Gava Waterman Island Cottages

“Don't believe everything you read - What a stunning 7-day holiday!”

We have just returned from the Gava Waterman Resort in Milna and can say without a shadow of doubt that we thoroughly enjoyed our 7-day visit to the resort on the island of Brac. It might not be for everyone, but we both really enjoyed the transfer from airport to the boat to the resort. Upon arriv… more

We have just returned from the Gava Waterman Resort in Milna and can say without a shadow of doubt that we thoroughly enjoyed our 7-day visit to the resort on the island of Brac. It might not be for everyone, but we both really enjoyed the transfer from airport to the boat to the resort. Upon arrival, we were greeted by three of the "local" kitties (that are well looked after by the entire team at the resort!) followed by an exceptionally clean reception area, where check-in was efficient and straight-forward despite being gone 10pm. Regardless of the time, the catering team had prepared a "cold meal" waiting for us in the restaurant and we was escorted to our "room" which by luck (or we booked without really realising) was a lovely clean bungalow at the bottom end of the resort closest to all of the facilities. The A/C in the room was welcomed (as it was all week and worked excellently) and had almost everything we needed (more shortly!) with an open plan layout with a separate shower room / sink / toilet - We were liking things so far so we dropped our bags off and headed to "Mama Rosie's Restaurant" and was pleasantly surprised with the chicken salad plate which included a bit of everything inc. a few pieces of fruit slices!) with access to a wide variety of cold drinks - First impressions were great! Apologies, this isn't supposed to be a diary of our holiday! We will try be a little more specific: The Resort: It depends on what you are looking for, but in our opinion the resort had more than enough areas for relaxing, whether it was beside one of the three pools, in areas set out with sunbeds and shades or down by the waters edge. The resort provides access to a lovely "cove" where the water was calm and the views amazing with an inflatable "water park", a couple of canoes/boards and some platforms and ladders for back-flipping off ;-) and climbing back out. Away from the water there are at least two places available for drinks and ice-creams (out of four that we spotted) as well as the 2-floor restaurant, small mini-golf/mini-outdoor gym, big screen/stage/table tennis/activity area, playing surface for football, tennis, basketball and Archery, but they also have a small on-site shop. This father/son run shop however has a little bit of everything, and if it does not, they will do their very best to get it for you the next day. We know this as we asked for throat lozenges one afternoon, and despite not having any on-site, the medication was available at 9am the following day. Everything was reasonably priced, we got most of our souvenirs from here and although we never got their names, KUDOS to the guys Thank you. The resort also has an indoor pool, sauna's, a gym, spa treatments also available, which we did not visit, so cannot say how good or bad, but available nevertheless. Accommodation: We had zero expectations regarding our room. For us, somewhere to get a good sleep, quiet, with good washing facilities and regular housekeeping, to be able to safely hang/store our stuff, with a nice big TV and great Wi-Fi and A/C is pretty much all we need for a happy holiday - That and the opportunity for a cup of Tea & Coffee when we awake each morning. Sadly, no kettle nor hot drink facilities are provided! Updating this "essential" in the bungalows if not all rooms, is pretty much the only thing we could fault the accommodation for... oh sorry, that and leaving the bathroom window open so I could get an unexpected awakening at 5:30am on the first morning from the friendly mosquito's/gnat's and the light streaming into the room... This was resolved by closing the window & blinds and putting our mozzie-bracelet's on for the remainder of our stay, but we recommend you take sprays, plug-in's, bracelets etc... So yeah, a couple of small things that might have been better, but everyday the room was cleaned, towels changed, the bed & pillows were very comfortable and made up, etc everyday.. We slept well, scrubbed up alright and were able to relax in our room, just what we needed! Food & Drink: We will start by saying that we thought the food & drink was way more than just ok, and having read some reviews before we left talking about cold food and things, we can confirm that we had completely the opposite experience. Over the week, we ate at different times, during breakfast, lunch and dinner and not at any point was any of the food cold... well except the regularly restocked cakes, creams, fruit platters, etc... Big Bad John and his team get a big recognition and thanks for the great selection of choices, every night, from us. No matter what you might want, for us anyway, it was available... fresh grill each night ranging from Shark, to Chilli to Tacos, with the themed nights, to the always hot and tasty soups, breads, salads or other hot dishes... There was always a pizza choice (or 3!), pasta, sauces, fish, potatoes, rice, chicken wings, and and and.... the breakfast range included freshly cooked fried eggs or omelettes, pancakes, waffles, hot choices, breads, yoghurts, fruits... literally something for everyone, not matter what time of service and the waiting staff were also very attentive and polite, meal times was enjoyable for us and we really did not experience anything we read prior to arriving! The drinks machines, juices, fizzy, beer and wine were always available too! - Thanks BBJ and team. <3 There are several places at which you can get Beer, wine and soft drinks all throughout the day including the main bar area, which sometimes had a queue of maybe 5-8 people, as the staff here were often making cocktails and other spirit filled drinks. There was usually two members of staff working here, and one at the "restaurant pool bar" which also served ice creams. We never waited an unreasonable amount of time all week. - Thank you to the hard working bar staff too. Animation/Entertainment: We have left the best until last! It has been a long long time since an animation team has shown so much energy, passion, fun, laughter, happiness, inclusion and consideration on any resort in the WORLD! Despite our days of Pilates, Yoga, Football, Basketball, Water Polo, Tennis, etc being behind us, the team still had activities like Darts, Archery, Pool games, Aqua aerobics, etc that us adults could join in with. Personally we brought our own darts on the off chance that the sports team would have a decent Unicorn dart board, with the numbers set against the "wrong" colours, set against a tree, slightly below standard height, with a made up oche, just up from the bar! - What are the chances!! - The point being here that the guys went out of there way to ensure that we were able to have fun! At one point, we were joined by 7 other couples/families from Hungary, Germany and France enjoying "killer" that Robin had introduced us too. Wherever you went, a member of the team was smiling, checking that everyone was enjoying themselves, encouraging them to join in the wide range of activities. We personally really appreciated "World Cup Fever" night that was spontaneously added to the Wednesday night of our visit. By pure chance, this happened to be the night that England were playing Croatia. Not only was the game showed live for all the England holidaymakers, but the team did face painting and raised the atmosphere... way beyond any expectations. Every member of the team was fantastic every day; whether it was keeping the young kids entertained throughout the day, having banter with the adults during "non-competitive" sports events, the evening mini-discos and shows, and even sharing experiences of places to visit on the island, our holiday was massively improved thanks to Yury, Robin, Matus, Nicolas, Antea and Karolina. Not forgetting the smallest and cutest member of the team "Fattie" <3 In Summary, we had a great week, great weather, great location, great staff, great food, great drink... Maybe we got lucky... We say, give them a try....!

