ABOUT PALMIZANA MENEGHELLO

Our base for the week is the Palmizana Meneghello, a unique bohemian retreat nestled away on St Klement Island amongst pines, plans, exotic shrubs and aromatic herbs. Take your pick from colourful bungalows and villas, all built with local stone, decorated thoughtfully in deep vibrant colours, with local sculptures and contemporary artwork. We truly believe St Klement is the ideal base from which you can unwind and explore this incredible archipelago. Spend days swimming and relaxing, and evenings sipping gin and tonics in one of Palmizana’s exclusive waterfront bars. The Meneghello family have a rich history. In 1906, Professor Eugenio Meneghello bought 300 hectares of Croatian wilderness. Three generations on, the Meneghello’s pioneer eco-tourism in Croatia. Dagmar Meneghello, along with her daughters, have turned the island into a unique hideaway, bringing art and nature together in an extraordinary way. This resort has received fantastic press coverage both in The Telegraph and The Huffington Post.

YOUR ACCOMMODATION OPTIONS

The base price for this tour is £1,695, based on sharing a bungalow, and taking the smaller bed in that accommodation. If you prefer, you can take a large, main bed for an extra £65, or if you would like your own, private bungalow, there is an additional supplement of £335 for the week. Example bungalows are shown below. If you have any particular questions or preferences, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate you.

the bungalow set up

Most of the bungalows at the Meneghello resort consist of one main room with a double bed, and an adjoining room, with a single bed. If you would like the larger bed, you can pay an additional £65 supplement (subject to availability). Please note, you will be sharing with one other person of the same sex, unless you specify that you would like to share a bungalow with a friend or partner.

Typical sharing room set ups:

Romina II is a stone bungalow, with two bedrooms (one double, one single). Both rooms have access to the bathroom. There is also a terrace with a beautiful view of southern Palmizana bay. The Green Bungalow is a spacious split-level bungalow, with one bedroom upstairs (double bed) and a living room with an additional single bed situated on the ground floor. The green bungalow also has a beautiful terrace nestled in the trees.

sole use of a Private bungalow:

If you would like a bungalow to yourself, there is a supplement of £335. Your bungalow will have a large bed, a living area, a bathroom and a terrace.

Example:

Itinerary

Your itinerary for the week is entirely based on the weather and your ability. On this page you will find some of the swims which you may complete during your week on in Croatia. Most days involve a morning and an afternoon swim, returning to our accommodation for a home-cooked lunch in between. If you are keen to participate in some but not all of a swim, that’s fine, let the guides know and you can hop back on the boat and just relax...

TECHNIQUE COACHING

Technique coaching is an important part of the week and is provided by your swim guides on every trip. You will be filmed at the start of the week from below and above the water, and the guides will work with you to analyse your stroke so that they can help you to improve as the week progresses.  You can of course take the footage home with you.

Saturday

We will meet late afternoon for the safety briefing. Topics covered include: swim preparation, swim routes, feeding, prevailing weather, and safety procedures prior to the acclimatisation swim. Once completed, we will swim in the shallow bay by the hotel. This allows the guides to assess your stroke and assign you to a group with swimmers of a similar pace. Once completed, we will then relax and have dinner during which we will discuss the week ahead. If for any reason guests are unavoidably delayed, the briefing may be deferred to Sunday morning.

Sunday

Swim AM: Coastal swim, Paklinski Octi Island (1.5km) | Swim PM: A swim out to, and around Otocic Island (1.5km)

The day is designed to be easy, giving you time to settle in after your travels. Depending on the timing of the safety briefing, after breakfast will either be the briefing itself or the first swim. It will be a gentle coastal swim starting from the Meneghello’s private beach, following the coastline round to the south west, and back again into the bay. This is a good opportunity to acclimatise to swimming in your group. After a home-cooked lunch we will film your stroke above and below the water. We will then continue with a swim out to a nearby otočić (Croatian for small islet) and back. Later in the day the swim guides will play back the swim films, offering both advice and encouragement on your swim stroke.

Monday

Swim AM: Exploring Otok Borovak and Planikovak (2-3km) | Swim PM: St Klement coastline swim (2-3km) After breakfast, we will board the boat and make our way to the island of Otok Borovak where we will look to swim around the island, and cross over to Otok Planikovak. After lunch, we will set off from the Menghello beach again, and explore slightly further along the coastline of St Klement.

Tuesday

Swim AM: Dobri Otok Swim PM: Island walk (optional) and a secret bay swim Today we head out to Dobri Otok to explore the stunning marine life and soak up some sun on a relaxing swim around this little island. After lunch we offer the opportunity to walk to a secluded bay on St Klement (or take the boat, it’s up to you) for a gentle dip and some stroke technique work to cool off.

Wednesday

Swim AM: “Island Trio” Otočić Travna, Otočić Mali Vodajak and Otočić Vodajak (4km) Today there will be one main swim, offering you the opportunity to swim around a trio of islands off the South West coast of St Klement. After lunch we will make our way back to the hotel for a free afternoon where you can enjoy the relaxed pace of the island, or use the opportunity to ask the guides for some one-to-one stroke analysis and advice.

Thursday

Swim AM: Swim to Duboka Bay (3km) | Swim PM: Vlaka Island & Fishermans Bay (2km)

The last full day of swimming. Weather and boat traffic dependent, we will look at swimming down the north coast of the island, in and out of beautiful inlets and finishing in the clear waters of Duboka Bay. After a lunch at Fishermans Restaurant, we will complete a circumnavigation of Vlaka Island before heading back to Menegello's.

