Rab Island, Croatia —

It is a blistering hot day and the approach to Rab Island is unpromising. From the ferry, the entire island appears to be nothing but a enormous lump of scalding white rock. It seems the best strategy to enjoy a stay here would be to just jump off the boat now and cool down in the sparkling blue waters of the Adriatic. Resisting this impulse and having docked, my impression does not improve. Now we have a scalding black parking lot to compliment the scalding white rock. The only break on this bleak landscape is a billboard advertising the “30 Rock” disco. Why not turn around and reboard the ferry?

That would have been a mistake. We’d just disembarked onto Croatia’s most enchanting island.

Here’s the skinny. Rab lies about 200km north of Croatia’s most popular island destinations placing it far from the normal tourist path. Split, Dubrovnik, Hvaar and Korkula draw crowds like magnets, leaving the northern coast and islands in a pleasantly sleepy state. The towering mountains of the Velebit on the mainland just across from Rab generate the famous winds the Croatians call “the Bora.” These ferocious winds have sculpted the eastern coast of Rab into the lunar landscape I mentioned above. That white wall shields the rest of the island from the Bora. Moving west from the ferry dock, the lunar shield gives way to paradise.

In exact contrast to the barren approach, the entire western half of the island is green. Forests, pastureland, vineyards, gardens; it’s everything you would not expect upon arrival. Smack in the middle of it all is Rab Town, the perfect geographical punctuation to complete the split personality of the island.

Rab Town was built squarely on the shoulders of the Venetian trade routes and its architectual influences spread from Italy to Turkey. It is both elegant and simple and above all friendly. The white stone streets have been polished by centuries of wear and shine as if freshly washed.

The town is small enough that you feel instantly at home but, as with the island in general, it has many personalities. You can watch the luxury yachts come and go at the port, shop along the bustling main street, explore the churches of the silent upper town or take a book to the shady village park which is as large as the town itself. Cafes abound and people watching is great. Why would you ever leave? – Because that green side of the island is so enticing.

It is best to take to the water as most of the island’s western half is uninhabited. The local skippers know every cove and inlet. They are also wonderful cooks. Under their guidance, it is easy to search out your own personal Croatian paradise. Explore the dense forests, finally jump in that impossibly blue Adriatic water, dine on fish caught moments ago. It has a Gilligan quality about it and I mean that in the best way possible.

Again, that thought. Why would you ever leave?

Eventually, you will want to return to the landscape that was at first so off putting. From water’s edge to island summit is a challenging hike but richly rewarded. It turns out that the thousands of acres of white rock serve one of the island’s most fundamental purposes. It is the stark grazing land of Rab’s sheep population from which the island’s distinctive, tart cheeses are produced. The views here are also spectacular; white, blue green for as far as the eye can see.

The tradition here is for each visitor to leave behind a small, personalized pile of rubble, a type of cairn. What from the ferry appeared to be nothing more than a wasteland is actually a vast sculpture garden. It is eerily beautiful.

Back in town, in the evening, Rab springs to life. Cafes and restaurants are bustling. Yachts rest. A band plays in the square. Everyone’s dancing. It makes you wonder yet again; why would you ever leave?