Saplunara, the Sandy Beach of Mljet

During our stay on Mljet, the locals suggested Saplunara several times—a sandy beach on the eastern side of the island. They usually don’t go there themselves, but they obviously think tourists love sand. We hate sand, but since it is perhaps the most hyped beach on Mljet and the surrounding area, we decided to write a short review and thus conclude the series of articles about this incredible island.

There are Velika (Big) and Mala (Small) Saplunara. They are very close to each other and very similar. We visited Velika Saplunara (the first one).

The access to the beach goes through the village and ends in the shade of a pine forest, where plenty of parking spaces can be found. Not far from the beach, there is a good selection of food and drinks. So, it is a beach that has accommodation, shops, and a gastronomic offer in its hinterland, but it is still sufficiently isolated from civilization so that you don’t feel like you’re on a typical city beach.

The beach itself is beautiful. It is sandy, so the sea can be a bit murky in the first section, but it is clean and pleasant for swimming. Like most sandy beaches, you first have to walk through a tedious shallow part to reach a depth suitable for swimming. It is about 170 m long and faces southwest. The first thing you notice are the rows of umbrellas and sunbeds for rent. At the time of our visit, the umbrellas were covered with dry reeds, which gave it a sort of tropical vibe. We are more fans of the Mediterranean vibe.

If you are staying on Mljet for more than a few days, it makes sense to spend a day at Saplunara, especially if you are with small children. Playing with sand and splashing in the shallows will probably be fun for kids. If we were to choose a beach on Mljet, it would definitely be Sutmiholjska (42.741834150735535, 17.499189868394943). However, what is truly a real experience on Mljet is swimming on the rocks, in the beautiful blue sea surrounded by wild nature without anyone else around!