Friday

Swim AM: Sunrise swim

For those who are not catching the very early morning ferries,  there will be a short sunrise bay swim by the hotel before you pack and prepare for your transport back to the airport.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Nature and the weather can be unpredictable - your flexibility is important. All swim activities are planned with safety at their heart. Open-water swimming is always governed by tides and the weather. As a result planned swims may need to be changed, depending on the prevailing weather conditions at the time. All efforts will be made to keep to the itinerary, but it is likely to change at short notice.

GETTING TO PALMIZANA MENEGHELLO

Travel to Palmizana resort is simple -  Fly to Split, catch a bus or taxi to the harbour, take the catamaran to Hvar then shuttle across to Palmizana on the speedboat. If you use the taxi service we recommend, they will take you to the harbour, give you your tickets, and put you on the catamaran to Hvar.

TRIP START / FINISH TIMES

• The trip starts at 4pm on Saturday, however should you need to arrive slightly later due to ferry connections that is fine - please let us know your arrival time in advance.
• The trip finishes after breakfast on Friday morning, however many guests choose to get a very early ferry (6.35am) back to Split from Hvar so that they can catch a late morning flight. Do take a look at the ferry timetables in the links below.

1) FLY TO SPLIT

Flying to Split is a two-hour flight from the UK. Airlines such as easyjet and British Airways provide regular flights from a variety of UK airports. For the best flight information and prices, please refer to www.skyscanner.co.uk or www.kayak.co.uk.

leaving on the friday morning

There is an early morning ferry from Hvar to Split on Friday morning at 6.35am. We can ensure you are taken to Hvar in time for this ferry if you are getting a morning flight. The cost of the transfer service from Palmizana to Hvar will be €15pp (billed to your room in resort).

What should I pack?

• At least 2 x swimming costumes
• Wetsuit (optional)
• Swim fins (optional) – can be useful for additional speed and for technique drills
• 2 x pairs of swim goggles – one clear and one tinted if possible
• Tow float (required) - if you haven’t got one yet, you can purchase from our online shop here
• Rash vest (optional) - available from our online shop here
• Towel(s)
• Small daypack/rucksack to use for your personal equipment/clothing during the day (although you will receive a SwimQuest 10L dry bag)
• Sandals/aqua shoes/flipflops – for getting wet
• Comfortable walking shoes
• Insect repellent
• Fleece or warm jumper for evenings
• Sun hat, sun cream and glasses
• A waterproof watch (optional)
• A memory stick should you wish to take your video analysis home with you immediately
• Travel insurance details

READY TO BOOK?

We’re excited about meeting you in Croatia. To book your trip, simply click 'BOOK NOW' for your chosen trip below. A deposit of 30% is required to secure your place, and the final payment is due 10 weeks prior to departure. Payments can be made by debit/credit card or by bank transfer. If you are not yet ready to book and require more information, please click 'ENQUIRE'. Once you have complete the form, Sarah (our bookings co-ordinator) will be in touch to help you with any additional requirements.

RELAX & EXPLORE  |  17-23 MAY 2025  |  BOOK NOW |  ENQUIRE

RELAX & EXPLORE  |  20-26 SEPTEMBER 2025  | BOOK NOW | ENQUIRE

RELAX & EXPLORE  |  27 SEPT - 3 OCT 2025  |  SOLD OUT |  ENQUIRE

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In booking with us, you accept our terms and conditions, which can be found here. If at any point you have any questions, feel free to contact us:

• Sarah Broadley | +44 7917 033670 | sarah@swimquest.uk.com
• Charlie Beere | +44 7563 389238 | charlotte@swimquest.uk.com
• Alice Todd | +44 7825 301443 | alice@swimquest.uk.com

Travel Insurance

As a SwimQuest guest, you are required to have in place travel insurance that covers you for all activities you will be taking part in during your trip. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are fully covered for these activities.

Whatever travel policy you decide on, you will need to bring a copy of your current Certificate of Insurance to the safety briefing at the start of your SwimQuest holiday. Your swim Guides will need to take a note of your insurer, policy number and the number to call in case of an emergency claim.

Please note, if you are a UK resident and eligible for free health cover via the NHS, you do not need to take our a travel insurance policy for our UK based trips. You may still wish to take out insurance to cover you for events such as trip cancellation, luggage and personal liability.

If you are travelling from the US or another country, we suggest you use a travel insurance comparison site based in your own country in order to decide on a suitable policy.

You can find more information on our Insurance page.

Columbus Direct offers three levels of cover Bronze, Silver and Gold, with differing levels of emergency medical, cancellation and baggage so you can choose the cover to suit your needs. All levels of cover include over 150 sports and activities covered as standard including open water swimming within 12 miles of shore (you will not be swimming more than 12 miles away from the shore on SwimQuest Holidays).

You will also benefit from free airport lounge access if your flight is delayed for 1hr or more*. Optional cover is available including Gadget, Winter Sports and Cruise, along with cover for many pre-existing medical conditions subject to online screening.  Columbus Direct offer single trip cover up to 85 years old and annual multi trip cover up to 74 years old.

*The policyholder can register both themselves and up to four additional travelling companions for Columbus Direct’s Airport Delay service. They will then be eligible to receive free airport lounge access in the event a delay of one or more hours is announced for their flight. View terms and conditions here