Rabac

Rabac Review

Your first thought on arriving (buses hourly from Labin for 1 Kn) at Rabac may be: Why come all the way to Europe for a place that looks much like a generic beach resort anywhere? Its series of huge, honeycomb-shaped, Italian-owned hotel monstrosities with names like Narcis, Casino, and Mimosa are truly the last place the writer of these lines, for one, would want to stay. But wait. Make a right on entering town rather than a left, then walk down the hill by road or the steps to the harbor. Once you reach the harbor, go left and then along the harborside promenade, rather than right. Doing so will reveal a side of Rabac that, although still somewhat touristy, also retains something of the idyllic—with its quiet harbor replete with small yachts, motorboats, and other pleasure craft, not to mention dozens of tiny, harborside coves you can walk down into for a quick dip via short flights of concrete steps. Although you can rent a plastic beach chair, making yourself comfortable on the smooth, roundish stones isn't nearly as difficult as it sounds; and even in midsummer, you can usually find yourself a rock to sprawl out on.