For a small country, Croatia has a lot of neighbours. In the north, Hungary and Slovenia, to the east, Bosnia and Serbia, and south, Montenegro. And to the west this little Balkan nation shares a slice of the Adriatic Sea with Italy. This is no surprise for such an irregularly shaped country — my Croatian father first pointed it out on a map when I was 12 and I thought it looked rather like a molar.

Happily, the differences and influences in this intriguing land don't end at its borders. Up north the capital Zagreb is steeped in an Austro-Hungarian elegance, with its ornate architecture and refined urbanity. Down south in Dalmatia, where the rugged coastline meets the Adriatic, life is a little more, shall we say, horizontal. Sitting on a reclined canvas chair by the Adriatic, gazing out on the shimmering vista of the thousand islands of Croatia and nibbling on freshly shucked oysters seems to be the order of the day. Horizontality has never seen greater heights.

Indeed, a supine attitude is what you'll need to keep count with the Croatian rhythm. If the lapping ocean and its manifold offerings (seafood, sunsets and seafaring) isn't enough to calm any residual verticality, then there's the cooling easterly bura winds that caress the coastline, smoothing out the harsh volcanic land, just as water makes pebbles from rock.

The bura isn't the only visitor Croatia has known: Greeks, Romans, Hapsburgs, Italians and Germans have passed through this tiny nation, giving it as many facets as a glittery, albeit raw, diamond. These days passing nomads come from all over to tour, relax and sail around the glittering thousand islands, a heavenly archipelago of remote, idiosyncratic locales, combining shimmering Mediterranean sensuality with authentic Croatian hospitality.

Boarding a vessel from Makarska, just 30 minutes south of Split, we cruise over to Brac, one of the closest islands. There we pull into a tiny hamlet called Sumartin which is dotted with vine-fringed bars and tavernas offering the catch of the day. Old men sit sunning themselves at the bars, sipping on slivovic (plum brandy) while young children run up and down the quayside, jumping into the water and flying back out like twitchy little sparrows. The scene is so heavenly and relaxed I have trouble convincing myself I'm not dreaming.

A few metres away we stumble upon a tiny shop-front where a young woman warmly welcomes us and starts regaling us with helpful hints. The fact that she looks like a supermodel-on-holiday isn't lost on anyone. We carefully read in our guidebooks that the Dalmatians, especially those in and around Split, have been noted throughout the centuries as being a remarkable looking species (a fact that pleases me greatly, since my father's side of the family hails from this area).

We are then shown to our home for the week, a sprawling 1930s villa with capacious windows, perched overlooking the little hamlet, with 180-degree views. We found it through Croatian Villas and our house manager Angela, a local with a bellowing, cheery voice, flies in and out periodically throughout the week, making sure things are running smoothly.

Most mornings we take an early dip to wake ourselves up in the cooling crystal green waters a few metres from our doorstep. Then it's into the tiny bar for an espresso, perhaps a krafne (a Dalmatian doughnut). After picking up some fresh (mostly organic) produce from the tiny local market next to the ferry wharf, we head back home to prepare a feast and to escape the impending heat. Our villa has a barbecue and vine-covered outdoor table, where we spend many an hour picking at local tomatoes roasted with rosemary handpicked from the garden, of course, or lignje (squid) grilled to perfection.

As the sun sets later that day we take another dip in the buoyant water and gaze up to the blue skies. Suddenly, the heat lifts and an eager wind starts to nuzzle its way across the waters. Trees sway, waves start frothing and washing is taken from clothes lines. At last, the cooling bura has come to town.

Fact file www.croatianvillas.com

There are a number of ways to get to Split on the Dalmatian Coast. Easyjet and British Airways fly in from London. Or you can fly from Rome using Croatian Airlines. Speak to your travel agent.

Alternatively, you can reach it on a boat from Ancona on Italy's east coast. This is a 10-hour journey best done overnight. You can have breakfast at the front of the boat as it pulls into Croatian waters.