Saplunara

Two fine-sand beaches — Velika and Mala Saplunara — in a kilometre-long bay at Mljet's southeastern tip, protected as a significant landscape since 1965 and part of the Natura 2000 network. Aleppo pines and juniper run right down to the sand in what is described as Croatia's largest remaining coastal sand habitat. The hamlet counts fewer than a hundred residents and accommodation is small-scale, so even in August the bay keeps an unhurried, end-of-the-road feel. No direct ferry: arrive via Sobra, 16 km away.