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Which Neilson Beachclub Resort Is Best For A Summer Holiday In 2022?

There are 10 Neilson Beachclub resorts around Europe. Most of them are in Greece, but they also have classy beachside resorts in Croatia, Sardinia, Fuerteventura and Spain. They're at the posh end of the family summer holiday market offering action-packed family-friendly beach holidays. Neilson Active Holidays has won several awards in the last few years, including Best Activity/Sports Holiday Company at the British Travel Awards in 2020.

But which is the best Neilson Beachclub resort? We've looked at customer reviews, value for money, location, activities and travel time from the UK to reach our conclusion.

If you want the short answer and don't want to read all our waffle, I would start with: ​
If you want to hear how we reached that conclusion, please read on...

Which Neilson Beachclub is best for families and children?

Most Neilson Beachclubs are ideal for family holidays, if you can afford it. However, they don't all offer kids clubs and childcare.
​
The other six Neilson Beachclubs all include childcare for 2-17 year olds in the cost of your holiday with several different groups so your teenager won't be stuck playing with Playdoh with a toddler. If your child is under two then you pay extra for childcare (£300 per week at the time of writing).

But which is the best Neilson Beachclub for a family holiday? Keep reading more waffle and we'll narrow down the choice for you.
Sailing at Neilson Alana Beachclub
Sailing at Neilson's Alana Beachclub resort

Which Neilson Beachclub Resort gets the best reviews?

All of the Neilson Beachclub Resorts score at least 4/5 on TripAdvisor, but there is some variation in review scores.

​We added together the TripAdvisor scores and the Google review scores for the Neilson Beachclub Resorts in December 2021 and came up with this ranking from highest to lowest scoring:

  1. Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Vassiliki, Greece - 9.8/10 (4.8/5 on Google reviews , 5/5 on TripAdvisor) 
  2. Neilson Vounaki Beachclub, Paleros, Greece - 9.3/10 (4.8/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor) 
  3. Neilson Messini Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - 9.2/10 (4.7/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor)
  4. Neilson Retreat Beachclub, Sivota, Greece - 9.2/10 (4.7/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor) 
  5. Neilson Buca Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece (adults only) - 9.2/10 (4.7/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor)
  6. Neilson Alana Beachclub, Croatia - 9.1/10 (4.6/5 on Google reviews, 4.5/5 on TripAdvisor)
  7. Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - 8.3/10 (4.3/5 on Google reviews, 4/5 on TripAdvisor)
  8. Neilson Mar Menor Beachclub, Spain 8/10 (4/5 on TripAdvisor. We couldn't find Google reviews scores, so we've just used the TripAdvisor score).

(Note that ​Neilson La Pared Beachclub and Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub are very new so reviews aren't available).

So, what can we conclude from this splurge of numbers?

According to customer reviews, Neilson Cosmos Beachclub is the best Neilson Beachclub as of December 2021, but (as we'll see later) it is a very small resort with a smaller range of activities. 

The Greek resorts seem to get the highest scores with customers, with the resorts in Sardinia, Spain and Croatia all appearing in the bottom half (although 4/5 on TripAdvisor is still very respectable in my opinion).

It's worth noting that TripAdvisor only give scores in half-chunks, so Neilson Cosmos Beachclub appears to have a much higher score, despite having a similar score on Google reviews as Neilson Vounaki Beachclub,  Neilson Messini Beachclub and Neilson Retreat Beachclub.

Although there aren't reviews for Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub, we did manage to find reviews for the same resort when it was used by Mark Warner Holidays. It scored 4.5/5 from customers on TripAdvisor.
Neilson Cosmos Beachclub
Neilson's Cosmos Beachclub gets outstanding reviews...
Neilson Vounaki Beachclub
...as does Neilson Vounaki Beachclub in Greece

Which Neilson Beachclub is the cheapest?

For our (rough) price comparison we looked at the cost of a 7-day holiday for a family of four on three dates in June 2022 (outside school holidays), early August 2022 and mid September 2022. 

We searched for the cheapest room available including flights and transfers but didn't include any optional extras or upgrades. There is some variation about the day of the week that you arrive at your holiday. Where several departure airports were offered, we went for the cheapest option.

