Ciovo holiday apartment: Slatine

The view from this property is beautiful as described on the website (you can,however, see Split airport on the mainland, but we weren't too disturbed just surprised by it's proximity!). However, the beach closest to the apt is not an easy 50 metres away as you have to walk down a steep hill, amongst a very rocky path - not something that is easy to do with children or if you have any disabilities. The beach once you get there is small and there are other easier to reach beaches by car or in Slatine by foot.

Trogir itself is a super town with pleny of places to eat - the only down side is that in high season it can take anything for 30-45 minutes to go across the little bridge linking Ciovo with Trogir and the mainland. (This includes evenings when going out to eat!). But there are some nice places to eat around Ciovo too.

We toured around Ciovo by car and it is a lovely little island; the sea is crystal clear but not as azure blue as in other parts of Croatia and the beaches are rockier than expected. (Many of the locals and holiday-makers wear little surf shoes to go into the sea.)

Slatine is at one of the furthest points on the island and has a daily service to Split by little boat. A great place to visit - you can pick up a walking tour map from the tourist office in Slatine which is right next door to a handy little supermarket.

The apt was spacious and had a good size terrace but had not been cleaned adequately, and needed a few repairs in the bathroom and living area. After speaking with the team running the apt most things were happily fixed.

The pool itself was nice, but very cold, and cleaned about twice a week; surprisingly it was not busy for much of our stay - however it had no shallow end and so was not as suitable for my youngest child.

The apt could be improved by: a 'welcome pack' with basic supplies, an information folder highlighting key things in the area, instructions for the various pieces of equipment!. Spare pillowcases should you wish to sleep on the extra pillows provided. Access to the TV in English as well as German, since it is advertised as satellite TV.

I will return to Croatia again but not to Ciovo because it didn't suit the needs of our family. I think this apt and its location/access is better suited to families with older children or to couples or groups of friends going away together.