These small green islands with one village apiece, each necklaced by sparkling-clean beaches, are well off the usual tourist repertoire but easily accessible by boat from Zadar (see “Getting around”).

Silba, despite having no cars, is the liveliest of the three, and is favoured by artists so has a rather bohemian atmosphere. The nightlife there is relaxed with great live music, including jazz (of course), and a disco. Café Mik, by the church, plays jazz (sometimes live sessions in the evenings), and has a large space for art displays inside. Walk to the lovely gravelly beaches with agaves accompanying your way, learn to windsurf, rent a boat or (if you’re energetic enough) have a game of tennis, basketball or volleyball. Although only 15km2, Silba has 6 lovely small churches, some of them dating back to the 17th century. Sadly, they are not in a great state of repar. The island has an unusual monument – a 30m high tower (known as the Toreta) built by one of the island’s sea captains so that his wife could look out to sea and know when he would return (and know when to get his dinner ready?). Some people are a bit less cynical than us and see it as a symbol of love.

Olib and Premuda are rather more sleepy. Like most Dalmatian islands, sandy Olib has no water sources, but unusually it has an undersea pipeline bringing Velebit's renowned pure water to the island. It also has many pheasants and rabbits, which people run after with pop guns. Some say Olib's cheese is better than the more famous one made on Pag, and the local wine and olive oil are also great stuff. Olib has a lovely little fort, the remains of a monastery, and five churches including the Church of the Assumption of Mary, where you can see a document written in the Glagolitic script – the alphabet in which Croatian was first written.

Premuda is a superb place for diving enthusiasts – it has an underwater cavern known as The Cathedral to explore, and the wreckage of a ship, the St Istvan. Apart from that, expect nothing other than true, idyllic island life: stone houses, oleanders and bougainvilleas, olives and figs and clean, clean shingle beaches. The perfect getaway.