​Our price comparison didn't include Neilson Buca Beachclub as it's an adults only Neilson resort. We also couldn't include Neilson La Pared Beachclub as it's a winter sun destination. We couldn't find prices for Neilson Mar Menor Beachclub in Spain.
Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub
Neilson's Levante Beach is one of the more expensive Beachclubs
Lowest price available for a week in mid June 2022 for a family of four:
 
  1. Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - £2788
  2. ​Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Vassiliki, Greece - £3068
  3. Neilson Messini Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - £3316
  4. Neilson Alana Beachclub, Croatia - £3388
  5. Neilson Retreat Beachclub, Sivota, Greece - £3688​
  6. ​Neilson Vounaki Beachclub, Paleros, Greece - £3752
  7. Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub, Rhodes, Greece - £3844

Lowest price available for a week in early August 2022 for a family of four:​

  1. Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Vassiliki, Greece - £5808
  2. Neilson Messini Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - £6048
  3. Neilson Alana Beachclub, Croatia - £6240
  4. Neilson Retreat Beachclub, Sivota, Greece - £6992
  5. Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - £7056
  6. Neilson Vounaki Beachclub, Paleros, Greece - £7068
  7. Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub, Rhodes, Greece - £7136

Lowest price available for a week in mid-September 2022 for a family of four:

  1. Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Vassiliki, Greece - £2160
  2. Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - £2400
  3. Neilson Alana Beachclub, Croatia - £2640
  4. Neilson Messini Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - £2800
  5. Neilson Retreat Beachclub, Sivota, Greece - £3184
  6. Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub, Rhodes, Greece - £3240
  7. Neilson Vounaki Beachclub, Paleros, Greece - £3248 ​

Let me attempt to summarise this huge list of numbers. Based on our limited price comparison:

Which Neilson Beachclub has the most activities?

As you may have gathered from the name, Neilson Active Holidays are all about swimming, watersports (sailing, water skiing, wakeboarding, kayaking etc), fitness classes, cycling and tennis. You aren't obliged to try out the activities, but you'll get the best value from your holiday if you do.

All eleven resorts have plenty to do, but there is some variation in the number of activities on offer:
  1. Neilson Alana Beachclub, Croatia - 15 activities in total (particularly good for tennis and rock climbing)
  2. Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub, Rhodes, Greece - 13 (particularly good for swimming pools)
  3. Neilson Mar Menor Beachclub, Spain - 12 (particularly good for road/mountain cycling and sailing)
  4. Neilson Messini Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - 12 (particularly good for mountain cycling and rock climbing)
  5. Neilson Retreat Beachclub, Sivota, Greece - 12 (particularly good for water skiing and wakeboarding)
  6. Neilson Vounaki Beachclub, Paleros, Greece - 12 (particularly good for water skiing and wakeboarding)
  7. Neilson Buca Beachclub 12 (particularly good for tennis and rock climbing)
  8. Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - 10 (particularly good for road cycling)​
  9. Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Vassiliki, Greece - 7 (particularly good for windsurfing)
  10. Neilson La Pared Beachclub, Fuerteventura - 7 (good for surfing)​

Most activities are included in the cost of your holiday at most resorts, but there are some extra charges for kitesurfing and rock climbing at the time of writing (see this Neilson page for more details).

We worked out the number of activities by counting up all the activities mentioned on the Neilson website, as well as swimming. The recommendations for which resorts are particularly good for certain activities come from Neilson themselves.

Which is the nearest Neilson Beachclub Resort to the UK?

We added together the typical flight time and the transfer time to work out which Neilson Beachclub resort is quickest to get to from the UK. Of course, you need to allow extra time to pick up your bags from the airport and it depends on where you live in the UK as different resorts offer flights from different UK airports. But let's not make it too complicated...

From nearest to furthest from the UK:

  1. Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - 3 hours 5 minutes
  2. ​Neilson Alana Beachclub, Croatia - 3 hours 15 minutes 
  3. Neilson Mar Menor Beachclub, Spain - 3 hours 35 minutes
  4. Neilson Messini Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - 4 hours 10 minutes
  5. Neilson Buca Beachclub, Analipsi, Greece - 4 hours 10 minutes
  6. Neilson Vounaki Beachclub, Paleros, Greece - 4 hours 15 minutes
  7. Neilson Retreat Beachclub, Sivota, Greece - 4 hours 50 minutes
  8. Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub, Rhodes, Greece - 4 hours 50 minutes
  9. Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Vassiliki, Greece - 4 hours 50 minutes​
  10. Neilson La Pared Beachclub, Fuerteventura - 5 hours 15 minutes

So, if you want to cut down on travel time, then you are best to pick one of the Neilson Beachclub resorts in Spain, Croatia or Sardinia rather than Greece (although you had probably worked that out already if you own a world map)
​
If you don't want to fly, there are two Neilson Beachclub Hotels which they reckon you can reach by car, as long as you can tolerate hours stuck in a car with children and have plenty of battery life on their tablets. We worked out the travel time from London to the resort via the Eurotunnel:

  • Neilson Baia Dei Mori Beachclub, Sardinia - 24 hours (includes getting a ferry to Sardinia, as well as the Eurotunnel at Folkestone)
  • Neilson Cosmos Beachclub, Greece - 32 hours (yes, that's a day and a half of solid driving, so I suggest you'd need to make it part of a 'tour of Europe'

How can I save money on a Neilson Beachclub holiday?

