A rocky road …
At the beginning of the 2000s, we decided to make our long-cherished dream of owning an holiday home reality. Our search started in southwestern Europe and ended with a detour via Hungary in Croatia. At that time, the country was not at all on the radar of mainstream tourism, the perfect condition for our treasure hunt.
Since it was geographically the closest, our first sightseeing holiday took us to Istria. We felt comfortable and welcome as soon as we entered the country. Actually after the end of the third day on tour with the broker, after we had already visited several properties, he mentioned that there was still a ruin close to Labin, which we probably wouldn’t be interested in anyway due to the lack of infrastructure. That made me curious and I followed up. When he said something about an abandoned location right by the sea, it was clear to me that we needed to see it.
Since there was no accessible road at that time, we started in Rabac for a 15-minute walk along the coast through the nature reserve. After the last bend we saw the ruins of the house of the harbor master of the former loading port for bauxite (today’s Teleferica). At the same time, the charm of this part of Croatia’s steep coast took hold of us and it was immediately clear: that should be it! Said and done. A few days later we sat together with a notary in Labin and signed the purchase contract.
The following years we had to fight our way through the labyrinth of Croatian bureaucracy, peppered with various experiences with the local construction industry. It should be noted that complex construction projects in island locations in foreign-speaking countries do not become easier without any experience of cultural peculiarities.
But thanks to the great hospitality, helpfulness and friendliness of the Croatians in general and some individuals in particular, it was possible to finish the rocky path to the end. We spent our first vacation in our own holiday home in 2008 and the sound of the sea helped to quickly put the stress of the construction time in the background.
Since 2008 we have optimized a lot in terms of comfort; from sustainable and quiet electricity with the help of the sun (mostly), to our own sewage treatment plant, to air conditioning in three of the four bedrooms and many other details. Finally, our holiday home is a place to relax and feel good.
We warmly welcome you in Croatia with the typical “dobrodošli”.
Walter Brich and family
Where to find Cenida
Please zoom in to see the extraordinary location of Villa Cenida: