All the houses rented are owned privately. There is no intermediate agency. Balini and the house in Oprtalj are owned by Aline Massin and Marjo Lapidaire. They bought, renovated and furnished the houses as if it were their permanent residences. Marjo (Dutch) and Aline (Belgian), after having travelled the world, they became addicted to the beauty of Istria since they first visited the region in the early 80's. Their local knowledge and contacts may also prove to be invaluable to you. Their multi-cultural background and knowledge of several languages (Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and even some Russian) is an additional asset.