About the house

A family house returned to the sea

Aurelia is not a chain and not a concept hotel. It is one restored Istrian house in Pula, opened to a few guests each season.

Honey-coloured Istrian stone facade of Aurelia with green shutters, bougainvillea and cypress trees — The south face of the house, rebuilt with local limestone and the original green shutters.

How Aurelia began

The house belonged to our grandmother’s cousin, then sat closed for years — too large for one family, too good to sell to a developer. In 2019 we began to take it apart carefully: the stone stayed, the aluminium windows did not. We opened four apartments rather than twelve rooms, because the point was to keep the quiet that first made us want to sleep here.

The name is a nod to the Roman road that still underpins Pula, and to the gold light that fills the west terrace in late afternoon. We host, we do not perform hospitality. If you want a wristband and a buffet, there are larger places along the coast.

Who you will meet

Marta and Luka live a few minutes inland, in the old town. Marta trained as an architect in Zagreb and led the restoration. Luka grew up swimming these coves and still knows which rocks hold the shade after eleven. Between them they handle keys, linen, and the questions that actually matter: where to eat bakalar, which beach is empty on a Sunday, how to get into the Arena without the midday queue.

A housekeeper comes in after each stay. There is no reception desk. If you write, one of us answers.

What we kept

Living room with linen sofa, limestone walls and open doors to the Adriatic

Original limestone walls, pointed rather than plastered over.
Green wooden shutters, rebuilt to the old profile, because they work in this wind.
Floors in pale oak and stone — cool in August, quiet at night.
Kitchens you can actually cook in. Istria is a food region; we assumed you would want to use it.
No televisions in the bedrooms. There is a small one in each living room if you need it.

The house in brief

4 apartments, 2 to 6 guests each
2019–2021 restoration
A short walk to the water
A short drive to Pula Arena
A short drive to Pula Airport (PUY)

How we like to host

We leave you alone unless you ask. Welcome notes include a short list of tables we eat at ourselves, not a laminated folder of sponsored partners. Linen is cotton. Soap is from a small maker nearby. If something breaks, we come. If you want a boat, we call someone we would use.

Children are welcome in Suite Cypress. We are not a party house — Pula already has those, and they are loud enough.

Come and see the house

If the idea of a small sea residence in Pula fits the week you have in mind, write to us with dates.