Arba Resort, Valamar Collection

Set on the coast near Rab, this is a resort for divers who want the rest of the day to be easy: food on site, a proper place to sit down, pools when the sea has had enough of you, and a spa for muscles that have been carrying cylinders around since breakfast. The beachfront setting does much of the work without making a song and dance about it.

Families are clearly catered for, with family rooms, a kids’ club, play areas and a games room. Couples, meanwhile, have the simpler pleasure of a seaside room, a balcony, a drink and no need to organise an evening expedition unless you feel like it.

You are in Kampor, on the island of Rab, with the resort directly on the coast and direct access to a golden sandy beach. The sea is listed at roughly 200 metres away, while Matovica Beach is about 0.2 miles from the property. Suha Punta Karolina Beach is around 0.4 miles away on foot, with other beaches in the same coastal stretch.

Rab town is about 3.1 miles away, so this is not a hotel dropped into the middle of town life. You get a coastal base instead, with Casablanca roughly 0.3 miles away for a change of table and Beach Bar Pjera around 0.4 miles away when the resort bar needs a little competition. Northern Velebit National Park lies about 12 miles away for a land-based day out.

The useful choice is less about collecting room names and more about deciding how much space and how much sea you want. Couples can keep things straightforward with a room for two, while the seaside and seaview options put the coastal setting into the room rather than leaving it to the walk outside. The larger rooms and V Level suites make more sense for families or for anyone who dislikes having bags, clothes and holiday clutter competing for the same square metre.

For four guests, the larger rooms and suites give you room to spread out; the Superior V Level Suite adds two bathrooms, which is the sort of detail that becomes important at precisely the wrong moment. Several family options use a king-size bed with sofa beds, while some rooms for larger groups combine king-size and single beds. Check the room plan carefully if sleeping arrangements matter more than the photograph.

Air conditioning should make warm summer nights easier, and the rooms also have a balcony, wardrobe or cupboard space, a desk, a flat-screen TV and a coffee machine. Daily housekeeping is included, and Wi-Fi is available throughout the property. In other words, you can cool down, make coffee and deal with the day’s photographs without turning the room into an administrative department.

The main restaurant serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a Mediterranean-inspired approach that also draws on local and international cooking. Breakfast is a buffet, and the all-inclusive formula keeps the basic rhythm of the day in one place: eat, dive, eat again, then decide whether you have the energy to move further than the bar.

There is a restaurant, a bar, a pool bar and an on-site coffee house. The restaurant works to a smart-casual dress code, so you can leave the full expedition wardrobe in the suitcase and still avoid arriving at dinner looking as though you have just surfaced from a wreck. Vegetarian options are available.

Six pools give you alternatives to the sea, including an outdoor pool, an indoor pool and a children’s pool. Sun loungers and umbrellas are available around the leisure areas and the beach, which means you can choose between proper horizontal recovery and a short walk along the shore. There is also a hot tub, sauna and spa relaxation area for the traditional post-dive debate about whether moving counts as recovery.

The spa covers 800 square metres and includes beauty services and massage, while the fitness centre and yoga classes offer gentler ways to occupy the body. Cycling and hiking are available for days when you want to see more of Rab without turning the whole holiday into an endurance event.

Film nights, evening entertainment, table tennis, a games room and indoor and outdoor play areas give families something to do when the weather or enthusiasm turns. Cultural excursions are also available, adding a little more purpose to a non-diving day than simply moving from lounger to lounger.

The address is Kampor 78, 51280 Kampor, Croatia. Rijeka Airport is about 42 miles away by road, with the journey listed at roughly two hours and forty minutes. That transfer is not a quick hop, so it deserves a place in your arrival planning, particularly if you are travelling with dive luggage rather than a suspiciously small weekend bag.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to midnight, and check-out is from 06:00 to 10:00. A 24-hour front desk, concierge service, luggage storage and express check-in and check-out make the edges of the stay more manageable. Upper floors are accessible by lift, and private parking is available on site, with an electric vehicle charging station.

Children of any age are welcome, and cots are available for babies aged up to one year. There are no extra beds, so the room category needs to match your actual group rather than your optimistic interpretation of a sofa. Pets are allowed. Parties and similar events are not permitted, which should suit anyone who would rather hear the sea than somebody else’s playlist.