Stončica beachVis Island

Stončica is a long, narrow inlet on the north-east coast of Vis, about 11 nautical miles from Hvar Town and a short run from Vis town, and at its head lies one of the few real sandy beaches on the island. The bay is deep and sheltered enough that it is listed in every pilot book as one of the safest anchorages in central Dalmatia, particularly in a jugo, the strong south wind, which is why it is the Vis stop we can rely on when the forecast is uncertain.

The beach is what you would want for children: soft sand, water that stays knee-deep for a long way out, and no swell. The shallows are warm by late morning and the sandy bottom makes it the island's home ground for picigin, the Dalmatian game of keeping a small ball out of the water with acrobatic dives. Watch the locals for a while before you try.

Behind the beach is one of the best-known restaurants on the island. Its grill is ten metres long, the fish comes off the boats in the bay that morning, and lunch under the tamarisks with your feet still sandy is the version of Vis most people are hoping for. Book ahead in July and August. There is a beach bar for the afternoon and shade along the back of the bay.

At the mouth of the inlet, on the cape, stands the Stončica lighthouse, built in 1865 and still working; the headland around it drops into deep, clear water with good snorkelling along the rocks, and it is the landmark your skipper uses to find the entrance from Hvar. A few minutes further along the coast is Smokova, another sandy cove with the wing of a wartime aircraft on the seabed.

Stončica is on our Blue Cave & Island Vis tour as the swim-and-lunch stop when the day is routed round the north of the island, and it is the obvious alternative to Stiniva when the south coast is taking the wind. On a calmer day it combines well with Vis town, ten minutes away by boat, for the harbour walk after lunch.