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“10 DAYS STAY @GAVA WATERMAN”

We have just returned from a 10 day break at Gava Waterman at Milna, Brac Island and we cannot fault it: 1. The staff were so helpful 2. The food was absolutely amazing, especially when Big John was cooking, he was so knowledgeable and willing to share his recipes. 3. The Forest Cottages were excel… more

We have just returned from a 10 day break at Gava Waterman at Milna, Brac Island and we cannot fault it: 1. The staff were so helpful 2. The food was absolutely amazing, especially when Big John was cooking, he was so knowledgeable and willing to share his recipes. 3. The Forest Cottages were excellent...they were set in a forest setting with lots of trees and shrubs...oh and wildlife! They were very spacious and had everything you needed, especially free safe, air con in both rooms, complimentary wash creams and lots of places to put your clothing, etc. 4. Facilities were excellent and free...paddleboards, sunbeds, kayak and inflatable assault course...brilliant for kids! We would definitely recommend this hotel and would return, maybe for 14 days next time.

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“Great hotel, however a little out of the way”

From the minute we arrived to we left the staff could not do enough for you. The hotel, rooms and restaurant were spotlessly clean. The food was great, Big Johns chilli was to die for!!! Plently to go around although we did find it difficult to put a meal together a couple of nights. The a’la carte… more

From the minute we arrived to we left the staff could not do enough for you. The hotel, rooms and restaurant were spotlessly clean. The food was great, Big Johns chilli was to die for!!! Plently to go around although we did find it difficult to put a meal together a couple of nights. The a’la carte dining wasn’t great, as a couple we were put on a table with 8 others although we met a lovely couple and spent a couple of nights chatting and enjoying drinks with them. There’s enough to do around the hotel from paddle boards and a kayak in the sea and the great entertainment team who worked tirelessly getting people to join in with activities…. 5 ⭐️ to them…. Well done. The hotel runs a shuttle bus into Milna for 4 euros however the last one leaves the hotel at 6pm and Milna at 6.15pm could do with a later one however 12 euros for a taxi back you can’t go wrong. Croatia has been amazing, we will be back 🇭🇷

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“Big Bad John and the kitchen staff 👌🏼”

The "junior suites" rooms are a disappointment. They're fit for purpose but manage your expectations ahead of travel. You won't have much of a view from most rooms. The rest of the hotel is lovely, the staff are great. The chef (Big Bad John) and his team are brilliant. They make good quality food… more

The "junior suites" rooms are a disappointment. They're fit for purpose but manage your expectations ahead of travel. You won't have much of a view from most rooms. The rest of the hotel is lovely, the staff are great. The chef (Big Bad John) and his team are brilliant. They make good quality food and genuinely care about your dining experience. They pride themselves in offering a variety of food each day in addition to the regular buffet options. The all inclusive alcohol on offer is local and of a good standard. Milna is a 2km walk and a nice harbour town. There are three pools outside, one of which is a shallow pool for young children, which was great for our two year-old to build her confidence. The entertainment team are also great, make themselves known, ensure you're enjoying your holiday without being overbearing.

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