Here are a few tips I've picked up during my research, I'll add other ones when I find them:
  • Two weeks at a Neilson Beachclub is often considerably better value than one week. It varies a bit but as an example we found that a week in mid September 2022 at Neilson Cosmos Beachclub was £2548 whilst a fortnight was £3540. That means you're only paying £35 per person, per night for the second week which is extraordinarily good value considering you are getting food included.
  • Obviously you can save significantly if you are able to travel outside of school holidays but I appreciate that's not an option for most families. The difference in price is enough to make a parent's eyes water. When we checked, a week in mid June 2022 at Neilson Vounaki Beachclub in Greece was £3749 for a family of four whilst a week in early August 2022 was £7061, a difference of £3312. Eek.
  • If you're willing to travel to a different UK airport you can save yourself quite a lot of money. In one instance we found that a week for a family of four at Neilson Vounaki Beachclub in Greece was £2800 if you flew from Manchester Airport or £4076 if you departed from London Heathrow. That's a ridiculously huge saving of £1276. Thankfully, the Neilson website seems to default to the cheapest airport when there is more than one option.
  • There's an 'offers' page on the Neilson website which is worth a look.

Other notable differences between the Neilson Beachclub Resorts

  • Neilson Cosmos Beachclub gets the best reviews at the time of writing but it is also a very small resort compared to the others with just 32 rooms. Most resorts have between 100 and 180 rooms. The second smallest family resort in terms of room number is Neilson Vounaki Beachclub which has 93 rooms (almost three times as many).
  • ​Neilson Alana Beachclub in Croatia has the most number of rooms with 221 rooms and cabins, whilst Neilson Messini Beachclub has 180 rooms. Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub has 240 rooms, but only half of them are used by Neilson.
  • Neilson Buca Beachclub in Greece is the resort just for adults, as we mentioned earlier.
  • Neilson Cosmos Beachclub doesn't include as many meals as the other 10 resorts. At Neilson Cosmos Beachclub  you just get breakfast included and then can pay for lunch and dinner at the onsite restaurant or dine out. At all the other Neilson Beachclub Resorts you get breakfast and lunch included every day, as well as four evening meals a week. So, you only need to find somewhere to eat three nights a week.​
  • Neilson La Pared Beachclub in Fuerteventura is Neilson's winter sun resort.​

Conclusion - which is the best Neilson beachclub?

 I've narrowed it down to three Neilson Beachclubs which I think should be top of your list for a family beach holiday:

Neilson Alana Beachclub in Croatia is a good value all-rounder. It offers the biggest range of activities, it's one of the closest to the UK, it gets very good reviews and it is a mid-priced option. It's particularly good if you like rock climbing or tennis.

The other two at the top of my list are both in Greece - Neilson Retreat Beachclub (best for waterskiing and wakeboarding) and Neilson Messini Beachclub (best for cycling or rock climbing). There isn't much to choose between those two in terms of reviews, so I would pick based on price for the week you want to travel and where you live. For London or Manchester airports, you can pick either. For Birmingham Airport, go for Retreat.

​Some other conclusions:
  • Neilson Cosmos Beachclub gets the best reviews (actually, it gets almost perfect reviews) but it is notably smaller than the rest so it doesn't offer quite the same range of activities and childcare. You also don't get as many meals included so you need to budget for that. It's about 1 hour 45 minutes further away than the closest Neilson Beachclub. It is known for windsurfing, so it's a good one if that's something you particularly want to try.​
  • Neilson Buca Beachclub is obviously the one to choose if you're travelling alone/with friends/as a couple as it's Neilson's adults only resort. It gets very positive reviews and has a good choice of activities.​
  • Neilson Vounaki Beachclub is probably as good as the other three Greek Beachclubs mentioned earlier, but it was a bit more expensive in most of our price comparisons.​
  • Neilson La Pared Beachclub is the obvious winner if you want a holiday during the British winter. It's a winter sun destination which has hardly any rain and averages 18-25 celsius degrees all year round.
  • Neilson Levante Beach Beachclub is the newest resort. There aren't enough reviews to go on yet, but it does have a very good range of activities and it has six swimming pools. However, it's also one of the more expensive Neilson resorts.
Neilson Portomyrina Palace Beachclub and Neilson Aeolian Village Beachclub are no longer available to book via Neilsons.

Other guides from the Holiday Park Guru

Holiday-Park-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer: All the information on this page is accurate, as far as we know. However, facilities at holiday parks change so please check with the park before booking.