We took only breakfast, which was somewhat monotonous. You could have lunch and dinner at the hotel restaurant, but we preferred the Puntu Rata restaurant, and we especially liked the Stari Hrast cafe, which translates as old oak. The cafe is small, but very cozy and the choice of dishes is simply huge, for every taste.
The beaches in Brela are small pebbles, but very narrow. Three hundred meters from the hotel there is the famous beach of Punta Rata, which is a little wider, but as crowded as all the others. After 11.00 it is very difficult to find a free place. But we are early "birds", at 11.00 we were already leaving the beach, so we had no problems with a place by the sea. The water in the sea is clear even at great depths, during the entire time of our stay there was never a storm.
Animation in the hotel 1-2 times a week only for children and then in English or German, there are no discos. It only pleased us, because. it is much more pleasant in the evening to enjoy the splash of the sea, the noise of pines and the chirping of cicadas, and not the rumble of mediocre modern music. In general, Brela is designed for a quiet, relaxing holiday. Lovers of wild nights do not come here.
The hotel staff does not speak Russian, but if you speak English or German, at least as part of the school curriculum, then there will be no problems.
Croatia is a very beautiful country with amazing nature and ancient history. Be sure to visit Krka Park, Biokovo Mountain and Dubrovnik, these are stunningly beautiful and interesting places. Yes, and also visit the Diocletian's Palace in old Split. You can’t even believe that this palace was built in 305, it has been preserved just fine. We are very sorry that we did not manage to visit the Plitvice Lakes, they say they are amazing.
Two weeks of our vacation flew by unnoticed, but we intend to definitely come back here again and recommend everyone to visit Croatia at least once.
There were other "little things". But all this faded against the backdrop of this nature. Yes. Here the Croatians are lucky. And they were smart enough to keep it all and benefit from it.
We liked this hotel precisely because of the absence of any parties and noises. No unnecessary movements - only the sea, air and walks along the sea. The children were delighted with everything. The sea was warm for the first 4 days, then, after the storm, it was cool, but in the morning it was very pleasant to swim. The kitchen was just fabulous. Huge selection of very high quality fish and meat dishes, changed every day. About numerous salads With a choice of hotel the familiar Croat has helped. He said this hotel was perfect for a family plus it had a pool.
I can recommend to couples and families looking for a calm clear sea and a magical holiday. I do NOT recommend those who like to get drunk and make noise, those who like to show off with rhinestones on slippers : -). Here is a rest for those who appreciate nature, the beauty of the sea and the smell of pine needles.
About the hotel: Maestral is the smallest hotel of 4 available. Floors 1 and 2 are reception, a lounge, a restaurant. Floors 3 and 4 are residential, quiet. At the entrance there is a fresh water pool, umbrellas, sunbeds. I liked the restaurant: always fresh pastries, various berry teas and other drinks, salads, side dishes, vegetables, mushrooms. We almost didn’t eat meat, we dabbled in fish, seafood, poultry. Cakes, ice cream, fresh and canned fruits. Every day we are like on a holiday I met a starched chef. It's nice! The rooms are ordinary, there is air conditioning, a safe, a balcony with a table and chairs. The partitions between the balconies are light, if noisy neighbors come across, they will not let you sleep.
About the beach: 65 steps down and you are by the sea. White pebbles, small on it it is convenient to enter the sea. The sea is the most transparent, except for cheerful simmatic fish, no one and nothing swims. Those who do not like to walk on pebbles can buy slippers, they are sold everywhere. From a concrete path to water 10-15m. space. You can take a sunbed for 20 kunas (about 3 euros), they will bring it to you right away where you order. There are benches and showers along the path.
Entertainment: walking along the same path in both directions. You walk, look at the vegetation, villas, apartments, restaurants you select for lunch. The food is hot everywhere, very tasty and different. Look, it's time to drink coffee. Coffee is different everywhere, sometimes very tasty. It's nice to sit with a cup in the port and watch how sailboats and yachts are moored (well, very expensive, well, very beautiful). We also sailed on a cheerful ship to the islands of Brac and Hvar. The ship was called "Bebe" (after all) music thundered on it, endlessly poured wine, ate fish without counting, got acquainted with foreign neighbors and, of course, filmed the surrounding beauties. Blue sea, colorful cities, gray mountains and clear air --- it's a delight!! ! Life is in full swing on the islands, there are many hotels, unusual beaches (for example, the Golden Horn), the famous tennis court, everywhere pines, pines, pines and the blue sea. We returned without remembering.
We took a taxi to Makarska, a very nice little town with an old historical center. Old cities in the Mediterranean are similar, differing only in area. No matter how many times we have watched them, we still want to get into them again. They have some sort of attraction. And in them, there is also all sorts of trade, all the pleasures and you can even settle in them for the night. Like this.
In the evening we walked again along the embankment. Near the Solin hotel, small shows were arranged every evening - national songs and dances in colorful costumes were sung and danced. Somehow, all this was not intrusive, joyfully and calmly happened. Then you go to the hotel and Croatian melodies are spinning in your head. Not everyone speaks Russian, but everyone understands it.
The weather smiled at us 27-30gr.
It was very comfortable and didn't feel hot.
Disadvantages: to the left of the building is the compressor room of the hotel, until you get used to it, it makes noise.
The food was quite satisfactory. There were no special frills, the set of salads was limited. During the 12 days of our stay, the watermelon was only 3 times, there were 3 types of fruit (apples, kiwi, pears, bananas, plums, peaches - but not all at once, but in some combination of the above). For dinner there was a salad bar and a selection of main dishes from the menu. The menu usually included a dish of meat, fish/poultry, something "pasta" (lasagna, etc. ) and always the 4th course was an omelet. The main course was good enough (we usually took meat).
Breakfast is traditional: muesli, milk, scrambled eggs, yoghurts, sausages, eggs.
We had enough breakfast and dinner. We didn't go anywhere special for lunch.
The service in the restaurant is good. We never waited for a waiter, bored. Also, they never felt a bad attitude towards themselves "against the background" of other foreigners. There are no queues at the restaurant at all.
In addition to Russians, Croats, Czechs, Germans, Italians rest in the hotel. Everything is calm and quiet. In principle, it is quiet everywhere in Brela: I have never heard noisy discos. Usually only after 21.00 "live" music sounds in the bars: either Croatian songs, or something English or Italian-language.
The sea and the beach are great. Clean. Sometimes the sea was cold (on the first day of our stay, no one even swam), but then the "wind changes" and everything becomes fine. The winds are strong enough. Towels flew off the balcony easily. But in Croatia, what has fallen will always wait for its owner - theft is not accepted in the country.