In 1969 my brother and I visited the most beautiful country in the world: Croatia, although at the time it was called Yugoslavia.

There were very few tourists visiting Yugoslavia in those days and so when we hit the beaches, we were the only ones there. And don't expect to see sand as most beaches will be littered with pebbles and large rocks. As this photo shows, there is very little beach area and what little basking space there is, is filled with boulders and bordered by trees and vegetation hugging the perimeter.

However, what makes these beaches gorgeous is water so opalescent with turquoise and stunning azure that it shames any rainbow you have ever seen. If there is such a thing as beach heaven, it is in Croatia.

Lately I've read that many of the beaches are now naturalist or nude beaches. How come I'm always too early to the party?