Mali Zagradac – Hunting for the World’s Most Beautiful Beach

Everyone has their own idea of the most beautiful beach. I had a friend whose favourite beaches were the kilometre-long sandy ones, with sunbeds and parasols arranged in perfect geometric patterns. For some, the ideal beach is the one nearest the car park, so they can unload all their inflatable flamingos, air mattresses, parasols, and coolers as easily as possible. Some people love cafés, so for them the perfect beach is the one right in front of one. For Americans, the concept of the best beach is probably one you can’t actually swim at (that’s what pools are for), but where you can run and surf with a generous dose of adrenaline thanks to the latent danger of shark attacks.

For us, the most beautiful beach has to have the finest pebble shore — the kind your foot sinks into at least up to the ankle. It must be small, free of people, set in wild and rocky surroundings (pastures are out of the question). It mustn’t show any traces of civilization, and certainly no Blue Flag! We flee from Blue Flags the way sailors of old fled from the pirates’ black ones. And yes, the sea must be “clearer than the wind”, and your heart should flutter the moment you set foot on it. When all of that comes together, we simply know — this is it. We know of a few such beaches, and one of them is certainly Mali Zagradac on Brač.

Zlatni Rat is gorgeous, but if you head west from Murvica, you’ll come across a dozen or so beaches, any one of which could be the most beautiful in the world. They’re harder to reach, because you drive along a narrow gravel road that in places is dangerous for inexperienced drivers, and when you do manage to locate one — they’re not visible from the road — you’ll have a hard time finding a parking spot. The few pull-offs along the road fill up fast in season, so the ideal time to come is the second half of September, or during the next total lockdown. But that’s only half the effort. Now you have to climb down a steep slope of some 50–70 m in height, if you’re lucky — often more.

Mali Zagradac belongs to the more-accessible category. Once you pass the vineyard and descend to the edge of the cliff, you get your first glimpse of this beautiful beach, but reaching it takes a little more effort. You need to loop around and pass through a small pine grove, which puts your patience to the test, especially when the midday sun is beating down. But the patience and the effort pay off in the end. And if you happen to be alone on the beach that day, it’s an experience you’ll remember for the rest of your life, and every exotic place on your bucket list instantly becomes irrelevant, uninteresting, and second-rate. How could anyone ever put a price on this?!

Once you set foot on this beach, every exotic place in the world instantly becomes irrelevant, uninteresting, and second-rate!

There are gorgeous coves and beaches on many of our islands. If you’re looking for something like this on Brač, then the south side of Hvar from Sveta Nedilja toward Ivan Dolac is certainly the place to go!

For those searching for the most beautiful beaches who want to stick to the mainland — even though the mainland can’t really measure up to the islands, which have a special magic of their own — the most beautiful beaches on the coast are those of the Makarska Riviera, which in beauty is unrivalled, I’d even say in the world. Although there are many hidden beaches in that area, Brela would certainly stand out as the longest unbroken stretch of the most beautiful beaches you can imagine!