect for that short period. The reception staff accommodated me with a room at 12:30, even though the hotel was very busy. The room was spotless, a bit small, but had all the necessary amenities. The food was phenomenal, and the outdoor bar was fantastic. The bartender made me a great Manhattan.

Interestingly, most of the staff were from the UK. Overall, I had a wonderful time and am planning to bring my family back to the hotel.

I’m usually a visitor to boutique hotels rather than large resorts, and certainly not any that smack of package holidays or all-inclusivity. However, Neilson’s Alana Beach Club proved a notable exception. The quality and value are simply incredible — flights, (good) food, dozens of sports (with included professional instruction and even free certification), wonderful pools, sports facilities and equipment, staff who are fun, caring and social with guests, and a great vibe, all for less than accommodation alone at other places. It’s such a good deal I’m considering canceling another holiday just to come back! Strongly recommend.

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. PHOTO

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.