I went on a yacht-style cruise around Croatia's islands with just 35 other passengers

Unforgettable Croatia is part of the Unforgettable Travel group, which sells cruise and escorted travel holidays in Europe, the Caribbean, South East Asia and French Polynesia, often with well-known partner companies such as SeaDream Yacht Club, Windstar, Seabourn, Star Clippers and AmaWaterways.

In Croatia, it partners with Cruise Croatia and markets its small-ship cruises as Unforgettable Croatia. The fleet consists of three Signature ships and five Deluxe ships, all taking around 38 passengers on seven to 14-night trips along Croatia’s Dalmatian coast. MV My Wish is one of the Signature ships and takes 36 passengers on adult-only English-speaking cruises that attract families with children over 18, couples of all ages, and solos.

With a maximum of 36 passengers onboard, everybody gets to know each other quickly, and you soon get used to the laid-back lifestyle—a swim stop each morning after breakfast at an idyllic location, followed by lunch on the ship while you sail towards a town for an afternoon and overnight stay.

Apart from your cabin and the dining room, everything happens out on deck. The air-conditioned dining room has a small bar and hot drinks area that leads out to a shaded terrace big enough for everybody to sit around tables for drinks at any time of the day—or for drying off and relaxing after the morning swim from the marine deck at the back of the ship.

There are stairs up to another terrace with a rarely used large TV, which is also big enough for everybody to sit in. Then there are stairs to the sun deck—nearly the full length of the ship—with loungers, a large hot tub, a small outdoor gym, and a few sofas and chairs.

Most afternoons include an escorted trip or guided walk around the town you’re staying in. Then, you’re on your own to enjoy whatever the night has to offer, safe in the knowledge that the ship won’t be leaving until the next morning.

The one downside is that, just like river cruises, up to five ships are sometimes rafted together in port, making private balconies useless—although most people were happy to sit on the sun deck or terraces instead.

Definitely the daily swim stops and well-stocked marine platform. My Wish is small enough to put down anchor within an easy swim of either a beach or a rocky shore so the water is relatively warm, although a little fresh. I’ve been on top-of-the-range cruise ships with similar facilities but they can’t get as close to land, so unless you’re in the Caribbean, it can be uncomfortably cold.

There are two ladders off the back of the ship to ease yourself into the sea and a platform that’s put into the water during the stop for getting onto one of the two stand-up paddle boards or into one of the two double sea kayaks. The ship usually anchors for up to two hours so there’s time for everybody to have a go if they want.

There are also fancy inflatables for sitting in the water, and if you’re not a confident swimmer, you can use a couple of buoyancy aid foam noodles. Snorkelling equipment is also available, and after your swim, you can sit on the terrace with a coffee or tea from the free barista-style machine or buy a drink from the bar.

There are 18 cabins, 10 on the second deck with large windows and doors out to balconies and eight below deck with two small portholes just above sea level. All have really good shower rooms with tiled floors, glass basins on marble-effect tops, an overhead rain shower, and a hand-held shower within wraparound glass-like doors. Ritual toiletries are provided, and there’s a hair dryer on the wall.

There’s only one wardrobe but it’s big enough for a week’s smart casual summer clothes—nobody gets very dressed-up—and there are two good-sized drawers in each bedside table.

Lifejackets are in large drawers under the beds—either twins or two beds joined together to create a double—and although the beds are not quite as comfortable as those on some mainstream cruise lines, you never get too hot or too cold thanks to the range of air-conditioning, which can also be switched off.

The free Wifi is good everywhere on the ship but particularly in the cabins, which have small wall-mounted TVs and three or four English-speaking news channels as well as several Croatian channels.

There’s also a QR code on the wall of every cabin, which you can use to check your bar tab, which is updated daily.

Breakfast and lunch on the ship are included and there’s no way anybody goes hungry. The 8am to 9.30am breakfast includes made-to-order egg dishes such as omelette and eggs Benedict, or fried eggs to go with the bacon usually on offer. There’s also a good Continental breakfast choice, pastries, pancakes, cereal and fruit.

There’s no fixed seating but always enough places for everybody to sit down at the same time together, and while people turn up for breakfast whenever they like, most people arrive punctually for the waiter-served lunch.

These three-course meals might include home-made pumpkin or tomato soup, main dishes such as turkey stuffed with mozzarella, or grilled white fish, and desserts ranged from ice cream to New York cheesecake.

Sometimes these lunches seem a bit too hearty so soon after breakfast, but for those who don’t want a big meaty meal, you can opt for vegetarian or vegan at the start of the week.

It’s also important to bear in mind that meals – including the welcome dinner and captain’s dinner – are created in a small galley kitchen by just a few staff, so they are never going to be quite as good as top-of-the-range cruise ships.

Five nights of the week, you are free to eat anywhere in the town where the ship is moored, and there’s always plenty of choice, although Unforgettable Croatia provides a list of recommended restaurants and tables can be booked for you.

This is a cruise for people who just want to relax in the sun, have a swim in the sea and dip their toes into Croatian culture without getting too bogged down in history. There’s always the option to take a tour of your own if you want something longer than the included afternoon guided tours that are on offer once My Wish gets into a new port every day.

For our seven-night Dalmation Wonders cruise, we boarded at Dubrovnik in the early afternoon, and after lunch, we were bused into town for a guided walk by our very knowledgeable cruise director, Biljana Serbo, who was also a qualified guide.

Other walking tours included the old towns of Dubrovnik, Korcula, Split and Sibenik. We were taken to Ston for a boat ride and oyster tasting, taken to the distinctive Golden Horn beach near Bol on Brac Island, for wine tasting on the island of Hvar—where we moored at lovely Jelsa with a shuttle to frenetic Hvar old town—and we were also taken to Krka National Park to see the impressive Krka River’s waterfalls.

The rest of the time was spent pottering around the towns late into the afternoon and into the night, a luxury rarely available to guests of mainstream cruises.

Most restaurants are aimed at tourists and can be pricey, but in Sibenik's old town, we finally managed to find a little restaurant that locals go to: Šešula, a hole-in-the-wall bar with an outdoor restaurant right next to the fishing boats, and a fantastic way to finish the trip.

Cruise Croatia offers seven-night small-ship cruises from £1,995 per person, including breakfast, lunch, two dinners, private transfers, all excursions and Wi-Fi. Flights are not included. (0208 004 2345; cruisecroatia.com)